News Eucharistic flashmob on feast of Corpus Christi

alex73

Picture a monk walking into the centre of a busy shopping precinct in Preston, England, removing the Blessed Sacrament from a bag and holding the monstrance high.
A colleague is reciting a litany about Jesus praying, “Come and kneel before Him now.” Some shoppers and passers-by stop to listen, young people text their friends, and some kneel down to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
This was the Eucharistic flash mob in the centre of Preston, organised by the Capuchin Franciscans, on Ascension Thursday. It was a different approach to the traditional Corpus Christi procession.
A flash mob is where a group of people coordinated by email and other electronic communications meet to perform some predetermined action at a particular place and time and then disperse quickly. In Preston, when Capuchin Franciscan Brother Paul held the monstrance high, parishioners from St. Wilfrid’s and university students and other groups arrived at intervals to kneel down. Some handed out leaflets spoke to passers-by.
“The idea was to have something that seemed spontaneous, and which others could join in,” explains Brother Paul. Passers-by asked questions like, “What is this about? What is happening? Is it religious? What is inside that thing?"
Two young women asked, "Why does God allow hurt and pain in the world?” They agreed it was not God's fault but ours. Then they asked, "Why doesn't Jesus come again?”
The organisers explained that He is here in the form of bread, but would come again and they invited them to think about Him now. A man said: "What is that guy doing?” An old woman with him replied, "That's Jesus. Show respect."
"This is so moving! It is the first time I have seen it done outside. I can't wait to tell my parish priest!" another said.
The whole event was filmed and put up on the internet within the first 24 hours up to 80,000 people had viewed it. It can be viewed on YouTube under the heading Lift the City – a Catholic Eucharistic Flash mob.
Brother Paul explains it all on his blog. Firstly the idea of a Eucharistic flash mob first came to him when he was in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. At first he envisioned the flash mob as a possible Youth 2000 initiative. “I’d also often felt, on these Corpus Christi processions, a disappointment that no one among the passers-by would fall to their knees.”
“There must be some Catholics among them, after all,” I thought. So the prospect of modelling the proper response was appealing,” he wrote in his blog. Comments on the blog reflect the uniqueness of the occasion.
Teresa wrote, “May God bless you for doing this and don't be so sure that the Corpus Christi processions don't have their own impact!” Brother Paul wrote in response, “Teresa, I didn't mean to suggest that Corpus Christi processions don't have a place anymore. They can indeed have an impact, but I wanted to point out that there are some parts they don't reach, lest people think that we could have just done a traditional procession instead of our flash mob.”
Edward wrote, “Thank you Brother. Deeply moving video.” He also offered some Anglican reflections. Linda wrote, “Your effort should be commended, Brother Paul. I know this was not the streets of NYC, but what did you plan if someone accidentally or purposely knocked you down or otherwise sought to bring harm to Jesus? That young man with the backpack walked very close. It made me gasp.”
Brother Paul wrote in response that he felt that the young man was very thoughtful by the end.
“I think being so close to Jesus had touched him, although he eventually went off. Please pray for him.”

gimmebroadband

Already posted in the following thread, still we can never say enough about the the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament!!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056310489

dvpower

Small bit of advise @alex73 - a bit more paragraphing and white space (and maybe a tl;dr on long posts)

Baggio1

such grace for sure!,, ugh am frustrated because am lacking the courage of these simple but brave souls.... where are our great protestant friends?.... so dear to us?, great friends, stand close to us during the coming tribulation and be saved aswell as yu deserve to be

kelly1

Great vid!