Adoration

What is Adoration?

Eucharistic Adoration is simply honoring and “adoring” Jesus Christ, present in the Eucharist.  It is an opportunity to enter into prayer and reflection upon the great love of God in giving us His only Son.  Adoration is not a replacement for receiving Christ at Mass, nor are the effects of Adoration the same as the effects of receiving the Eucharist.  However, spending time in the Adoration Chapel is a great way to enter into quiet prayer and contemplation in the presence of Christ, our Lord.
 
"This is the wonderful truth, my dear friends: the Word, which became flesh two thousand years ago, is present today in the Eucharist"- Pope St. John Paul II

“When you look at the Crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now”
- St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent in sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”- St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Make a trip to the adoration chapel this week and spend some time with the Lord in prayer. If you have never been to adoration before, try to go for 10-15 minutes (see below for a guide on how to go to adoration). If adoration is something you’re familiar with, consider spending 30 minutes to an hour with the Lord.
 

Why should I go to adoration?

The short answer is because he waits for you. Jesus Christ, God the king of the universe, waits patiently for you. He longs for you to come to him and spend time with him. Most of us would have difficulty getting a meeting with the President of the United States or an audience with the Pope, but there is no difficulty coming to our King. He has time for you. All you need to do is come to him. Adoration is the gift of one-on-one time with our Lord and Savior, who speaks to us like one friend speaks to another. It is the restoration of the Garden of Eden, where Adam would walk with the Lord in the cool of the day.

What do I do in adoration?

There need not be any formal structure to time spent in adoration. Some people pray formal prayers or devotions like the rosary, others read scripture or the writings of saints and other spiritual books. As long as you are reverent and respect the other adorers praying, you can pray however you want in adoration. This is your time with Jesus, spend it how you want. But the following might be a helpful way to start if adoration is new to you.

A Guide to Adoration

When you come into the chapel, genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament (you’ll need to enter the code to get in-- if you are not a parishioner see here for a code). You can then kneel, either at your seat or at the kneelers near the tabernacle. (If you are the first person in the adoration chapel, you might have to open the doors of the tabernacle to see the Blessed Sacrament. Don’t be afraid, the Lord wants to see you too.)

While Kneeling, make a short prayer to the Lord, thanking him for spending this time with you. If you don’t know what to pray just say an Our Father.

When you are ready you can have a seat and spend a few minutes in prayer either with scripture or anything you are comfortable praying with.

Then, and this is important, take some time for silence. Just listen and see what God has to say to you. If you hear God speaking to you in your heart stay with it as long as you want. Then, just be in the Lord’s presence.

At the end of the prayer time, it might be good to write down your experience in a prayer journal, so you can remember what the Lord told you. Before you leave, say again an Our Father or a Hail Mary to close the time of prayer. Once again genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament and reverently leave the chapel.

Remember, this is just a guide, follow the Spirit and spend time with the Lord however you feel called. Come to him, if you are open to the Spirit, you will not be disappointed.

For information about the Adoration Chapel call the church office at 480.775.5200.