Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1525045
2 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024 | DENVER CATHOLIC Holy Priests for Eucharistic Revival A s the Mission Year of the National Eucharistic Revival kicks off, I am grate- ful for both the gift of the Eucharist and the gift of the priesthood through which Jesus makes himself present in the Eucharist. As a priest myself, it is truly humbling to serve God and his people in the celebration of Mass and join with them in the adoration and praise of the Father. Pope St. John Paul II wrote, "There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist." 1 We are tremendously blessed with the min- istry of our priests and the vocations we have, and I cannot express enough the deep gratitude I have for my brother priests in the Archdiocese of Denver who assist me in this ministry. The relationship between the Eucharist and the priesthood is built upon the virtue of charity, which when possessed, results in holiness. As a priest for 48 years, this has become clear to me. The most important aspect of my priesthood is my ongoing growth in love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to live in that commu- nion of love and serve as Christ served. In April, Pope Francis made this point in addressing seminarians. He said, "Love, the first love, is what has called us all here, and keeping it alive is our principal obligation." 2 Some- times, when people hear that the foundational anchor of my mission as Archbishop is to foster holiness among the priests, they interpret it to mean that the priests are not "holy enough." In no way do I suggest that. As disciples, every bap- tized person has received the "first love" Pope Francis mentions, and as priests, we must grow in that authentic love, deepen it and let it trans- form us so we can shepherd the People of God. That is holiness. Holiness is not a destination as much as it is a journey and a universal call, as Vatican II reminds us. In its simplest form, this is ultimately the goal of the Eucharistic Revival. We encounter our first love through the proclamation of the Gospel. The Mass is about celebrating the con- tent of the Gospel in Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection. The Eucharist is the memorial of these events. When we have the opportunity to offer our lives to the Father as Jesus did, and then receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we are able to grow, deepen and be transformed by our first love. ARCH B I S H O P ' S CO LU M N BY ARCHBISHOP SAMUEL J. AQUILA Follow Archbishop Aquila on Social media: | Holy Priests for Eucharistic Revival Holy Priests for Eucharistic Revival