It was an immense privilege to have the opportunity to interview Dr. Jem Sullivan, Ph.D., associate professor of practice in catechetics in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America. Dr. Sullivan is the author of Way of Beauty: Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement with Visio Divina, and director of “Welcoming Children in Worship,” a program for liturgical formation of children for participation in the Eucharist (funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and hosted at The Catholic University of America).
Sr. Alexia: Dr. Sullivan, the work you are doing at Catholic University and through “Welcoming Children in Worship,” which focuses on the liturgical formation of children, must be profoundly fulfilling for you. But let’s start with a personal question: When did you have that first encounter with the Lord truly present in the Eucharist?
Dr. Sullivan: That initial encounter, I would say, was my First Communion, as well as the time of preparation leading up to receiving the Eucharist. We children were so excited. The priest who was catechizing us reminded us that we have to approach the Eucharist with reverence and love if we want to experience Jesus the Lord loving us in return. It was at that time that I began to understand that Jesus truly wanted to be my friend. That is something I still go back to, even as an adult, when I receive the Eucharist.
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Sr. Alexia: That’s so important, the point about the friendship Jesus desires with us. So, tell me, after you had this experience of Jesus in your First Communion, is this something that deepened, or how did you continue to develop your relationship with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?
Dr. Sullivan: When I went to Mass as a child with my family, I realized that it had become something of a routine. It was after I eventually left home to start college and was on my own that I realized I had to make a choice. I had to attend Mass, and I had to be attentive to the readings, to really participate, rather than simply show up so I could say I had gone to Sunday Mass. The experience of making Mass attendance my own really helped me to take more responsibility for how I was participating in the Eucharist.
Sr. Alexia: Now as a professor at The Catholic University of America, and reflecting on all that the Lord has done throughout your life, how would you describe what the Eucharistic Revival has meant for you?
Dr. Sullivan: The Eucharistic Revival is a profound gift that the bishops have given to the Church and to the faithful in the United States and beyond, and not just for those who believe. There is a form of evangelization going on as Catholics recover their understanding and love of the Eucharist. The Eucharistic Revival began with the Bishops reflecting on how to bring Catholics to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist. They were responding to a real pastoral need. They decided not to write another document, but in response to the Holy Spirit, to cultivate a revival movement in which the members of the Church can grow in understanding and participation in the Eucharist.
Sr. Alexia: Changing topics here, Dr. Sullivan, you are the author of a book about “visio divina.” That’s probably a new concept for a lot of people. Could you share with me how you do “visio divina,” and what is some advice you would give to someone who wanted to begin?
Dr. Sullivan: That’s a great question, Sister. Most people are intimidated by great art. However, when we look at the history of the Church’s artistic heritage over two thousand years, most of the art that the Church has produced and created was not for experts. It was for people like you and me, the faithful that came to Church each day, each Sunday. And in that art, they saw the faith that they had professed in the Creed now translated into beauty: into sculpture, stained glass windows, paintings, and sacred music. I really believe that it’s important not to be intimidated by sacred art that was created for you, so you can enter more deeply into the mysteries of faith through the way of beauty. As Dostoevsky wrote, “Beauty will save the world.” Beauty is one of the three transcendentals. In our own time, everything that comes to us, every moment of the day, comes to us through visual images. So, this is an important time to return to the rich visual culture of the Church.
“Visio divina” is rooted in the ancient monastic practice of “lectio divina,” which is a slow, prayerful approach to praying with Sacred Scripture. In “visio divina,” through prayerful reflection on artistic masterpieces, we enter into a series of prayerful movements:
1) From seeing with our eyes
2) To contemplation of some mystery of faith
3) And finally, adoration and worship of God
So “visio divina” is one way of encountering God on the way of beauty, the “via pulchritudinis.”
Sr. Alexia: How would you describe the history of Eucharistic art?
Dr. Sullivan: That’s a complex question because there are so many different styles. We can think, for instance, of the primitive art of the Roman catacombs in the first centuries of the Church’s life. Then there are the great Romanesque and Byzantine monumental basilicas with their mosaics, and in the Middle Ages, the great Gothic cathedrals known for their soaring heights, leading our eyes up to heaven. There is the age of the Renaissance, with its outpouring of creativity, and Baroque art characterized by its ornate and elaborate style, as well as modern artistic movements, and on into our own time. In every age of the Church, we see masterpieces of sacred art created to surround with the highest forms of beauty the gift and mystery of the Eucharist, the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, 11). In this way, beauty becomes a privileged path to encounter the Lord Jesus.
Sr. Alexia: The National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July was a great moment of Eucharistic renewal and devotion that was attended by 60,000 people. There were people in ministry in attendance, but also families, kids, and young people. How would you encourage them so they could truly open their heart to encounter the Lord in the Eucharist?
Dr. Sullivan: We have so many desires in our hearts, on a very human level, certainly, but even on a spiritual level—we desire goodness, we desire peace in our world, we desire harmony in our families and our communities of faith. The Eucharistic Revival encourages us to recognize that the sacramental presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is how God desires to satisfy those human desires. When we encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, it is a personal encounter. It is not a theory, it is not a nice idea, or some good teaching of the Church. It is a sacramental encounter with a living Person.
Sr. Alexia: One of the fruits of the Eucharistic Revival is the cultivation of a Eucharistic culture. What would you say is one way that we can work to build a Eucharistic culture that will transform our society?
Dr. Sullivan: Each one of us is given a call by the Lord along with unique gifts and talents. We have to really listen, to hear the Lord speak, to encounter him in the Eucharist. Then, using all the gifts that God has given us for his glory, we must go out and invite others to that same encounter that we ourselves have experienced. This is the missionary dimension of the Eucharistic Revival. Sometimes we just need to be bold and invite a friend or a neighbor, someone who does not go to Mass or has fallen away, to discover Jesus in the Eucharist with us, to receive what we have been given.
We give profound thanks for the gift of Dr. Jem Sullivan and her work, praying that the Lord’s Eucharistic love will reach many hearts.
