By Claire Marino
It’s been more than one month since the conclusion of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Since then, you have probably seen video clips from a number of the wonderful speakers who shared their love of God at the Congress. Perhaps you have heard anecdotes from friends, family or community members who attended. It is likely that you are familiar with the “big moments” of the event – the procession, particularly quote-worthy speeches, or popular names in attendance.
I was in a season of desolation in my faith before attending the Congress, and I knew that I needed a radical change in my faith life. I was tired of just going through the motions, and I harbored a deep desire for a reminder of Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist. Though I expected the “big moments” to act as the grand defibrillator for my faith, it was in the small things that I felt my heart for Jesus beat stronger. Simply interacting with other faithful young adults was encouraging enough to want to make changes in my life.
I often refer back to a reflection that Father Mike Schmitz [of the “Bible in a Year” podcast] shared on the second evening: “If I’ve lost the fire of my love for the Lord, my first love, what are the fire extinguishers in my life? … I can’t expect to take the fire of this weekend and bring it back to my home if I try cramming it into the life I just left. Something has to change.”
Upon hearing that message, I recognized the long-term solution to my desolation. Indeed, if I was changed by Jesus that week, I had to live a changed life. However, change can be as “small” as attending daily Mass once a week, reading a chapter of the Bible every day or praying the rosary on a daily commute.
In honor of these small changes I have implemented in the last month, here are some of the “small moments” from the Congress about which you may not have heard. So many of these “small moments” have already inspired big changes in my heart.
That week, Jesus was in the young woman who talked to me like an old friend in the hour-long line for chicken tenders. He was in the pure, sacred silence during the exposition of the Eucharist in an NFL stadium full of 60,000 people and the never-ending line of priests and religious that filled the floor of the venue. He was in the families who brought their young children for the full week. He was in me as I wept during Adoration, as I was so overwhelmed with His presence and grace that I couldn’t help but cry. He was in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel that was standing-room-only for four days straight, with children sitting at the foot of the altar.
He was in the large crowds, packed like sardines in the streets, who did not complain of proximity or heat, but rather offered kind conversation to those around them. He was in the popular Instagram personality who attended with his parents, graciously chatting with my mom and me, interested in hearing our stories. He was in the young man next to me during the healing service who placed his hand on my shoulder and prayed over me with a deep reverence I’ve never witnessed so closely before, the weight of which made my head burn.
It is these smallest moments that I will never forget, as there was not a moment He did not touch.
In my expectation of grand, life-changing moments, I realized my mistake. I didn’t need to travel far and wide to find God. God does not require my hotel points or airline miles – or yours. The only travel necessary is within your heart, your home, your family, your relationships, your hardships and joys. Whether or not you were able to attend the Congress, I invite you to make the small changes. When you give God an inch, He will take a mile, and the whole world will be better for it.
Claire Marino of the Catholic Community of Christ Our Light, Cherry Hill, is a recent communications and writing graduate of Loyola University Maryland. She will be pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing this fall in Scotland.
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