Eucharistic Adoration
I am sure that most of you are aware that we are in the midst of a very important time of Eucharistic revival in the Catholic Church. For over two years, many of us were unable to attend Mass in person due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There is an old saying that states “absence make the heart grow fonder.” I know that each of us needed both the fellowship and the spiritual nourishment that comes from the Eucharist within the celebration of the Mass. And it shows in our numbers attending Mass here at St. Rose. Renewing the reception of the Blood of Christ spoke volumes about the desire in our hearts to fully participate in both the Body and Blood of Christ.
In this article, I would like to extend to each of you an invitation to expand your experience of the Eucharist, which is the “Source and Summit” of our Catholic faith. I am referring to those moments when we as Catholic Christians have the blessing of being able to sit quietly with the very person of Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. Time spent with Jesus in Adoration fuels our own spiritual growth in many ways. I will list several of them.
Mass, as beautiful and gracefilled as it is, is liturgical with the entire assembly participating, and that is exactly the way it should be. But it is in times of quiet listening and talking to Jesus in prayer that we come to an even greater appreciation of the Real Presence of Jesus in our midst. It’s our one-on-one time with Jesus, and He wants each of us to experience the awe and holiness of His Presence. It is in Adoration that we come to respond to the presence of God with awe and wonder.
One of the desires of Jesus’ heart is for each of us to experience the peace that passes all understanding no matter what is going on in our lives. Probably the most meaningful retreat you could experience would be the hour you spend with the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. This is an inner peace that is immovable by the ups and downs of daily life.
Those who make a regular practice of sitting with Jesus in Adoration will have no hesitation in sharing with you not only the difference it has made in their lives but in the lives of others for whom they pray during the quiet moments with Jesus. Time spent in Eucharistic Adoration instills in us an infinite amount of grace: grace to resist temptation; grace to overcome worry and despair; grace to allow the Holy Spirit to direct the path of your life and, most importantly, the grace to see Jesus in every person you meet. Pretty awesome.
Time spent in Adoration helps each of us to realize how fortunate we are to be sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus. We are blessed with the freedom to adore and worship Jesus Christ openly, freely, and without fear of persecution. In Adoration, as in the celebration and reception of Eucharist at Mass, we actually become that which we partake. And it is in this that we are commissioned and equipped to go out and spread the Good News of Christ in us.
During this Lenten season, why not set aside time each week to get quiet before Jesus in Adoration, opening your heart to Him, confident that He hears and understands. But don’t forget to let Him enter the conversation as well. As Catholics, we have a very real opportunity to change the world through our love of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Eucharistic Adoration is every Thursday immediately following the 8:15 Mass. The church remains open throughout the day each weekday so that at any time you can come and sit with Jesus.
“Could you not spend one hour with me?” - Mark 14:37
Deacon John Murrell