HERE AT THE HEART
focus on work and efficiency does not allow for prayer and reflection on the Eucharist , nor time for connection with other people .
To heal these crises , Dr . O ’ Malley pointed to the importance of the kerygma or the sharing of the Gospel .
“ Catholic liturgical remembering , Eucharistic remembering , isn ’ t just once-upon-a-time narratives . It ’ s telling a story that becomes present and gives my life a new orientation today ,” Dr . O ’ Malley said .
He went on to share an excerpt from the collect from the Mass of the Annunciation : O God , who willed that your word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary .
“ And what is remembered on this day on the Annunciation is that God became man , God became infant in the womb of the Blessed Virgin . God ’ s self-emptying love was total ,” said Dr . O ’ Malley .
Sharing with others the magnitude of the Eucharist is God ’ s gift to us that will transform our secular world .
“ In the Eucharist , it ’ s not only that Christ becomes present … but that presence is for the sake of the sacrifice of the Mass itself ,” Dr . O ’ Malley said . “ It ’ s the Lord who comes to give himself as he gave himself to the disciples , as he gave himself in the totality of his life . And that ’ s love . It ’ s the central narrative of love .”
Nicole Zakrzewski , the Pastoral Associate for Worship and Liturgy at St . Andrew Parish in Rochester , has participated in the LEM Speaker Series in the past and looked forward to this presentation specifically . She attended a one-week program at the McGrath Institute in 2019 and has read several books written by Dr . O ’ Malley .
“ One thing he talked about that I see in my parish is the tension of wanting to be productive and
Catholic liturgical remembering , Eucharistic remembering , isn ’ t just once-upon-atime narratives . It ’ s telling a story that becomes present and gives my life a new orientation today .” always achieving more and doing things faster . The work of the Church and the liturgy itself calls you to slow down , to be in the presence of the one who created us ,” said Zakrzewski . “ I want to help people learn how to slow down to take that in .”
As a youth minister at St . Joseph Parish in Lake Orion , Kathy Galbraith felt inspired by the talk to give her own testimony to the youth at her parish .
“ We have to share our stories about what the Eucharist means . We have to help them see it ,” Galbraith said . “ In general , I feel like one of my jobs is to connect kids to the Church and not be so focused on connecting them as a group because when they go off to college , they need a love of the Church , or they ’ ll fall away .”
— Dr . Timothy O ’ Malley
Attendee Linda Anders serves as a catechist for 6th graders at her parish , St . Pio in Roseville . She noted the titles of two books referenced by Dr . O ’ Malley , which she plans to read .
“ I try very hard to get my 6th graders to understand that the Eucharist is not just a symbol , and I ’ m always looking for things to share with them that might help them understand that ,” said Anders .
In his talk , O ’ Malley pushed back against secular arguments that the Eucharistic revival presents a dilemma between the care for the poor and the worship of Christ in the Eucharist . Rather , he says , the Eucharist invites the Church to recognize that the heart of what Catholics do in caring for the poor and lonely is in the Eucharist itself .
“ If the one who is love himself has come to dwell among us — hidden , giving himself in love — then ought I give my neighbor a cup of cold water , a loaf of bread , my attention , my time , my life ,” said . Dr . O ’ Malley . “ The Eucharistic person becomes a better professor , dad , husband , neighbor … Parishes take on a new Eucharistic identity when we recognize we ’ re not just private spaces for individual worshippers . We ’ re the way that the Church has decided to sanctify the whole world , geographically .”
Dr . O ’ Malley concluded by saying that the Eucharistic revival , on a broader level , is “ the mission of the Church , grounded in making present the sacrifice of Christ in the life of the world , and letting the presence overflow into charisms in our local community .”
The LEM Speaker Series presentation given by Dr . O ’ Malley can be viewed on Sacred Heart Major Seminary ’ s Facebook page .
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