Advent and Adoration: The A2 method for exponential grace
We know Advent is the liturgical season of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. But did you know it is also a time to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ? Readings from the book of Revelations are not intended to frighten but rather to inspire hope that God will eventually return to establish a kingdom of love. Advent is a time to ask “How ready am I to meet God if He should appear on earth today?” No matter how we answer that, our relationship with God can always be improved. One excellent way to grow closer to God is through Eucharistic Adoration.
Firstly, what is Eucharistic Adoration? From a reliable website we learn;
Eucharistic Adoration involves adoring or honouring the Eucharistic Presence of Christ. As Catholics, we believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. Therefore, the Blessed Sacrament is given the same adoration and devotion that is accorded to Christ.
What happens during Adoration?
At the beginning of Adoration, a priest or deacon removes the sacred host from the tabernacle and places it in a monstrance on the altar. "Monstrance" is the vessel used in the Church to display the consecrated host. The word monstrance comes from the Latin word monstrare, meaning "to expose". When the monstrance contains the sacred host, the priest does not touch it with his bare hands, but instead, holds it with a humeral veil, a wide band of cloth that covers his shoulders (humera) and has pleats on the inside in which he places his hands. At the end of one hour (or 12 hours or 24 hours) the liturgy is closed with a short recitation of prayers and hymns known as Benediction. The sacred host is removed from the monstrance and returned to the tabernacle.
What should we do during Adoration?
Enjoy being with the Lord! We can speak with Him about everything. We can offer Him our petitions, our concerns, our troubles, our joys, our gratitude, our disappointments, our needs and our aspirations. Prayers as a community, especially intercessory prayers for the needs of the community and the World, help to build a civilization of love. The prayers that we say can draw the world and everybody in the world closer to God. In Adoration, when we are most intimately in communion with God, we experience a taste of heaven, a foreshadowing of what it will be like when, by God's grace, we enter into everlasting life.
From: http://catholic-church.org/kuwait/eucharistic_adoration.htm
Eucharistic Adoration is a relatively recent addition to my own prayer life. I was intrigued when I read that during Adoration, not only would I be facing the real presence of Jesus, but Jesus would be looking at me too! This startling revelation was immediately reinforced by a Mass reading from Luke 11:9, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” I imagined Jesus standing on the other side of a door, longing for my visit. The moment I knocked – or even just showed up on the doorstep – the door would be thrown open and I would be welcomed inside. However, I was still concerned that Adoration would feel like visiting a distant friend; someone I wasn’t that familiar with. I wondered, ‘Is it weird to show up after so long?’, ‘What shall I say?’, ‘How long should I stay?’, ‘Will this commit me to future visits?’ But I signed up for an hour anyway.
When I arrived there were two people in the church so I sat far from both and began to sketch the beautiful monstrance. This is still the way I choose to begin each hour of Adoration. It helps me to relax and focus on Jesus. Then I share my day with God the way I might with a friend over coffee. Some people pray the rosary (interceding through Mary is a superb way to unlock the graces of Adoration). Some examine their conscience and say an act of contrition. Some praise and offer thanks, I’ve even heard soft singing. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to meet God. As St. Theresa of Avila said, “Contemplating Jesus is nothing else than a close sharing between friends.”
In the process of meeting God, you may experience a calling towards (or away from) something in your life or you may ‘hear’ in your heart an answer to some stated prayer. Many report feeling peaceful and reassured. Even if you don’t feel anything special, Adoration is truly a “holy waste of time”. I now find that the more I attend Adoration, the more I want to. Like visiting with a beloved friend, it’s not so much the length of stay that matters but the constancy of visits. Frequency builds friendship which in turn creates intimacy.
I still enjoy the ‘quieter’ hours but now I also attend when there are many parishioners present because I believe our collective prayers can change the world. Whether we’re interceding for our families, our community or global issues, together we can help to create a more loving society by asking God to pour down his graces upon everyone who needs them. So this Advent, please consider spending some time at Eucharistic Adoration each Friday. You may develop a habit that lasts a lifetime and prepares you for the life to come.
We know Advent is the liturgical season of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. But did you know it is also a time to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ? Readings from the book of Revelations are not intended to frighten but rather to inspire hope that God will eventually return to establish a kingdom of love. Advent is a time to ask “How ready am I to meet God if He should appear on earth today?” No matter how we answer that, our relationship with God can always be improved. One excellent way to grow closer to God is through Eucharistic Adoration.
Firstly, what is Eucharistic Adoration? From a reliable website we learn;
Eucharistic Adoration involves adoring or honouring the Eucharistic Presence of Christ. As Catholics, we believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. Therefore, the Blessed Sacrament is given the same adoration and devotion that is accorded to Christ.
What happens during Adoration?
At the beginning of Adoration, a priest or deacon removes the sacred host from the tabernacle and places it in a monstrance on the altar. "Monstrance" is the vessel used in the Church to display the consecrated host. The word monstrance comes from the Latin word monstrare, meaning "to expose". When the monstrance contains the sacred host, the priest does not touch it with his bare hands, but instead, holds it with a humeral veil, a wide band of cloth that covers his shoulders (humera) and has pleats on the inside in which he places his hands. At the end of one hour (or 12 hours or 24 hours) the liturgy is closed with a short recitation of prayers and hymns known as Benediction. The sacred host is removed from the monstrance and returned to the tabernacle.
What should we do during Adoration?
Enjoy being with the Lord! We can speak with Him about everything. We can offer Him our petitions, our concerns, our troubles, our joys, our gratitude, our disappointments, our needs and our aspirations. Prayers as a community, especially intercessory prayers for the needs of the community and the World, help to build a civilization of love. The prayers that we say can draw the world and everybody in the world closer to God. In Adoration, when we are most intimately in communion with God, we experience a taste of heaven, a foreshadowing of what it will be like when, by God's grace, we enter into everlasting life.
From: http://catholic-church.org/kuwait/eucharistic_adoration.htm
Eucharistic Adoration is a relatively recent addition to my own prayer life. I was intrigued when I read that during Adoration, not only would I be facing the real presence of Jesus, but Jesus would be looking at me too! This startling revelation was immediately reinforced by a Mass reading from Luke 11:9, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” I imagined Jesus standing on the other side of a door, longing for my visit. The moment I knocked – or even just showed up on the doorstep – the door would be thrown open and I would be welcomed inside. However, I was still concerned that Adoration would feel like visiting a distant friend; someone I wasn’t that familiar with. I wondered, ‘Is it weird to show up after so long?’, ‘What shall I say?’, ‘How long should I stay?’, ‘Will this commit me to future visits?’ But I signed up for an hour anyway.
When I arrived there were two people in the church so I sat far from both and began to sketch the beautiful monstrance. This is still the way I choose to begin each hour of Adoration. It helps me to relax and focus on Jesus. Then I share my day with God the way I might with a friend over coffee. Some people pray the rosary (interceding through Mary is a superb way to unlock the graces of Adoration). Some examine their conscience and say an act of contrition. Some praise and offer thanks, I’ve even heard soft singing. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to meet God. As St. Theresa of Avila said, “Contemplating Jesus is nothing else than a close sharing between friends.”
In the process of meeting God, you may experience a calling towards (or away from) something in your life or you may ‘hear’ in your heart an answer to some stated prayer. Many report feeling peaceful and reassured. Even if you don’t feel anything special, Adoration is truly a “holy waste of time”. I now find that the more I attend Adoration, the more I want to. Like visiting with a beloved friend, it’s not so much the length of stay that matters but the constancy of visits. Frequency builds friendship which in turn creates intimacy.
I still enjoy the ‘quieter’ hours but now I also attend when there are many parishioners present because I believe our collective prayers can change the world. Whether we’re interceding for our families, our community or global issues, together we can help to create a more loving society by asking God to pour down his graces upon everyone who needs them. So this Advent, please consider spending some time at Eucharistic Adoration each Friday. You may develop a habit that lasts a lifetime and prepares you for the life to come.