By Angela E. Pometto
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 1/27/05)

A crowd of more than 1,000 people packed Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria last Friday to be in the presence of the Eucharist and to hear Franciscan Father Benedict Groeschel.

"Almost a year ago you were praying for me not to go to Purgatory," Father Groeschel said. The effects of near-fatal car accident can still be seen. Franciscan Father Bernard Murphy assisted Father Groeschel as he walked with a cane into the church and took his seat at the front.

Father Groeschel expressed his amazement that he is still alive. The doctors recorded him dead for 27 minutes before he was revived. Among his weaknesses, Father Groeschel said that his arm is "permanently broken," but this didn’t stop him from spending an hour and a half after the Holy Hour signing books and talking to people.

Many of the visitors to the parish had come into town early for the March for Life, including the 10 Christian Friars of the Renewal (CFR) who accompanied Father Groeschel. Within the diocese, there were many parishes represented.

Father Groeschel began his talk by commenting on the renovation of Blessed Sacrament Church.

"Redecorated is a weak word," he said, using the church as an example of the continued growth in respect for the Eucharist. "We are sitting here with a marvelous example of how it’s coming back."

According to Father Groeschel, the renewal of the Church will begin when people start giving respect and reverence to the Eucharist. He told stories about the "old days" when people never spoke within a church.

"The reverence to Christ has eroded in the Catholic Church," he said. "The sense of mystery was lost. The Catholic faith is a faith of mystery. We must be prepared to understand and accept that mystery."

The word mystery comes from a Greek word meaning "with your eyes closed."

"Part of the problem in this age is that it thinks it understands everything, but we are surrounded by mysteries," he said. High school science classes are the first to teach that everything can be known. "Einstein’s favorite mystery was the Blessed Sacrament of the Church."

According to Father Groeschel, people like John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, and Martin Luther, founder of the Lutherans, still believed in the real presence of the Eucharist and showed respect for it.

"Outside the Catholic Church are people who do better with the Eucharist than we do," he said. Father Groeschel told a story about a group of older Protestant African-American ladies from Harlem who were invited to a Holy Hour with the CFRs. Even though they don’t understand the Eucharist completely, they knew that the "sweet Lord Jesus" was there. They could feel Him.

"The holy Eucharist was in the Church 700 years when someone got the idea of reserving the Eucharist outside of Mass for adoration," he said. Although no one knows who it was, Father Groeschel said that the first monstrance was shaped like a tower with a crystal window where the Eucharist was placed. When adoration first began, people came and prayed at the Church all day and all night.

Father Groeschel explained the benefits of perpetual adoration. It has the power to transform an entire parish. In the middle of the night, an old grandfather, a youthful teen or a troubled parent can come and kneel before the Lord.

At some point, the tradition of adoration came to St. Francis of Assisi, and he promoted it. After St. Francis died, a young nun was given a vision of Christ asking for her to establish a feast of Corpus Christi. Pope Urban XI answered that call and the feast day was established. Corpus Christi is still celebrated as a holiday throughout Europe.

"If you were a young Catholic growing up in my time, you did Corpus Christi processions," Father Groeschel said, adding that the priest would process the monstrance through a carpet of rose petals.

"Adoration of the Eucharist should bring us joy," he said. "Even those trapped in sinful lives, who can’t receive holy communion, can come to that step and be with Him." Even non-Catholics should be brought to where the Eucharist is.

"All you have to do is open your heart and kneel down with a sense of mystery," he said.

Father Groeschel ended his talk with the last words Jesus spoke on earth, "Go and baptize all the nations … and behold, I am with you until the end of the world."

After the talk, the line to meet the priest stretched from one end of the parish hall to the other. The faithful flocked to Father Groeschel, and he kindly listened to them and blessed them when asked.

"I have been a fan of Father’s for many years, and this is a crowning moment of blessing," said Sarah Tisdale from St. Leo Parish in Fairfax.

"He is God-blessed, especially since God kept him with us," said Gina Garland of Queen of Apostles Parish in Alexandria. "He is a holy man. I thank God I met Father Groeschel."