Dear readers,
We hope this letter finds you well! The new year is in full swing and classes have picked up momentum—and in the world of news, too, the pace only increases by the day. There are plenty of stories to tell, and we’re excited to share them with you. As you might expect, we won’t be giving you on-the-ground coverage of international affairs, nor will we provide updates by the
hour, but as a monthly Catholic paper, we have a rare luxury: the ability to be storytellers.
A well-written narrative is like a good conversation with a friend. Both are personal, stimulating, and challenging, providing you with the space to develop your own perspective. We believe that our writing at The Torch should work that way whenever possible. To that end, we leave the effect of these stories up to you; our reporting in Campus and World News won’t tell you what to think, but will provide you with some of the material you need to form your opinion—just as a levelheaded friend might explain something to you. Our other sections (Culture, Catholicism 101, and Faith Features) will function more like the friend who wants you to see their side. We need friends like that. They pull us out of ourselves and push us to see the world in a fresh light.
This month, we wanted that light to come from the Eucharist—an incredibly important centerpiece of our faith, but one which many American Catholics don’t understand. A great percentage don’t believe in the Eucharist at all.
Though there are fewer of us now who are convinced of this reality, we continue to hope that belief in the Eucharist will rise. Still, we know this can’t happen without dialogue, explanation, questioning, listening, and prayer, all of which we’ve tried to accomplish or inspire by this issue. Each individual has a role to play in the renewal of belief in our country; in these pages, you have found our small contribution.
That’s why you’ll find so many articles this month about the Eucharist. We have stories about increased devotions on BC’s campus, an explanation of the theology of the Blessed Sacrament, a collection related miracles throughout history, and—as a centerpiece—eight upperclass staff reflections on the importance of the Eucharist in their own lives. On the back, you’ll also find the wise words of established faculty who spoke to us about this topic.
Our hope is that you will find something we’ve written useful, enlightening, or new. At the end of the day, our goal is only to place the Eucharist before you in our words, that you might look for Him in Flesh and Blood. In the words of St. Alphonus, He’s already waiting, saying perpetually, “From all eternity I have loved you.”
Happy reading,
The Torch Staff