This week in Heart of the Revival … Taryn Oesch Delong shares how laywomen play an important role in the Eucharistic revival; Eucharistic preacher Father Edgardo “Lalo” Jara invites us to experience Jesus’ passion for us, revealed in the Eucharist; and Jem Sullivan helps uncover the beauty and truth in Pierre Mignard’s masterpiece “The Virgin of the Grapes.”
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INSPIRED BY THE EUCHARIST
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Sometimes we can forget the radical truth behind the Eucharist — that it is indeed Jesus Christ, truly present. Taryn Oesch Delong speaks with Sister Alicia Torres about the special role women have in advancing the National Eucharistic Revival. Leer en español.
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‘This profound moment of grace’
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Father Edgardo “Lalo” Jara has a passionate message to share about the Eucharistic Revival and how we can be open to this profound moment of grace. Enjoy his message, available in Spanish, or with English subtitles.
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Mary, Woman of the Eucharist
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By Jem Sullivan, Ph. D.
The Virgin of the Grapes, Pierre Mignard, 1640s
The blood of Christ, shed on the cross and offered to us under the sacramental sign of wine, is evoked in the grapes at the center of Pierre Mignard’s masterpiece “The Virgin of the Grapes.” By placing the fruit in Mary’s right hand, the artist paints a visual homily on the close relationship between the Mother of God and the Eucharist. “Mary is present, with the Church and as the Mother of the Church, at each of our celebrations of the Eucharist. If the Church and the Eucharist are inseparably united, the same ought to be said of Mary and the Eucharist,” writes Pope St. John Paul II (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, No. 57).
Mary’s red and blue robes symbolize the divinity and humanity of her divine son, Jesus. Her serene face radiates a warm golden light and her inclined head is veiled, indicating her motherly protection of the Child Jesus who peers out playfully from its protective mantle. Jesus, who reaches for the grapes, crosses his ankles to evoke his future passion and death on the cross.
As the Church celebrates Mary’s nativity on Sept. 8, this evocative image directs our gaze to Mary, who first lived her Eucharistic faith when her body became the dwelling place of God. Mary, “woman of the Eucharist,” guides us to love this most holy sacrament, because she had a profound relationship to it. We imitate Mary’s “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel when we say “Amen” before receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus, who dwells in us under sacramental signs of bread and wine.
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Free event! Learn how to participate in and be transformed by the Eucharistic Revival in this Sept. 22-24 virtual conference. Register today in English or in Spanish.
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Why is St. Pius X is called the “Pope of the Eucharist”? Read more about him on Aleteia.
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We’ve embarked on a grace-filled Year of Diocesan Revival. We hope the ones listed on this page inspire you and your community!
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Free event! Learn how to participate in and be transformed by the Eucharistic Revival in this Sept. 22-24 virtual conference. Register today in English or in Spanish.
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Why is St. Pius X is called the “Pope of the Eucharist”? Read more about him on Aleteia.
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We’ve embarked on a grace-filled Year of Diocesan Revival. We hope the ones listed on this page inspire you and your community!
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“Mary, Mother of Jesus, give me your heart, so beautiful, so pure, so Immaculate, so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life, love Him as you loved Him and serve Him in the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor.”
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MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
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FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE REVIVAL
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©2022 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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