Make History with Your Family This Week (Espanol)
The National Eucharistic Congress is July 17-21 in Indianapolis, IN, and if you take one thing away from this week’s Heaven in Your Home Letter, here it is: make the Congress count for you and your family.
Lord willing, this Congress will bring renewal and revival, in the Church and in our country. With this in mind, don’t we all—years from now—want to be able to look back on the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years, and be able to say, “Our family was there (whether physically or, more likely for most of us, spiritually). We remember. We had an encounter with the Risen Lord together as a family that July. That was a turning point for us.”
In his foreword to our Heaven in Your Home Letters & Guide: Inspiration & Tools for Building a Trinity House, Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge invites Trinity House Community to see the intrinsic connection between the Eucharist and our “Trinity Houses” or domestic churches. He writes:
“At the Eucharistic summit of the Mass, we find that the Trinity’s outpouring life breaks forth anew for us—here and now…. By partaking in the Eucharistic sacrifice, we pray that God’s welcoming, listening, and especially serving will live in us and strengthen the bonds of our Church in all its forms, including the ‘domestic church’ of the family. Seeing and encountering God’s way of life in the Eucharist shows us how our families should live to bring about greater communion among persons.”
Making this connection between the Eucharist and our own daily family life is not something that others will do for us—we need to make this personal. We need to lead our families to see this link. And this takes time, intentionality, and prayer. And what better time to do so than this historic Congress?
Building on Bishop Burbidge’s point, we’d like to propose 5 ways for you and your family to make this moment count:
Take your family to Eucharistic Adoration during the time of the Congress, preferably on Thurs., Fri. or Sat. evening or Sun. morning. If possible, schedule this time to dovetail with the daily Revival Sessions(7:00-9:30 pm EST, Thurs-Sat.; and 8:30-noon on Sun.). You will be part of the Body of Christ, interceding for renewal in our own hearts, families, and nation.
- Watch and participate in one or more of the Revival Sessions on EWTN (free streaming online here). And when you do, use these sessions as teaching moments and times of prayer for your family—as opposed to passively consuming media. Consider hitting “mute” at various points, adding a personal point, discussing the talks as a couple or family, and actively joining in prayer.
Schedule a family day trip to a basilica or shrine on Sat. or Sun., July 20-21. This investment of time—simultaneous to the historic gathering in Indianapolis—will further put your hearts into a posture of receptivity. What does the Lord desire of you? How is His Eucharistic heart leading you and your family in this season?
Mark this historic moment in a big way by starting to take your family to a monthly time of Eucharistic Adoration. Instead of viewing this as an inspiring one-off event, take the opportunity to insitute a new, life-giving habit.
Fast. Choose a day or portion of a day during the Congress, and offer up your hunger for renewal and revival in our hearts and in our nation.
Your family is a “communion of persons” (Catechism, 2205) that reflects the divine life of the communion of persons, the Holy Trinity. If your Trinity House and family’s mission is all about communion—receiving it in Level 1 (Faith Life), deepening it in Level 2 (Person & Relationships), caring for it in Level 3 (Household Economy), celebrating it in Level 4 (Family Culture), and sharing it in Level 5 (Hospitality & Service)—then your mission begins in the Eucharist, in Communion.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth!
> “What to Expect at the National Eucharistic Congress in July” (OSV News)
> “Pilgrims Trekking National Eucharistic Congress Pilgrimage Eyeing Final Destination Indianapolis” (OSV News)
> “How to do Eucharistic Adoration with Kids” (Teaching Catholic Kids)
> Here is the National Eucharistic Revival’s official prayer that you can print out and pray together as a family.
> Begin planning now to launch your own parish’s Trinity House Community Group this September or later this fall! Learn more here and schedule a 15-minute call/zoom with our team here. For just $499 ($399 if you subscribe by May 31st), your parish can access all the tools needed to host 5 transformative “Heaven in Your Home Gatherings” for families, including videos, discussion questions, marketing templates, catechetical resources, ongoing support, and more. Dioceses can also take advantage of three subscriptions for just $899. Ready to subscribe and launch a Group at your parish? Here’s where you can take the first step.
“Trinity House Community Groups help parishes create an environment for families with children of varying ages to experience fellowship and faith while providing practical tools that will also transform their Catholic faith in their homes.”
– Stacy Golden, Director, Office of Family, Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Archdiocese of Baltimore
