Since the beginning of this year, as part of my personal journey to be truly Christ-centered, one of the things I set out to do was go to adoration more. It is a practice that I only really started to appreciate and grow in last year. One of the moments that really hit me was the realization that daily mass and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament isn’t readily available in some areas as it is for many of us here in the Greater Toronto Area. I took for granted the opportunities to attend mass every single day. That’s an opportunity to literally encounter Christ in the Body, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!
Even though I may not have attended daily mass, I still had the opportunity to encounter Christ on a given day through adoration. On campus I could have gone to the Catholic chaplaincy where the Lord was present in the tabernacle. Once I was home more, I became aware of how my local parish of St. Issac Jogues had the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after the 7:30am mass right up until the 7:00pm mass every Wednesday. If I am home doing “nothing”, then I have no excuse as to why I can’t find 1 hour of my day to go visit Jesus. So since January, I make it a point to go every Wednesday I possibly can, my weekly date with Jesus, my Wednes-dates.
What is Eucharistic Adoration?
It is where you adore and worship Christ who is present through the Eucharist. This can be done where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and held in a monstrance (refer to blog title photo), or when the Eucharist is present in a tabernacle.
What do you do at adoration?
This is always something I struggled with at first. Do I pray? Am I allowed to ask for things? If I’m done praying do I sit in silence… my mind runs a million miles an hour so I have all these thoughts flooding my brain, so I guess I’m not doing it right?!?!
Well there’s no one “perfect” way of adoring the Lord. First and foremost you are there to adore and worship Christ in the splendid glory of his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Personally I start by prostrating before the Blessed Sacrament before entering a pew or sitting on a chair. I like to kneel majority of the time, but it is perfectly fine if you sit. Do what makes you comfortable and what is within your physical capabilities. However I think it is important that you remain aware of your posture as you are before the Lord.
If you are unsure what to do, you can get an adoration guide which has a series of prayers and reflections you can do. Again personally I start by acknowledging God and meditating upon the mysteries of the rosary. I like to do the rosary at the beginning because I ask Our Lady’s intercession to help guide me closer to her Son, Jesus, and from there I have my conversation (thanksgiving, petitions, general prayers, rants…). I sometimes take the time to journal and reflect.
The hardest part, but I think a crucial part, is also to take the time in silence. To try and listen to what God may be trying to tell you. It’s hard especially when you don’t know how to listen in the silence. Many people are uncomfortable in the silence, myself included at times. But I challenge myself to sit and listen. If I hear nothing or feel nothing, at the very least I know I am spending time in the presence of God and that alone is enough.
How long do I have to stay?
You don’t “have” to do anything. No-one is forcing you. The best part about going to adoration on your own is that it’s on your time and at your pace. There’s no check-point that say you should have completed 5 Our Father’s, 7 Glory Be’s, figure out your entire life purpose and solve global warming within 5minutes or else you’re doing it wrong. You could spend hours in adoration and still leave without any answers. I think what is important again is your posture through it all. Generally speaking, if you practice Holy Hour, which is spending 1 hour before the Blessed Sacrament, you are granted plenary indulgence.
I spend at least 1 hour because of what Jesus said during the agony in the garden of Gethsemane,
Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?” – Matt. 26:40
However I can easily spend over 2hours if I’m lost in contemplative prayer. I could just as easily only spend 15minutes if I realize I am running late for something but still wanted to stop in and say “Hi” to Jesus.
Why go to adoration?
Honestly, I don’t know if there are any hard and fast mandatory rules about having to go to adoration from the Catholic Church. I do know that what makes Eucharist adoration different is that it is a personal form of worship. Whereas celebrating a mass is a communal form of worship. We are called to grow both communally and personally. I believe Pope Saint John Paul II has some beautiful writings about it. I myself am still growing and learning.
I personally go to adoration because it is where Christ is. How can anyone develop a relationship with someone if you never take the time to see them? Sure things like long distance relationships exist, but if you had the opportunity to see your significant other and never take the time, then don’t be surprised if your significant other cuts you out of their life. I mean similarly, we can pray to God anywhere and anytime, but that’s just like long distance communication. When I go to adoration, I am meeting my significant other face to face. Christ will always be my constant out of all relationships I ever have and will always be significant, whether I choose to acknowledge it or not. However if I choose to keep away from God, then how can our relationship develop and grow? How can God reveal the plans He has for me? How will I know His love for me, even in the hardest of times when I do not feel his presence?
Adoration is where I come face to face with Jesus, and I am able to grow in agape love.
Does it work?
Yes. In God’s timing. All my prayers, heart aches, trials and tribulations, hopes and dreams – from this past year alone I can see a definite increase in how God is working with me, in me and for me. It’s not to say you go to adoration, pray to win the lottery and wake up a millionaire (although, hey, always worth the shot… lol) Rather after dedication and constantly going to adoration I can see how God has changed me and is still continuously working on me. My prayers are being answered in His perfect timing (even though sometimes I may not like the waiting part) but because I know that He is taking care of me, it allows me to hope and for my faith to be made stronger.
In Christ,
Meagan Webb