Many have wondered what it would have been like to travel with Jesus, hear him preach to the crowds, see him heal people, and learn from him.
For a handful of individuals like Jack Krebs, that is reality this summer as they travel across the country with our Eucharistic Lord to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
Krebs, a recent University of Nebraska Lincoln graduate, is walking the Junípero Serra route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage through the western United States. He has had a front-row seat to some incredible sights, having begun in San Francisco and passed through the Rocky Mountains and the Archdiocese of Denver last month.
On the Road
Having studied water and environmental sciences, traversing the Rockies was the part of the pilgrimage Krebs looked forward to most.
“I have always been interested in natural resources, so this was the part of the trip I was most excited for, to be able to journey with Jesus to these beautiful, beautiful places,” he said. “And to be able to encounter our Creator, or actually to be with our Creator, as we go through his beautiful creation, and to see the ways that he is reflected in his creation around us. The grandeur of the mountains reflects the grandeur of our Lord.”
Juxtaposed amid this grandeur were moments of small, simple beauty, Krebs said. He remembers being struck by a small, beautiful wildflower on the side of the highway as the caravan zoomed past. It seemed insignificant, yet God had created it to be exactly where it was, all for his glory and out of his great love.
In short, Krebs shared, “Being immersed in such a beautiful area impacted my own reflection on Jesus, especially our Eucharistic Lord as he sits right before us in the van” – exposed in the Eucharist in the very van he drove – inches away from him.
It was a poignant, personal experience of the Psalmist’s words, “I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From whence shall come my help? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth” (Ps 121:1-2).
In Krebs' case, the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, was riding alongside in the same van.
Krebs shared that the trip is not without its challenges. Whether difficulties focusing or staying awake on long road trips, extended periods of silence or the logistical snafus expected on a trip of this magnitude, the pilgrims have seen their fair share of obstacles. Nevertheless, the pilgrimage has been permeated by grace.
“There have been a lot of times of the Lord just revealing himself in a unique way,” he said. “Even though it’s different and kind of difficult in some ways, it also opens some avenues for prayer in other ways.”
Divine Detour
One such avenue – or highway – was opened as the pilgrims made their way through the Estes Park area. Pleasantly surprised that Highway 34 was open, the pilgrims made a slight detour to visit Camp St. Malo’s Chapel on the Rock.
An impromptu visit, expectations were simple: a quick visit to the chapel Pope St. John Paul II visited during World Youth Day 1993, then back to the road.
When they arrived, however, they found campers and staff from Annunciation Heights waiting to worship the Eucharistic Lord.
“We thought, ‘This is just going to be a quick stop.’ And then all of a sudden, there’s like 50 people there. It was more than that, even, but it’s just really cool,” Krebs said, reminiscing on the coincidental – or providential – visit to the Chapel on the Rock. “It was totally biblical because of the way they all congregated when they heard Jesus was coming. As soon as we started the procession of Jesus, all these kids that were chattering fell on their knees and started praying or singing as soon as they saw him. That was such a beautiful experience to see, to see the fervor and the way that these kids immediately knew Jesus was here.”
Small Towns, Big Welcome
From the ‘mountaintop moment’ at the heights of the Rockies, the pilgrims traveled down to Denver, where they led a massive, historical procession that drew nearly 5,000 faithful from across the region.
Following the downtown Denver procession, the pilgrims traveled out to the Eastern Plains, visiting communities much smaller than the Denver metro, but nonetheless towering in devotion and hospitality.
With the pilgrims, the Lord Jesus visited many such towns as he crossed the Archdiocese of Denver. From Rangeley to Roggen, with Fort Morgan, Sterling, and Stoneham as well, the Eucharistic Lord came to encounter his people regardless of their community's population.
Just as he did in the Gospels, Jesus traveled thousands of miles to visit his people and bless them – even making himself present on one parish’s centennial.
While the grandeur of the massive Masses and processions in the Denver metro was powerful in its own right, it was to these smaller communities that Krebs said he was honored to bring the Eucharistic Lord.
“I was really struck by the processions in the small towns,” he said of the pilgrimage’s visit to some of the churches on the Eastern Plains, like St. John Church in Stoneham, the pilgrimage’s last stop in Colorado. “I really appreciated being able to bring such a big movement to these smaller places that don’t usually see something like that.”
Hearts Opened, Faith Renewed
Whether in the mountains, the city or a small town, Krebs is moved by the opportunity to bring the Lord to his people, wherever they are.
“Sometimes it just feels like it’s too good to be true, to think it’s really happening, the way some people just walk out of their doorsteps, looking kind of clueless about what’s going on,” he said. “We have many great people who have gone up and talked with them and explained what we’re doing, but it’s crazy that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, is walking by, and people have no idea what’s going on. But it’s so beautiful that we’re able to bring them anyway and then encounter those people and evangelize in a small way through that.”
Krebs said that while the pilgrimage can evangelize those further away from the Church, it also reinvigorates the faith of those already striving to follow Jesus, reflecting on the experience of the 5,000-person procession through downtown Denver.
“The sense of community, of having 5,000 people making this public procession down the streets, would have been impactful. To remind yourself that ‘it’s not just me’; it’s not just whatever parish they might come from. They’re part of a larger Church and a huge movement that is actually very alive,” Krebs said of those faithful who participated in the historic, public witness to the faith.
Though the downtown procession was unique and outside of the day-to-day experience of faith, it likely served as a unique opportunity for the faithful to renew their devotion.
“They get to step out of those ruts and be a part of this procession to see the Eucharist in a new light. I think that could be very powerful. And to be a part of something so big, I think, could really inspire conversion or a deeper reversion,” he said.
Hope for the Future
As he winds down his divine road trip with our Eucharistic Lord, Krebs hopes for greater boldness on his part and greater devotion to the Eucharist among the faithful. “For me, I hope for a little bit more courage and a little bit more openness to go out to the people, to pray with people, and to really live the Great Commission,” he shared. “And for more people to have a deeper realization of the True Presence and to allow their prayer to become more personal, to show that Jesus is a person who is there to talk to us,” he continued, reflecting on the movement in his own prayer toward a closer, personal relationship with the Eucharistic Lord. “Coming to know Jesus in the Eucharist as a person has made it a lot more relational,” he said. “I want people to experience that and to ponder his Eucharistic heart even more.” Only by drawing near to Jesus, present in the Eucharist, do we accomplish our mission to become more like him who loves us more than we can imagine, Krebs said. “The call every time we receive the Eucharist is to become what we receive. And that’s a painful process; it’s not always comfortable, but it’s definitely worth it,” he concluded.
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