LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS: Talks teach on Eucharist

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

Many years ago, Father Brian Hughes read a book containing meditations on talks about the nature of the liturgy that were presented by a German priest chaplain to university students. 

The book noted these talks were delivered at the beginning of Mass, prior to the official start of the liturgy, not as part of the homily. 

“I thought that was a brilliant way to get the whole congregation together – teach everyone about the Mass, reaching a bigger audience than you would by offering an adult education class to a handful of people,” noted Father Hughes.

Fast forward to December of 2023 when the now retired diocesan priest was pastor of Milford St. Joseph Parish and Spirit Lake St. Mary Parish, Father Hughes decided to use that same concept of offering a teaching series on the Eucharist at the start of Mass in order to reach a wider audience. Enlisting the help of Msgr. Ed Girres of West Bend, a retired diocesan priest who regularly assisted Father Hughes at the Iowa Great Lakes area parishes, the two presented talks at the start of Mass for Advent 2023 and Lent of 2024 on a rotating basis.

A willing contributor to the teaching series, Msgr. Girres said he loved the idea of doing the talks at the beginning of Mass.

“That's why I thought it was such a great idea. We were reaching all those that attend Mass,” he said, noting study groups generally tend to draw smaller crowds and may not draw those from the large church membership.

Lift Up Your Hearts
While those talks have been available online since they were presented as part of the full Mass offerings on the St. Joseph Catholic Church, Milford, YouTube channel, they were recently edited into shorter video recordings consisting of the talk itself. The eight sessions - four in Advent and four in Lent – make up what has been called Lift Up Your Hearts Liturgical Series.
“Many people had commented and wrote to us about the talks,” said Father Hughes, who continues to reside in Milford and assists new pastor Father David Hemann regularly. “There was a huge reaction to it – people were very enthusiastic. They liked the way we did it, the content and that everyone was a part of it.”

Amid the positive feedback were comments from parishioners and summer folk who follow the lakes area parishes online throughout the rest of the year that asked if there would be an easier way to find the talks without wading through the many Masses. They liked the talks and wanted to share with others or revisit the topics for themselves. That’s how the idea came to offer the talks in videos separate from the full Mass.

Father Hughes said they selected Lift Up Your Hearts as the name of the series as it comes from Mass, a phrase used after the Orate Fratres in the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest invites the congregation to go to the Lord together. 
 
The Lift Up Your Hearts Liturgical Series can be found on the Milford parish’s YouTube channel by everyone. These videos are accessible to the public.
 
Themes related to Eucharist
 
It was Father Hughes who offered the first talk on Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent. After promising that he would keep the regular homily short, he explained how he and Msgr. Girres were going to offer teaching talks for about 10 minutes during Advent – and Lent - “that will help us have a deeper understanding of the nature of the Eucharist. This is part of our parish efforts to help us celebrate the Eucharistic Revival that is happening throughout the country.” 
 
“We were trying to help everyone understand the parts of the Mass, what the Mass actually is and how to be active in the celebration of the Mass,” said Msgr. Girres. “We added some of our own experiences.”
 
The two had divided up themes to cover during the sessions. In Advent, Father Hughes discussed the sacramental principle, sacramental theology that is part of liturgical life and church history for one of his talks. His second talk centered on Liturgy of the Eucharist, while Msgr. Girres gave a talk on Liturgy of the Word – explaining the three-year cycle, the role of the homily, creed and petitions. The monsignor’s second talk focused on who gathers at Mass and why.
 
During Lent, Msgr. Girres delivered a talk on the importance of music in the liturgy andMsgr. Girres addressed the need for full, conscious and active participation in Mass. For one of Father Hughes’ talks, he had a social justice theme as he spoke about how to live out the mission of the church following the Eucharistic celebration. His final talk focused on the four forms of prayer – praise/adoration, thanksgiving, contrition and petition. 
“I think most of what we shared, most of the people in the pew have never heard as a teaching, for example. The Mass is an action of Jesus, and we as his Mystical Body, are in the action with him,” stressed Msgr. Girres. “It's not theater, something we watch. We are part of it.”  

Renewed
 
Father Hughes pointed out that the faithful’s prayer before the Lord should be consciously renewed on a continual basis.
 
“We can get into a routine of making the Sign of the Cross, standing, sitting and kneeling and then leaving,” he stressed. “It’s quite different to be deliberate about what we are doing and conscious about why we are doing what we are doing. Every once in a while, renewing everyone’s understanding of what we are doing and why helps people have a deeper experience of the Eucharist.”
 
That conscious renewal, Father Hughes added, is good for everyone – laity and clergy.
 
Msgr. Girres said they wanted people to not only grow in their understanding of the Mass - which can lead to greater love and devotion to the Mass, but especially for each person to engage in Mass more actively so that they may experience the Mass as a community worship experience as the Mystical Body of Christ.  
 
“The more that happens, the more we respond to the ending of the Mass – ‘Go, glorify the Lord with your life.’  The Mass should help us be the eyes, arms, hands and feet of Jesus in service to others,” he said.  “The bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus and as we participate in the Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, we can be transformed into another Christ.”

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