I know we’ve bounced the words “Eucharistic Revival” around. They’ve been part of our invitations to Lenten Holy Hours and Corpus Christi adoration. They’ve formed our decisions about adult faith formation themes. And they’ll shape some of our preaching, prayer, and bulletin-writing over the next year or so.

But, why Eucharistic Revival? Why those words? Why now, why this particular moment in our Church’s history?

Recently a national survey retrieved some distressing responses. Something like 2/3 of Americans who identify as Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence. That means that many of us don’t believe that when Jesus says “This is my Body, my Blood” he actually means it. (Remember, in the gospels, Jesus knows full well how to say “This is like…” He doesn’t use those words at the Last Supper.) It means that people don’t believe that our request for the Father to send the Spirit to change bread and wine into the Savior’s Body and Blood receives a positive answer. (One must wonder if we’ve stopped believing that the second request for the Spirit at Mass—asking the Father to send the Spirit to change us into Christ’s body—will receive a positive answer.)

Where did it go wrong with us? Did we stop listening to the words we pray? Did we fail to teach and preach adequately? Have we become victims of our culture’s self-absorption where my opinion and my feeling determine my “truth”?

In any case, our Bishops call us to revive the faith that has sustained and inspired the Church for 2000 years. Reflect on this awesome mystery. Pray it well. Receive it with attention. Let it transform our personal lives and our community’s life.