For the past year and a half, the Catholic community in northeastern Minnesota has been particularly focused on proclaiming an old and new message at the same time. It is about a light emerging from the dark times we have experienced in recent years, both inside and outside the Catholic Church. That light is Jesus, and in Him we can find rich healing, hope, and joy.
We’ve been through a lot lately. We have lived through a global pandemic and its many forms of suffering. Deep divisions persist in our communities and sometimes even in our own families. Many people seem to have lost hope. Addiction and mental illness are rampant.
In the midst of that pain, sadness, and confusion, God brings hope. We are nearing the end of the Easter season, the great celebration of the Passover mystery. This is because out of love for you and me personally, the divine Son of God took on our humanity, suffered, died on the cross, rose from the dead to forgive our sins, and gave us Himself. It means that God reconciled us with God and brought us back to our original state. Partake of His abundant divine life.
In a deep sense, this Paschal mystery resembles what God wants to do with all our suffering and sorrow. We all experience crosses in this life, and perhaps times of suffering when all seems lost. But the truth is that God wants to bring resurrection, hope, and life, often in ways beyond our imagination.
In a special way, as Catholics, we believe that the Passover mystery of Jesus is presented to us in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and that the bread and wine truly become the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus. Masu.
Would you like to meet him there? In the United States, the Catholic Church is in the midst of a three-year Eucharistic Resurrection that has deepened our devotion to this sacramental presence of Jesus. On May 17th and 18th, Catholics from northern Minnesota and other areas will gather in Bemidji for what is called the Eucharistic Conference. There we can pray together, learn together, and experience the joy and excitement of being with thousands of people we love. I believe in Jesus and want to follow Him as a missionary disciple. Learn more and register at www.crookstoneucharist.org.
From there, another historical event begins. The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is a historic moment. People will travel with Jesus offering the Eucharist from Itasca State Park to Indianapolis, making many stops along the way. From May 20th to 22nd, some of these stops will be in northeastern Minnesota in Walker, Grand Rapids, Coleraine, and Duluth. You can read all about these events at www.dioceseduluth.org/eucharistic-revival.
I am a Catholic bishop, but in our faith’s understanding, my ministry is not just for Catholics, but for every soul in the ten northeastern Minnesota counties that make up the Diocese of Duluth. So think about encountering Jesus in these events. I truly believe that no matter what darkness we are experiencing, He truly desires to meet you personally with abundant healing, hope, and joy.
Bishop Daniel Felton is the 10th Bishop of Duluth.
