“In the Eucharist, we encounter the One who gave everything for us, who sacrificed himself in order to give us life, who loved us to the end,” Francis said. “It is my hope, then, that the Eucharistic Congress will inspire Catholics throughout the country to discover anew the sense of wonder and awe at the Lord’s great gift of himself and to spend time with him in the celebration of the holy Mass and in personal prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.”
Devotion to the Eucharist, Francis said, will inspire “the faithful to commit themselves with ever greater zeal to being missionary disciples of the Lord Jesus in the world.”
“The love we celebrate in this sacrament cannot be kept to ourselves but demands to be shared with all,” Francis said. “You go to the celebration of Mass, receive Communion, adore the Lord, and then what do you go after? You go out and evangelize.”
The pope called for evangelization and love to be shown especially toward the elderly, whom he called “the wisdom of a people,” and the sick, “who are the image of the suffering Jesus.”
Francis also reminded the committee of the need to foster vocations to the priesthood, quoting the words of St. John Paul II that “there can be no Eucharist without the priesthood.”
In concluding his address, Francis assured the committee of his prayers and entrusted them to the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States.
“May all that you are doing be an occasion of grace for each of you and may it bear fruit in guiding men and women throughout your nation to the Lord who, by his presence among us, rekindles hope and renews life,” the pope said.
Lastly, as he often does in concluding his addresses, the pope asked the committee to pray for him.
Speaking to reporters after the pope’s address, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chair of National Eucharistic Congress, called the meeting a “very emotional experience for all of us,” adding that “you really sensed his passion for what we’re doing in the eucharistic revival.”
Cozzens said the National Eucharistic Congress will be a “great moment in the United States” and an “opportunity to come together and encounter the Lord together and then to be set on fire [for love of God].”
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In a Monday press release from the U.S. bishops, National Eucharistic Congress Executive Director Tim Glemkowski said that it was “a wonderful gift to meet with Pope Francis and ask for his blessing,” adding that it “was truly a unique spiritual opportunity as part of our country’s preparation for such a historic moment in our Church’s life.”
“It was so important to gather together as a team in the presence of Pope Francis and ask him to bless the event, the monstrance, and the work we are doing to prepare tens of thousands of people to encounter Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist,” Glemkowski said.
For more information on the National Eucharistic Revival click here. For information on the National Eucharistic Congress click here.
The full text of Francis’ address is available here.
Peter Pinedo is a DC Correspondent for CNA. A graduate of Franciscan University, Peter previously worked for Texas Right to Life. He is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.
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