I have FOMO right now.

FOMO (fear of missing out) is not a new phenomenon to me. As a college student anxious about wanting to make the most of every moment, I constantly worry that I am missing something big. 

But over the past few days, I have experienced a new intensity of FOMO, all because I am not at the National Eucharistic Congress. 

To preface, I am currently studying abroad in Germany for the summer, which I wouldn’t exchange for anything. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But still, there is a part of me that wishes I could be in Indianapolis right now, participating in the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. 

Many of my friends are there; the congress holds a plethora of stories, making it a Catholic reporter’s dream; and it’s a milestone moment for the Catholic Church in the U.S., a moment that I wish I could witness firsthand. 

As I scrolled through X on Thursday, FOMO surfaced as I saw the overwhelming number of posts from the congress. As I doomscrolled, I grew anxious, wishing that I was there, but even more so to experience a personal revival. 

That afternoon, I attended Mass with my fellow college students, wishing that I could be at the Mass in Lucas Oil Stadium with the 50,000 other Catholics in Indianapolis. 

As Mass began, the priest said that we would be celebrating a votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist, praying in a special way for the success of the congress. 

I thought, “Now even the priest is contributing to my FOMO.” 

So, as Mass began, I was still daydreaming about all of the stories I could be covering, people I could be meeting, experiences I could be having if I was in Indianapolis. 

But the Lord does not work in could be. He works in reality — as I was reminded during the homily. The priest began sharing about the gift of the Eucharist and its importance in our daily life. 

But then he shared something that especially struck a chord: Even though we are all the way in Germany, far from the National Eucharistic Congress, the Lord still wants us to experience revival here in this German chapel.

Those could haves dissipated, replaced with maybes: maybe the Lord wants me to experience this revival here, in Germany; maybe I can participate in the National Eucharistic Congress, even though I am 4,276 miles away from Lucas Oil Stadium. Maybe all I need to do is open myself to the Lord. 

That evening, as we had Eucharistic adoration in a small German chapel, I experienced a revival within my heart. I surrendered my FOMO to the Lord and asked him to grant me the grace to encounter him in the Blessed Sacrament in a new way. 

Immediately, I felt a rush of peace overwhelm me as I stared with awe at the monstrance. 

Here I was, still able to experience revival, because the Lord always offers revival. He is always inviting us to go deeper, to encounter him in the Eucharist. 

The congress is a beautiful opportunity to experience not just the community of the Church, but to learn more about the Blessed Sacrament and experience a powerful encounter with the Lord. 

But revival does not require the congress; it requires an openness to the Lord and our ability to say, “Yes.” 

Revival begins with a personal Yes, and no amount of FOMO can deter the Lord from stirring something anew. It can happen anywhere: a packed stadium, a rural parish church, a grand cathedral — all it takes is an openness to the Lord and some quality time spent before the Blessed Sacrament.