For Catholic singer-songwriter Matt Maher, the 17th chapter of John’s Gospel, in which the Lord prays that all will be one, has fuelled his 20 years of itinerant ministry and travelling.
“That prayer, which is the longest prayer that Jesus prays, is right after he institutes the Eucharist,” he said. “So, the unity of all Christians is presupposed in the Eucharist, but maybe the reason that Jesus prays for the unity of all Christians after he institutes the Eucharist is because he knows that’s what will keep the church together.”
Maher will provide the music for one of the revival nights during the National Eucharistic Congress 17-21 July in Indianapolis. Maher will be featured 20 July during the revival session at Lucas Oil Stadium, with keynote speakers Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and Gloria Purvis, speaker and host of “The Gloria Purvis Podcast” from America Media.
In the Eucharist, in Mass, “we’re one with God and we’re one with each other,” Maher said. This is what helped him understand why the US bishops have called for a Eucharistic revival as a three-year project to revitalise the faith.
“In the age of so much scandal and disappointment and disillusionment, the poverty of Jesus humbly offered, in what looks like simple bread and simple wine — so simple that it’s not even leavened, Jesus brings peace,” he said.