Eucharistic Revival, Thanksgiving, and the Call to Love, by David G Bonagura, Jr.

What motivates someone to attend Mass daily on his lunch break? To stop his car so he can make a visit to our Lord in the tabernacle? To confess his sins on a regular basis?

Such a person knows that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, that being with Him and receiving Him as often as possible is a tremendous blessing. (This week especially it’s good to remember that in Greek eucharistein means “to give thanks,” which means every time the Eucharist is celebrated is a kind of Thanksgiving Day.) All this allows him to love and to serve Christ more effectively. Otherwise, he would not make these efforts.

Is knowledge of these essentials of faith alone sufficient to move him to do these things? If I think back to my high school years, I certainly learned the Church’s teaching about Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist. Yet I never attended Mass on weekdays, even though I knew it was offered daily. I knew – I just didn’t care. …