Bishop shares Pope Francis’ message during Eucharistic Days
Above: Bishop Douglas J. Lucia at St. Mary of the Assumption Shrine in Oswego during the recent Eucharistic Days. To the right are Deacon John Brusa III, Father Zachary Miller and Father Joseph Scardella.
By Eileen Jevis, staff writer
“Jesus does not spare us from difficulties but strengthens us with the Eucharist to have the courage to face them,” Pope Francis said in his reflection to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square on June 23.
“When a storm arrives, do I let myself be overwhelmed by the turmoil or do I cling to him … to find calm and peace, in prayer, silence, listening to the Word, adoration and fraternal sharing of faith?” the Pope asked.
In response to Pope Francis designating 2024 as a Year of Prayer, Catholics worldwide were called to intensify their prayer lives leading up to the 2025 Jubilee “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia traveled across the diocese the week of June 24-28 to celebrate Eucharistic Days with Mass and an afternoon of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop invited people to become “pilgrims of hope” as the Church prepares for the National Eucharistic Congress to be held in Indianapolis from July 17 through 21.
In his homily, Bishop Lucia said the gospel of St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians talks about bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. “As Jesus would say, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches.’ It’s that connection with God that produces the fruit. For us, who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
When Bishop Lucia meets with Confirmation candidates, he tells them that they need to open the gift of the Holy Spirit and that they need to use the gifts of wisdom, counsel, understanding and courage. “When we look at Galatians 6:5, we read about the fruits of the Holy Spirit — the virtues of love, joy, peace, kindness, long-suffering, patience … “When we look at life, when we look at our world today,” he said, “our world can use more joy, peace and kindness. We must ask ourselves where we have put our relationship with the Holy Spirit and where we have put our relationship with God. These Eucharistic Days are about our relationship with God and about renewing that relationship.”
Bishop Lucia at St. Paul’s, Norwich. At left is Deacon Tim McNerney.
Kristie Pauldine, a member of St. Mary’s Church in Oswego is a mother of six children (ages 21 to 2 weeks) and the coordinating manager of St. Mary’s Shrine. She brought her family to the Eucharistic Mass on June 26 “to do what the Bishop has called us to do — to stop, reflect and focus on Christ’s presence as part of the Eucharistic Revival.”
Pauldine said that as an older mom, she and her husband have tried to center their family life not just around weekly Mass but look for other opportunities for spiritual growth. “I see the fruit of that — our commitment to Christ and to the church. If there is something in my children’s lives that is joyful or something that is very sad, they find themselves coming to church to pray, reflect, and to find comfort, guidance or strength.”
When reflecting on the Bishop’s message that we are pilgrims of hope, Pauldine said that faith and hope is a lifelong journey. “Sometimes we find ourselves off our path or at a dead end and we come to realize that we have made some choices in our life that are not bringing us closer to the Lord. We have to turn around and get back on the main path.”
For her and her family, Pauldine said the best way to do that is through spending as much time as possible in prayer. “It’s like a spiritual muscle,” she said. “The more we use it, the more it becomes a stronger connection with the Lord.”
Jennifer Lyons attends morning Mass at Christ the Good Shepard Church in Oswego several days a week. When she learned that Bishop Lucia would be celebrating a Eucharistic Mass at St. Mary’s, she was happy to attend. “I always think of the Eucharist as strengthening me for the journey,” she said. “Every day I receive the Eucharist, it gives me the strength to go on for the next day.”
When asked about the “Pilgrims of Hope” theme for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, Lyons said we, as Christians, will find hope in communion with other Catholics through prayer and attending Mass. “The theme is meaningful and timely,” she said. “Our world is in such a mess that only in the strength of Jesus Christ and the Eucharist can we change things and make them better.”
Editor’s note: Bishop Lucia celebrated Masses for Eucharistic days in Binghamton, Utica, Oswego, Syracuse and Norwich.
