Making the Sign of the Cross at prayer, and especially at the first moments of Mass, has been with us since the early centuries of Christianity. We can say that the Sign of the Cross is the sign for all times and the sign of victory for us as it was for Constantine.
When we come to Mass anywhere, we enter into the place where heaven and earth are united. We could say that there we step into heaven. The entire rite of the Mass mirrors how the heavenly liturgy described in the Book of Revelation unfolds as the angles and saints adore and offer praise to the most Holy Trinity through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ made present.
When we come to Mass, we arrive at an encounter that has been happening for the last two thousand years. As a matter of fact, it started in the upper room in Jerusalem on that first Holy Evening when Our Lord Jesus Christ was celebrating with His chosen band the ancient ritual of the Passover.
When we come to Mass, we do not come only to a “service of worship” or to a series of hymns and prayers, as inspiring and beautiful as they may be. The Mass is a true encounter with Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a living “memorial” of Jesus, who makes Himself present.
Catholics will walk, sing and pray in a mile-long Eucharistic procession from St. Paul Cathedral through the heart of Oakland on Sunday, June 19, 2022, as part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s opening Mass for a three-year National Eucharistic Revival.
I believe that the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work in the Catholic Church in our nation today. At their meeting in November of 2021 the bishops of the United States overwhelmingly approved efforts to be implemented in every diocese of our country that will unleash the powerful movement of the National Eucharistic Revival.