The greatest crisis facing the Catholic Church today, in the minds of many observers, is the wholesale failure of many Catholics, to believe that Jesus is really, substantially and truly present, Body Blood Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament.
There are a number of things our Church must do to correct this horrible reality. Let me highlight one - promotion of and participation in Eucharistic Adoration.
May the following words of those who come to spend an hour with Him each week encourage others to go, visit and believe:
Adoration has the peace the world
cannot give…It’s like you’re in a bubble of grace. The pressures and anxieties
I bring in with me are diminished while I’m in here. When I leave, I feel
reassured and renewed. The more I go to Adoration the more time I need. An hour
is not enough. After nearly a week I’m hungry for this oasis of peace.
When I think of all the hours that Jesus is
in Church alone, I am so happy to spend this time with Him.
Adoration is a powerful time of
prayer and healing. It is a time of relaxing with Jesus. It is an addiction – I
find that I now feel “empty” if I miss a time of adoration. Adoration is a
weekly routine to be in touch with Jesus who loves us and wants to hear our
requests as God’s own adopted children.
For
me Adoration is peace and tranquility – closeness to Jesus that cannot be
described. It brings tears to my eyes.
At first I came to adore Jesus
because He should never be left alone but soon I realized I am the one who
benefits. I come week after week no matter what mood I am in. Jesus is there for
me. I sometimes come when I don’t want to come but Jesus is always welcoming
me. He listens and He gives me strength and peace and happiness…He gets me through
the week.
My hour of Adoration is my special time that
I set aside for God. I make time for everything else in my life. I feel I need
to make time for Him too, to give thanks for all He has done for us.
Jesus, I love our time together.
I look forward to telling You everything that is in my heart. Sometimes I get
very emotional at how good You have been to me that the tears roll down my
face. I long to be like Your Heart and understand and love the way that You do.
I thank you for the beautiful books I have read in Your company and how You
have spoken to me through them.
God always whispers to us. It is constant in
our lives. To spend an hour in Adoration with Him in silence helps me to hear
His whisper of love and peace.
I come to You, O Holy Lord, to
this little chapel, which holds endless strength, courage, comfort and peace
for my soul. I enter this door, weak, beaten and hopeless in my effort to carry
my crosses, discouraged at my inability to hear Your call and do Your will. As I
rest in Your Real Presence, hiding from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the
world, I gain such an inner peace, a joyful fortitude knowing that my prayers,
intentions and even my presence here are perfected through the love of Mary and
the Passion of our Lord. I leave this room mindful of my countless blessings
with a clearer understanding of God’s call and a soul nourished with the strength
and peace to face whatever may lie beyond the threshold.
My Lord and my God, You are truly here…When
I am near You in this holy room with You in the Holy Eucharist, I feel so loved
and wanted…
Since coming to weekly Adoration,
I have a greater understanding that I simply need to be holy one moment at a
time. I do not need to be concerned with my past, or all the seemingly endless
moments to come. I simply need to seek to be holy in the simple quietness of
the moment. I also need to celebrate and enjoy each moment as God leads my life.
I have heard it said that one of the
greatest honors on earth is to receive a private audience with the Pope. I have
the greatest honor of all in this Adoration chapel – a private audience with
Jesus anytime I want.
Adoration is spending time with a
loved One who thinks the world of me and every one I care for. In any condition
I am, I know I will be accepted and loved for who I truly am and gain courage
and strength to become who God wants me to be.
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and on a very basic sense, it is an appointment to pray; every week I know folks are depending on me to serve my shift, so I'm there.
ReplyDeleteI like that, Ruth. Not realistic for me right now, perhaps, but a nudge that when I get all the kids into school it is definitely time to do that. In the meantime, I am headed outside to make my appointment to pray in the way I can now...
DeleteRAnn
DeleteThanks for commenting. You are absolutely correct that there can be no on-going Adoration if adorers are not faithful to their hourly commitments. Your faithfulness every week is a great gift not only to the other Adorers but most especially to our loving Lord who so eagerly awaits the arrival of those He loves.
The idea of being holy one moment at a time is so freeing!
ReplyDeleteWe need Adoration preached regularly. But we also need Confession preached regularly so people will want that close relationship with Jesus.
I think the simple gesture of receiving Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue restored in every diocese would go a long way towards restoring both Adoration and Confession.
Barb:
DeleteI am at a loss to understand the reluctance of so many parishes to promote Adoration and Confession. I agree with you that receiving Communion on the tongue while kneeling is essential step.
How very true, Colleen!
ReplyDeleteI too treasure my early morning time with a Lord who awaits, welcomes, comforts and strengthens me.
The looming possibility that I may lose this privilege in the not too distant future because so few are willing to step forward to keep Him company, brings tears to my eyes and pain to my heart.
How much more painful must be the Sacred Heart of Jesus to be rejected by those He loves.