
INDIANAPOLIS, July 21 — On Sunday, the tenth National Eucharistic Congress concluded with a beautiful Mass celebrated and preached by the papal legate, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, joined by hundreds of bishops, more than two thousand priests and deacons, and 50,000 faithful.
The conclusion of the Congress was also the conclusion of the 65-day journey of the Seton Pilgrims on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, who got together for breakfast before setting out for the Mass and then, after Mass, heading to the airport to return to their respective homes for the first time in more than two months.
The procession to begin the concluding Mass took about a half hour due to the number of seminarians and clergy in the procession. Lucas Oil Stadium, for a short time, became by far the largest Church in the world, with the help of digital screens featuring sacred church-like architecture and extraordinary music, assisted by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
In his homily, Cardinal Tagle focused on "Eucharistic conversion" and "missionary conversion." Eucharistic conversion was the message, he said, Pope Francis asked him to share with everyone. The focus of the last day of the Congress, he said, was on preparing everyone to become Eucharistic missionaries, and so the prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery of Evangelization sought to show how the two themes go together.
The theme of the National Eucharistic Congress, he said, is "my flesh for the life of the world" (Jn 6:51). Jesus was sent by God the Father in order to give us the Eucharist. In him, misssion and gift are united.
"Jesus says, 'I came down from from Heaven not to do my will but the will of the one who sent me.'' Jesus has a profound consciousness of having been sent on being on a mission. "Jesus is sent to be given by the Father to others. He is sent to be a gift, … to be given. The missionary is a gift. Mission is not just about work but also about the gift of oneself. Jesus fulfills his mission by giving himself, his flesh, his presence, to others as the Father wills it. … Jesus' mission and gift of self meet in the Eucharist."
Cardinal Tagle continued, "Where there is a lack or a weak in of missionary zeal, maybe it is partly due to a weakening in the appreciation of gifts and giftedness. Do we still look at ourselves, at persons, at objects, at our work, at society, at the events of daily life, and at creation within the horizon of gift or is this horizon disappearing? If our horizon is only that of achievement ,success and profit, there is no room to see and receive gratuitous gifts. There is no place for gratitude and self-giving. There will only be a telentless search for self-affirmation that eventually becomes oppressive and tiring, leading to more self-absorption or individualism. When pessimism takes over, we see only darkness, failures, problems, things to complain about. We do not see gifts in persons and events. Those who do not see gifts in themselves and in others will not give gifts. They will will not go on a mission."
He asked whether husbands and wives see each other as gifts or problems; whether children see their parents as gifts of ATM cards; whether parents see children as gifts or burdens; whether priests and deacons see their bishops as gifts, religious see their speriors as gifts, whether all of us see the poor, homeless and sick as gifts, whether we see those who are different as gifts.
He urged, "Like Jesus, let us give let us give a gift of presence to each other. Go to church, go to Mass, with the gift of your flesh, your singing voice, your sweat, your tears, your smiles. Jesus gives his flesh. Why can we not give him in the community the gift of our fleshly presence?"
He then asked whether we regard Jesus himself as a gift or a problem. In John 6, when Jesus said he is the Bread of Life and we need to eat his flesh and drink his blood, many of his disciples responded aloud by saying the teaching was hard and wondering who could accept it. They questioned whether he could be who he claimed since he was the supposed son of Joseph and Mary. Many, as St. John said, returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with Jesus.
Cardinal Tagle noted, "They returned to a way of life without Jesus. They chose his absence rather than his presence in their lives. Instead of accompanying him, they walked alone. Their rejection of the gift of Jesus's word, body and blood meant they would not walk with him and neither could he send them on Mission."
The Filipino prelate invited those present to confront some "rather painful questions about this mysterious rejection of Jesus by his disciples." He asked: "Is it possible that we, his disciples, contribute also to the departure of others from Jesus? Why do some people leave Jesus when he is giving the most precious gift of eternal life?" Do our Biblical, catechetical and liturgical formation allow "the gift of Jesus's person to shine forth clearly? Does our Eucharistic celebration manifest Jesus's presence or does it obscure the presence of Jesus? Do Massgoers manifest the presence of Christ through their goodness, throgh a liife charity and mission? Do our Parish communities provide an experience of Jesus' closeness and caring? Are our families still the primary teachers and transmitters of the faith? Do the youth feel listened to and heard about their search for Jesus? … Maybe there are people who desire to be present with the Lord but they hesitate to come, like the poor, the homeless, the migrants, the refugees, the indigenous people, the hearing impaired, the elderly and many other hidden people who might feel they do not belong?"
He then focused on what happened after many of the disciples had left Jesus. He asked the 12 apostles whether they, too, wanted to leave and Simon Peter replied, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One Of God."
Cardinal Tagle commented, "Jesus is asking each one of us, 'Do you also want to leave me?' Like the others, I hope we can answer like Peter: 'We will stay with you, Lord! We refuse to live far from your presence!'" But, he said, thees cannot "be empty words. Like Peter we should believe with conviction. Jesus does not impose himself on anyone. He appeals to our interior freedom. Faith and conviction are our gifts to Jesus, who gives himself to to us."
Then he asked, "Dear brothers and sisters, Will you stay with Jesus? Those who choose to stay with Jesus will be sent by Jesus. The gift of his presence and love for us will be our gift to people. We should not keep Jesus to ourselves. That is not discipleship. That is selfishness. The gift we have received, we should give as a gift."
He cited Pope Francis' letter to the Congress, which he said expressed the hope "that the participants of the Congress, fully aware of the universal gifts they receive from Heavenly food. may impart them to others." He said, "So a Eucharistic people is a missionary and evangelizing people."
He referenced a woman in one of the parishes where he served who was always at all of hte Sunday Masses. He thanked her one day for her dedication and for the sacrifice that her family makes in allowing her to be so present. The woman replied, "Do not worry about my family. I stay here in church and attend all Masses because I do not want to see my husband and children. I wish every day were a Sunday so I could avoid my family!"
He said we are not called to be like her. "Dear friends," he concluded, "when the priest or deacon says, 'The mass is ended, go in the Peace of Christ,' please go! Go! Do not spend the whole day drinking coffee with monsignor! Go! Go! Go! And what you have heard, touched, and tasted, you must share with others. We have received the gift of Jesus. Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world!"
At the end of the two and a half hour Mass, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress and the chief animator of the National Eucharistic Revival, thanked Cardinal Tagle and many others who have made the Congress possible. He announced that the 11th National Eucharistic Congress is scheduled for 2033, marking the 2000th anniversary of redemption, but said that he and others are discerning whether to wait nine years for the next. When he asked those in attendance whether they thought the eleventh should be sooner, he received a boisterously favorable response.
He also noted that next year they are hoping to continue the experience of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage with a journey from Indianapolis to Los Angeles for the celebration of Corpus Christi.
Prior to the Mass, there was the final Revival session, which the Seton Pilgrims were able to attend.
The Seton Route Pilgrims after the Mass — Natalie Garza, Marina Frattaroli, Zoe Dongas, Amayrani Higueldo, Dominic Carstens, Christoph Bernas and chaplain Father Roger Landry — got ready to return to their respective homes. They are planning to reconvene in New York City August 3-4 for the final profession of Brother Lazarus Vina, CFR, who was with them for two of the nine weeks of their journey.
They have all committed to continuing to accompany each other on the pilgrimage of Christian life, to deepening their friendship with the Lord and in him with each other.
They are also working on various projects to share the fruits of the extraordinary gift of their pilgrimage with others, seeking, as Cardinal Tagle urged everyone present, to make the gift they have received a true gift for other.