A God that wants to be with you
“We’re on an adventure!” declared Natalie Garza, a high school theology teacher from Kansas City and a Perpetual Pilgrim on the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton route. Garza spoke to the students about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. “Every adventure has a destination,” she said. “We will have a life with Jesus forever, or a life without Jesus forever. We have to choose our destination. We have a God who wants to be with us.”
Speaking to the young people, Dominic Carstens, a student at Wyoming Catholic College and a fellow Perpetual Pilgrim pointed to the monstrance. “Yesterday, I was so tired. We walked 17 miles in one day and I didn’t think I could go on. I looked at Jesus and remembered the Bible verse, John 15:12-13, ‘This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ I wasn’t alone. Jesus cheered me on.”
The highway to heaven
With clouds of incense rising up to the bright blue sky, the eucharistic procession made its way across the grounds of St. Mary of the Pines. Led by clergy, altar servers, musicians, and the Perpetual Pilgrims, the students joyfully processed behind Jesus to celebrate Mass with Bishop O’Connell.
During his homily, O’Connell shared the story of Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who died in 2006. He is the patron of youth for the Diocese of Trenton, and he will soon be declared a saint.
“Blessed Carlo’s love for Jesus in the Eucharist changed the world and the church. He created a website cataloging all of the recorded eucharistic miracles.” O’Connell whispered into the microphone, “In fact, he was a gamer and a computer geek!” eliciting chuckles from the students.
“Carlo believed that Jesus in the Eucharist was his ‘highway to heaven.’ He went to Mass every day. He said the Rosary every day. He loved Jesus and stayed close to our Lord every day. I hope his example of loving Jesus in Eucharist and staying close to Him will inspire you.”
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For more articles on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage visit The National Catholic Register.
Sharon Delaney is a home-school mom and a freelance writer. Previously, she was an inspirational writer whose stories have appeared in Guideposts, Reader’s Digest, and Writer’s Digest.
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