LAPORTE – “Do you recognize Jesus?” Monsignor Joseph Malagreca presented this question to the nearly 200 people who attended the Eucharistic Revival Holy Hour at Holy Family Parish-Sacred Heart Church on Feb. 8
The question referenced the evening’s Gospel reading from Luke (24:13-35), Jesus’ appearance on the Road to Emmaus. “It was just two disciples, like you and me. This Gospel is us. You are in the Gospel and Jesus is in your presence. Do you recognize Him?” asked Monsignor Malagreca.
Monsignor Malagreca is a United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Eucharistic preacher as well as the pastor of Holy Cross parish in Brooklyn, NY.
Bishop Robert J. McClory welcomed the monsignor and the faithful in attendance. “What a joy it is to come and spend some time with our Eucharistic Lord. The Lord wants our hearts. He wants us to draw closer to Him and what a great gift we have during this time of the Eucharistic Revival to do so. As we draw closer to Jesus, our hearts are renewed.”
The Holy Hour was the third of four opportunities scheduled as part of the revival to spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The last Holy Hour will be held March 31 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph in Hammond. The National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year initiative sponsored by the bishops of the United States.
The monsignor expressed hope that the evening’s Holy Hour would open the eyes of those who may not see the Lord, much like the two on the Road to Emmaus. “These two disciples walked 11 miles with Jesus without knowing who he was. How many people come into the church and don’t even know that God is in our midst?”
He shared how the two big feasts the Church celebrates reveal two great realities of Jesus. At Christmas, the child who Mary bore is fully human, but He is God, in the flesh. “The same thing we believe about Jesus in Bethlehem, we believe about Jesus on the altar, this host is God made man,” said Monsignor Malagreca.
He continued, “God is so great and so humble, that He could become a man and He could become a piece of bread. It's one of the reasons why you could sit in the church and stare at the host for an hour, for two hours, in silence and still not get to the end of the reality of who He is, and yet He is alive.”
The monsignor explained how the Mass is broken into two distinct acts, with Liturgy of the Word being the first. He pointed out that he was explaining the Word, much like Jesus did with two journeying on the road. “Their hearts were burning. They understood God was talking to them and hopefully, in this talk, God is talking to you too. Burning your heart with His Word.”
Monsignor Malagreca often hears how Mass is boring to which he pointedly replies, “Church isn’t boring. You’re boring. You don’t come ready to listen, you’re not open to the spirit. No matter how bad the preacher is or how bad the choir is, if your mind is open to the spirit of God, He would put a fire in your heart.”
The New York City priest went on to explain the second part, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Just as the two asked Jesus to stay with them, the monsignor said we often ask Jesus to stay with us, especially when things get dangerous or rough. He reminded the crowd that Jesus is always present, whether the Eucharist is exposed or in the tabernacle. He said people wander into churches just to be in the presence of Jesus. “He is there. He hears you. You look at Him and He looks at you.”
The road to the priesthood for Monsignor Malagreca began in sixth or seventh grade with a Eucharistic encounter while serving as an altar server. “I was kneeling at the altar when the priest raised the host when suddenly it came to me, ‘I’m looking at God.’ I couldn’t fathom it. I wonder if other people realized they were looking at God, Almighty God, who decided to become a piece of bread so that He could be among us?”
He noted that roughly one in four American Catholics attend Mass weekly. He offered three reasons as to why he believes the others choose other activities over attending Mass. “First, they don’t believe in it anymore,” said Monsignor Malagreca. He said it is our job to “help our brothers and sisters to believe in the truth about Jesus…not by begging them, but by being good Catholics.”
The second reason the monsignor offered about poor Mass attendance was that while some non-Mass goers have faith, they have other priorities. “As a Catholic, there is nothing more important than receiving the body and blood of Christ,” he stressed. Monsignor Malagreca shared how he tells his first communion class that many people will offer them many gifts in their lives, “nobody is going to give you a greater gift than the Eucharist.”
The third group the monsignor describes are those who can’t go to communion because they are in a state of sin.
“During the Eucharistic Revival, our hope is that many, many people believe. Many, many people put Jesus first. Many, many people come back to the Lord, turning away from sin and believing in Him. Jesus is here, longing for all of us to come back,” said Monsignor Malagreca.
Father Nate Edquist, pastor of Holy Family Parish, said hosting the Holy Hour was a great privilege. He said it allowed the faithful an opportunity to foster their relationship with the Lord. “It shows how hungry people are to increase their devotion to the Lord, devotion to the Eucharist.”