Fall Marriage Supplement
Eucharistic Congress sessions advise on building faith-filled families
A family lays their hands on each other in prayer as part of a family-focused session on July 19 during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)
By Natalie Hoefer
During the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis on July 17-21, seven morning “Impact” tracks were offered on days two through four.
The Criterion followed several of them, including the Cultivate Impact Sessions for families.
Following is a summary of those talks. From prayer to healing to building a family tribe—with well-known speakers like Father Leo Patalinghug, Bob Schuchts and Damon and Melanie Owens—the information shared is helpful to building faith-filled families.
Heroes, drowning and ninja moves
Father Leo Patalinghug, a priest member of Voluntas Dei (The Will of God), a community of consecrated life, engaged children and parents in the first morning of the Cultivate Impact Session of the National Eucharistic Congress by focusing on three main points: superheroes, what to do when drowning, and the four first moves of a ninja—all beautifully tied to the Eucharist and living lives of faith.
“My favorite superheroes are Yoda and hobbits—because they’re small, like me,” he joked.
But Jesus makes himself small in the Eucharist, Father Leo noted.
“He became small so he could enter into our busy lives, into our hearts,” he said. “He puts himself into us so we can be saved from the inside out and live supernatural lives.”
Father Leo next shared the tactics lifeguards use to save a drowning victim. The hold they use “might not be comfortable, but it’s important that you don’t fight the lifeguard,” he said. “If you relax, they can get you to the shore safely.
“And that’s what Jesus does. If we don’t fight him, if we trust him, if we let him guide us, he will get us to the shore to safety, and that shore is heaven.”
Last, the martial-arts-expert priest cited the four first moves he learned and compared them to prayer. First, come to attention—put yourself in God’s presence. Next, bow—give honor and praise to God. Third, cross your arms and take a deep breath—open your heart to God. And finally, stand in a relaxed stance—rest in God.
The Eucharist heals hearts and families
The featured speaker for the second Cultivate Impact series was Bob Schuchts, founder of the John Paul II Healing Center in Tallahassee, Fla., and author of Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Powerful Love of Jesus in Your Life (Ave Maria Press, 2014).
“Healing is an ongoing encounter with God’s love that brings us into wholeness and communion,” he explained.
“Think about the little girl that Jesus brought back to life,” Schuchts said. “Think how joyful her parents were and how their faith in God might have been restored.”
He encouraged children to “believe everything in the Bible, including the healings.”
Schuchts referred to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, noting it says “the sacraments are the ‘powers that come from the body of Christ’ to heal us [#1116], and that Jesus is the ‘physician of our souls and bodies’ [#1421], and that he gives his power, especially the sacrament of the Eucharist [#1353].
“Every time we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we can say, ‘Jesus, heal this part of me that’s dead inside, this part that’s grieving, heal this relationship I have,’ and he answers those prayers. If he’s really, truly present, is there anything he can’t do now that he did back then?”
It might happen as a miracle, or it might happen over time—such as for him and his siblings decades after their parents’ divorce.
“When you lose the love in families, hearts get broken,” said Schuchts. It was only after returning to the sacraments that he and his family experienced healing and peace.
Create a ‘tribe’ to ‘life with’
At the Cultivate Impact Session on July 20, Damon and Melanie Owens spoke about the communal relationship of families and the need for families to create “tribes” of like-minded families to “life with.”
The couple of 31 years and parents of eight are the co-founders of the Joy Ever After marriage and family ministry.
“When we don’t find others to share with, we turn in to ourselves,” said Damon. “I invite you to consider that just as your wedding was a community event, the forming of our children and growing in holiness is also essentially communal.”
For that reason, he said, “It’s essential to build a tribe, those families you can trust to share in forming your children, your family with.
“Yes, kids provide opportunities to meet families with other kids. But it’s about finding those who really share your faith, your vales and mission, and making the decision to share with them.”
It isn’t necessary for each person in each family to connect perfectly, Damon continued.
“Each family complements a different part of your family,” he said. “With some families, the dads may click, or the mothers or the children.”
Melanie cautioned moms, especially in homeschooling families, to find a “collective of women to open up your heart with, where you can trust and support each other.
“I wanted Damon to fulfill me and make me happy, especially after I’d been with the kids all day. But I needed to form a collective of women to do that. That helps create better families.” †
See more from our Fall Marriage Supplement
