Here in the Archdiocese of Washington, the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass that has been in place for the last year is about to be lifted, which means that Catholics will once again have the normal obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, unless prevented by illness or other serious circumstances. As local Catholics who have been away from Mass because of the pandemic (hopefully) begin to return once again, it's a great time for a “Eucharistic revival.” Today, in fact, Bishop Cozzens of the USCCB's evangelization and catechesis committee is presenting plans for a very worthwhile three-year project aimed at increasing Eucharistic devotion throughout the Church in the United States.

As Bishop Cozzens explained in a recent interview, plans for a national Eucharistic “revival” began to be formulated in 2019, when a Pew Forum poll revealed that only 31% of U.S. Catholics surveyed believe that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.” An overwhelming 69% of the U.S. Catholics surveyed (some practicing, some not) believed that the Eucharist is just a symbol of the body and blood of Jesus.

This is a tragedy.

One of the central truths of the Catholic faith is that Jesus Christ is not just symbolically, but really, truly, substantially present under the appearance of bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist. Through the prayers of consecration during Mass, ordinary bread and ordinary wine become the very body and blood of Jesus in a change that we call “transubstantiation.” (About 22% of the U.S. Catholics surveyed know what the Church teaches about transubstantiation and reject this teaching.)

Why does this matter? On a practical level, if the Eucharist is just a piece of bread and a sip of wine to remind me of Jesus, then why bother coming to Mass anyway? Why not just remember Jesus with a slice of Wonder Bread and a cup of Welch's grape juice at home? If you want to get really fancy, you can use some organic sprouted grain bread and a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. You won't get to hear anyone preach, but you can probably find a podcast with a better sermon than your local priest's homily anyway, right?

If we believe that the Eucharist really is what the Church says it is, though - or, more precisely, what Jesus says it is (see John 6:35-58; Matt 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-19; 1 Cor 11:23-25) - then we know that Mass can't simply be replaced by a live-streamed video or another at-home devotion. How could I stay away from Mass if I know the truth about it? If I know that in Holy Communion I am able to really, truly, completely receive the Lord who created me, who redeemed me, who loves me, and who wants to spend eternity with me in Heaven, wouldn't I go to receive Him as often as possible? Not surprisingly, the vast majority of those who reported attending Mass at least once a week in the 2019 Pew Forum poll believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

So, it is indeed time for a “Eucharistic revival,” in which we rediscover the Lord whom we encounter in Holy Communion. To say that we need a “revival” means not simply that we need to rediscover some intellectual teachings, but that we need to set our hearts aflame with a passion for Jesus in the Eucharist. The details of the USCCB three-year plan remain to be seen, but such a revival has to start with you and me, rekindling our own appreciation of the mystery of Christ's presence among us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.