Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, said he is “convinced that the church today is in need of an eye-opening experience,” similar to the experience of the two disciples who encountered Jesus along the road to Emmaus following the Resurrection, but who did not recognize him until they shared a meal.
“We have seen many of our brothers and sisters leave the church disillusioned, thinking that Christ is not the answer to their quest for happiness and meaning,” he said April 26 at The Catholic University of America in Washington.
“We experience on a daily basis the hardships of living out the faith in the face of a society which is increasingly secularized and polarized. The temptation to remain stuck in the past is real; the path forward is often difficult to discern and discouragement can set in,” Pierre said. “But now, as then, the Risen Christ walks with us to help us find the way. He is the way, and we recognize him as such in the breaking of the bread. The Eucharist is the place of this encounter that grants discernment, that affords a new vision of reality, an ecclesial vision of reality.”
Pierre spoke on “Eucharist and Ecclesial Discernment” as the 2023 presenter of CUA’s annual Cardinal Dearden Lecture, which honors the late Archbishop John Dearden of Detroit, who was instrumental in implementing the teachings of the Second Vatican Council in the U.S.
In the hourlong lecture, Pierre explained how the Eucharist is “the fulcrum of ecclesial discernment” by framing his reflection within three of Jesus’ statements: “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25); “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35) and “I am the way” (Jn 14:6).
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Maria Wiering, where this article originally appeared.
