An invitation to discover the depth of desire that God has for you

Last week, the Catholic Information Center in Grand Rapids, MI invited me out to give a talk as a part of their series celebrating the USCCB’s year of the Eucharist. My talk was about the pope’s new Apostolic Letter about the liturgy, Desiderio Desideravi.

At best, liturgical catechesis is often something teachy, ideas disconnected from people’s real lives and experiences, something boring. At worst, it’s often an endless debate over aesthetical preferences. I tried to avoid all of that.

My wife graciously sat through the first draft of the talk, and she said (and I’m paraphrasing): When I think about a talk about the liturgy, what comes to mind is something super teachy, impersonal, and boring. But this talk was personal and compelling.

Liturgical catechesis should be personal and compelling because liturgy is the privileged place of encounter with our God who thirsts for us, who thirsts for me. I hope I accomplished that.

The title of the talk is, A Mystery to be Celebrated. In the Bible, we read about the Last Supper Jesus has with his friends and followers. He says, “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you.” (Luke 22:15) These words are an invitation to discover the depth of desire that God has for each and all of us.

Watch it here: