Starting with Adoration

We arrived late on the first night of the event and went straight to Adoration at St. John the Evangelist church. It was beautiful. The church was dark except for a white light on the altar. We walked up to the altar and kneeled to praise Our Lord Jesus. A warmth came over me as I reverenced Jesus.

I am a widow. I lost my husband and my children lost their father very suddenly and unexpectedly just a couple of years ago. Losing a loved one can leave a giant hole that seems like it can never be filled. When I was on my knees in front of the Blessed Sacrament, I could feel my heart overflowing with the love of Christ.

As my daughter, Maryam, and I strolled back to the vestibule, I noticed my 9-year-old son, Isa, was not following as he usually does. We turned back, and I saw him still kneeling in front of the monstrance. When he finally joined us, he said, “Mom, I felt Heaven come to earth. Jesus came and enveloped me in a very cozy cloud. It felt so peaceful.” His words brought a sense of tranquility and reassurance that only the divine can provide.

The View from the Top

It was my kids’ first time sitting at the top deck of a football stadium. From our seats, we could see everyone, which made my daughter remark, “They’re like millions of ants, all here for Jesus!” During the first Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist was mesmerizing. Starting from the “Holy, Holy, Holy,” all tens of thousands of worshipers genuflected on the concrete floor. The entire stadium was silent as Heaven met earth, and the Lord greeted us, offering His Body and Blood. Looking around, my daughter knew something special was happening. She whispered, “This is real.” We all felt a profound sense of connection, part of a larger community united in faith.

Two things filled my heart most: my confession and seeing families. I was blessed to have Msgr. Timothy Murphy from Oregon as my confessor. Before I made the Sign of the Cross, he said, “Remember, Jesus is here to absolve you from your sins. He is just using me as the human form to be with you, but He does all the work.”

Talking with Jesus

How incredible it was to sit and talk to Jesus! I have experienced most confessions where I go through the “script” that I learned at my first reconciliation. At the National Eucharistic Congress, Jesus, working through the image of the priest, invited me to skip the confession formalities and talk; He promised just to listen. The next thing I knew, I was pouring my heart out, and tears were streaming from my eyes. I felt like the Lord was holding me in the most loving embrace. I could feel His mercy washing away my guilt.

The second thing that blew me away was seeing the beauty of the domestic Church at work. There were so many families with young children, from babies in the tummy to teens. Everyone came with one mission: to love the Lord! In unity with that mission, parents were smiling, kids were singing, teens were celebrating, all in the name of Jesus.

In the event’s last speech, Bishop Barron commissioned us to go out and proclaim the Good News with the light of Christ. To do so, we must live in poverty, chastity, and obedience - center ourselves in Christ instead of worldly temptations. We pray that our Diocese of San Jose grows as a beacon of the Light of Christ, both amongst ourselves and the world, especially in the last year of the National Eucharistic Congress, 2025. Praise and Glory to the Lord!