This week, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will be traveling through Kansas and one of its stops will be here at Corpus Christi. Since our parish is named as it is, the Body of Christ, it might seem obvious that this would be a good place for His Eucharistic Presence to come in this unique manner. What makes it so unique?
A pilgrimage is “the simultaneous movement of the feet and the soul”—a journey made both externally and internally. The pilgrim travels to a location of spiritual significance, stepping outside of themselves in order to encounter God in places where he has revealed himself. This action mirrors the interior journey of the pilgrim, who uses this experience to draw closer to Our Lord and seek him more intentionally.
The value of a pilgrimage is not in the distance traveled but in the disposition of our own hearts and the zeal with which we seek God. Many saints have had life-changing experiences while on pilgrimage, and the practice has been a part of Christianity from the beginning.
Jesus doesn’t want us to walk alone. At the Incarnation, Christ entered directly into our human experience, allowing him to accompany us through life in a more intimate way. But physically walking with Jesus is not a privilege restricted to Christians from the first century!
When Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist, he gave us a new way to walk alongside him. Catholicism now has a vibrant history of Eucharistic processions! In this tradition, the Eucharist is carried through the streets, accompanied by the faithful. We walk publicly with Our Lord so that others may encounter him personally, just as they did 2,000 years ago. We’ve held such a procession for the last several years in our parish on our Feast Day – Corpus Christi.
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is a truly unique initiative. This is something NEW—a beautiful fusion of the journey TO Jesus and the journey WITH Jesus. What’s more, it is an adventure that all Catholics can do together, either by interior disposition or physical accompaniment.
This is the birth of something remarkable. The pilgrimage began at the four edges of our country, and pilgrims have been traveling with Jesus in the Eucharist from the north, south, east, and west edges of our country, stopping at many holy sites and churches along the way. This Thursday they will make a stop here at our parish. Together we will journey with Christ on his way to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
While many from the U.S. may join in the National pilgrimage along the way, there are also a few young adults who are making the full journey to Indy. We call them Perpetual Pilgrims. This small, dedicated group will travel full-time from May until July 2024, accompanying Jesus as he draws near to countless communities such as ours. Eight of these young adults will be here on Thursday and you may join them for lunch and our holy hour. Please register for the lunch on our web page cccparish.org or join us for the Holy Hour Thursday at noon.
You may consider planning your own pilgrimage as well.
https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/plan-your-own-pilgrimage
As always, our Lord is present in our midst. You can come and spend some time with Jesus present in the tabernacle of our church every day during our posted hours. Jesus is waiting for us to be with Him, and He is coming in new and amazing ways! Join Him in your pilgrimage of life!!
God Bless,
