Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • August 16, 2024 31 Regarding chastity, he said the church’s teaching is not puritanical, but is about living one’s sexual life in “a morally and spiritually responsible way” and bringing “the whole of one’s sexuality under the aegis of love.” “If beginning tonight 70 million Catholics decid- ed to live according to chastity, abortion, sex abuse, the objectification of men and women, hookup cul- ture -- all of that would be undermined,” he said. Bishop Barron said when so much of the world is chasing after wealth, pleasure, power and honor, poverty helps us be detached from these things to “live in Christ.” As a guide to live out poverty, he pointed to Pope Leo XIII’s teaching: “When the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, it is a duty to give to the poor out of that which remains.” Eucharistic adoration powerfully ended the night, with Bishop David L. Toups of Beaumont, Texas, processing with the Eucharist to the central altar on the stadium floor. He knelt before the Eucharistic Lord in the monstrance blessed by Pope Francis, for 40 minutes, with stretches of silence that flowed into worship songs from Maher and fellow musician Sarah Kroger. People knelt, stood and sat during adoration, many with hands raised in praise. During the final period of quiet, a woman’s spontaneous song carried over the main floor, while a group elsewhere in the stadium sang a hymn. After benediction, Bishop Toups processed with the Eucharist out of the stadium, and Maher launched into “Alive Again.” “I’m alive, I’m alive because He lives,” Maher sang, his voice reverberating throughout the stadi- um. “Amen, Amen! Let my song join the One that never ends!” Contributing to this story were Julie Asher, Lauretta Brown, Maria-Pia Negro Chin, Gretchen R. Crowe and Maria Wiering. NEC24 Day 4 Nightly Revival From page 26 “What we have freely received, we have to freely give,” she said. “We must be witnesses and ardent missionaries of the Eucharist and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” At that revival, Chris Stefanick, founder of Real Life Catholic, told the crowd that every Communion is a reminder of God’s love and this demands a rad- ical response by sharing the Gospel with confidence, rejoicing in his love even when life is hard, and above all, striving to become a saint. “Every single human heart is made for the love that is Jesus Christ,” he said. “Some people have likened this conference to a Pentecost moment,” Stefanick said. “Ask for the grace that He promised to make us His witnesses.” At the conclusion of the Mass, Bishop Andew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, board chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., stood before the crowd in Lucas Oil Stadium and received a standing ovation. “I have a question for you,” he told the crowd. “This is the 10th National Eucharistic Congress -- do you think we should do an 11th one?” The stadium roared with approving cheers and applause. He said that congress organizers had already been planning for the next congress in 2033, the Year of Redemption -- 2,000 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection -- but they’re now consider- ing organizing another Eucharistic congress even sooner. “We’ll keep discerning and let you know,” he said with a smile, to audience laughter. He also announced another National Eucharistic Pilgrimage next year, starting in Indianapolis and arriving in Los Angeles in time for Corpus Christi Sunday, June 22, 2025, and that Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles said he would welcome “all of you.” He also asked the crowd if they would accept the bishops’ invitation to join the Walk With One initia- tive by identifying a person they can accompany to better know Jesus. “Commit yourself to walking with one person,” he said. “Commit yourself to becoming a Eucharistic missionary, someone who lives deeply a Eucharistic life, and having received that gift, allows themselves to be given as a gift.” Already the congress’s fire of Eucharistic revival showed signs of spreading beyond the U.S. as tens of thousands of Catholics left Lucas Oil Stadium in the orchestral afterglow of the final stirring hymn, “O God Beyond All Praising.” Christina Nugent, 18, traveled with her 20-year- old sister to the congress from Calgary, Alberta, and told OSV News she would love to see a similar event for Catholics in Canada. Rather than be satisfied with her personal experi- ence of the congress, “this has really pushed me to see what I can do for others when I get home,” she said. “They’re like, ‘If you’re in love with someone, you would tell people about it.’ So if you’re in love with Jesus, you should be telling people about it. That’s my takeaway.” After the Mass, Bishop Cozzens told OSV News he is “just filled with so much gratitude for what God has done, and really the power of the Holy Spirit that’s present here.” “It’s hard to put into words what the whole expe- rience has been, from the beginning to the end, so beautiful and such a sense of God renewing his church,” he said. “I’m so grateful for what God has done.” Gretchen R. Crowe is the editor-in-chief of OSV News. Contributing to this story were Lauretta Brown, Maria-Pia Negro Chin and Maria Wiering. NEC24 Closing Session From page 29 NEC24 Schmitz Evangelization Tips From page 10 -- 5. Fight the threat of indifference with repentance. Because we are no longer in an era where it is a given that the faith will be passed along to the next generation, Father Schmitz said, “we need to never stop teaching” the faith. On the other hand, he added, the problem is not just ignorance, but an even greater threat: that of indifference. “Indifference is the poison of our age,” he said. “And so if ignorance is meant to be replaced by knowledge, then indifference is meant to be replaced by love.” And the only way to get there, he said, “is through repentance.” “And I think that’s another big message of this Eucharistic revival: You can’t have a revival without repentance.” Gretchen R. Crowe is editor-in-chief of OSV News. To advertise in the Gulf Pine Catholic , call 228-702-2109 for more information, or email smccusker@biloxidiocese.org. The newspaper is mailed to over 14,000 Catholic homes every other week.