Reflection / Natalie Hoefer

Christ’s powerful presence shines in the word and the Eucharist

It was 6 a.m. on March 12 when I stepped up to the ambo at St. Malachy Church in Brownsburg. In a nave that can hold 1,500, only four people were present, and even they seemed like shadows in the darkened space illumined only by a reading light at the ambo and a candle by our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament on the altar.

I glanced at the living Word in the monstrance. Then I began to proclaim the living word as part of the parish’s The Word Became Flesh Bible Marathon.

To understand this moment, let’s go back a few weeks.

It was late February when I interviewed Nathanael Rea, director of faith formation and evangelization at St. Malachy Parish, about this “marathon.” It would involve reading the Bible aloud from cover to cover in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, he said, to highlight “the presence of Christ in the word and the Eucharist.” (See article on page 16.)

The idea intrigued me. I asked if I could sign up for a 30-minute reading slot, even though I’m not a member of St. Malachy. He graciously agreed.

The marathon was set to begin around noon on March 10 after Mass and a eucharistic procession. Allowing for pauses for a few Masses and different reading paces, Nathanael estimated it would end sometime during the morning of March 13.

Hoping to avoid the Abimilechs and Zaphenath-Paneahs of the Old Testament, I thought I’d be safe signing up to read on March 12. Wanting to make a little bit of a sacrifice (but not too much), I chose the 6-6:30 a.m. slot.

When I went to bed on March 11, my mind was wired. I think I netted about two hours of sleep.

Rather than toss and turn, I tuned into the livestream of the Bible marathon. I closed my eyes and listened, envisioning the stories as they were proclaimed aloud.

There was a pause at one point. I opened my eyes to check my internet connection. What I saw instead was a moving testament to the impact of God’s word.

The reader was crying. He had paused to wipe tears from his eyes, and his voice was still choked with emotion as he continued to read.

I don’t recall the passage he read. Perhaps the words bore a message that spoke to a circumstance in his life. Or maybe he was moved by a verse that foretold Christ’s suffering—the same Christ present in the Eucharist on the altar just a few feet away from him.

Either way, his tears spoke to the truth of the power of the living word of God.

Now we return to 6 a.m. on March 12. Standing at the ambo, looking out at the darkened church, I’m glad I chose this time slot—it was like greeting the light of dawn with the light of the word.

I picked up where the previous reader left off in the Book of Psalms (not the New Testament I’d hoped for, but fortunately one of my favorite books of the Bible).

Now, I’ve been lectoring regularly for nearly five decades (since the age of 6). But this was different. Since there was no way to prepare for the reading in advance, it was like discovering each word with a first-time freshness as I read it.

My experience is difficult to explain. As I began to proclaim the word, it was like I suddenly found myself safely carried along in a refreshing, life-giving stream. Sometimes the current was slow and pleasant. Other times it was rapid and exciting. But it was always fresh and full of meaning.

Occasionally, I’d give a quick side glance toward the monstrance, with the fleeting thought, “You are fully present there, and I’m speaking your words here!” The connectedness, the oneness of Christ’s living presence in the scriptural word and the Word made flesh in the Eucharist had never been clearer or more real for me.

I was shocked when my 30 minutes were done. It felt like only 10 minutes had passed, and I wanted to stay in that living stream of words.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to participate in the proclamation of the entire Bible in the presence of the Eucharist. It’s a powerful, profound way of connecting the presence of Christ in both.

Where else can you hear the living words, “… and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20) in the presence of the Word who spoke them?
 

(Natalie Hoefer is a reporter for The Criterion and is a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis.) †