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Eucharistic Adoration
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- Pray ! Pray ! Pray ! For
- The Pope, the Church
- Our Priests and
Vocations
- The Family and the Right
to Life
- Our Country and Our
Leaders
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- And that which weighs
heavily on your heart.
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- Guidelines For Chapel
Conduct: Respect for Our Lord is displayed in the following
ways:
- Genuflect upon entering the presence of the Lord.
- Be mindful of proper, respectful attire.
- No talking, maintain an austere reverence in the presence
of Our Lord.
- If you need to talk to someone in the chapel, leave the
chapel and hold your conversation outside.
- No spontaneous unscheduled events or sermonizing is
allowed.
- Adoration is a peaceful, private time for each adorer.
- Never eat or drink in the chapel. Chewing gum or candy is
not respectful either.
- No radios, No CD or tape players and No cellular phones
are to be used in the chapel.
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- Rules For Chapel Conduct:
The following Chapel Rules are to be observed by all adorers.
- Please
remember to sign in for your hour of adoration at the beginning
of your assigned hour. That way the person before you will know
that you are in the chapel and they are now at liberty to leave.
- Check the
sign-in sheet before you leave the chapel to make sure the
person who is scheduled for the next hour is in the chapel
before you leave. If the person after your hour does not show up
and you choose to be the substitute for the next hour, sign your
name on the sign-in sheet and put the word (substitute) after
your name. This will let the Coordinator know an unscheduled
absence took place which he needs to know so it does not happen
to you again.
- Nothing is
to be placed on the altar of repose.
- Spiritual
reading material provided is never to be removed from the
chapel.
- No
material of any kind is to be placed in the chapel unless
authorized by pastor
- Know the
procedures for contacting a substitute.
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Conversations with God
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You open the door
to the adoration chapel and walk in. You have just stepped into
the Real Presence, i.e., the presence of Our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ in the fullness of His divine and human natures.
This is Jesus Who was sent by the Father to redeem us. He is
also our Teacher who teaches us about the Father, the Holy
Spirit, ourselves, and how to live our lives. He is the One Who
is the origin of all truth. Indeed, He is Truth itself. He knows
everything about us. And He loves us unconditionally. He is the
source of all miraculous healings and cures. All we know about
Him is what He has revealed to us.
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The One Who has
created everything that we see, hear, feel, smell and taste has
humbled Himself to be present in the Tabernacle or in a
Monstrance under the outward appearance of bread so that we can
dare to approach His unequalled Magnificence. This is a mystery
far beyond our comprehension! Nothing compares to the magnitude
of this single act of His Divine and human Humility through
which He offers Himself out of His Divine and human Love for us
as He did on the Cross. He is The Real, True, Living Presence,
body and blood, soul and divinity, waiting for you, in the
adoration chapel.
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Why do the people
come here? For many reasons, but most have come before their
Creator to build stone by stone and with His assistance a solid
and enduring relationship with Him. For some it is a tremendous
struggle until they realize that Jesus Himself provides the
foundation, the stones and the grace to persevere. All that we
are expected to supply is the labor of cooperation and
self-surrender. The more diligent we are in our labor, the
greater the structure, the greater the structure the greater the
reward. What is the reward? It is a closer more intimate
relationship with God. The closer we get, the greater our joy
will be.
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What kinds of labor
are performed to build this relationship with God? We begin by
offering, on a regular basis, an hour of our time; perhaps once
a week to be in the Eucharistic Presence of the Lord and to do
one or more of the following:
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WORSHIP
- We worship God
through an act of our will when we decide to be in His Most Holy
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Presence. We also
worship God through our physical positions as well as our
prayers. When you enter a holy place, such as an adoration
chapel dip your fingers in holy water and make a devout sign of
the cross saying the words “In the Name of the Father, and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” as you perform the physical act
of making the sign of the cross - On your knees to pay God the
respect He alone deserves. For the elderly or infirm, a bow or
simple acknowledgement of His Presence will suffice to pay
respect to their Creator. According to the fervor of your
reaction to being in the Eucharistic Presence of our Lord and
Savior, a bow from the kneeling position or complete
prostration, when room permits, is a most pleasing
acknowledgement to the Presence of the Supreme Being.
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We also worship God
by reading the many beautiful prayers of praise contained in the
Book of Psalms. Other prayers that pay homage to God may be
found in your favorite prayer book. In addition, we may worship
Our Lord by our own spontaneous prayers that come from the heart
as a reaction to the Greatness of God. These are genuine acts of
praise meant for Him alone.
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TEMPORAL PETITIONS
- When family,
friends, acquaintances or we ourselves need or want things that
are of this world such as:
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*a cure for
illness like from physical and mental diseases,
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*a healing like
from deformities or accidents,
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*a necessity like
a job, food, clothing, shelter, etc.,
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*a favor like a
sunny day, rain, house, car, test, safe trip, etc.,
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*a holy cause like
vocations to the religious life, an end to abortions, the
intentions of the Holy Father, etc.,
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*a special want
for a heart's desire like to meet a mate, make a decision, etc.,
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*help to overcome
a bad habit
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then we prayerfully
Implore Our Lord and ask for what we want, even if it takes a
miracle, but only if it is God's Will that our request be
answered.
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SPIRITUAL PETITIONS
- Not only do we
have a body but we also have a soul which needs spiritual
nourishment to achieve its ultimate goal, Heaven and the
Beatific Vision. Petition God to raise you to the level of
holiness He has waiting for you and you alone. Plead with Him to
teach you how to know, love and serve Him. Ask for an increase
in graces in all the virtues so that you may imitate Our Blessed
Mother in the perfection in which she practiced them. Call upon
the angels and saints to intercede before the Throne of God for
ourselves and others.
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Pray for the sick,
the dying and those who are homeless or in prison to keep Satan
from snatching them away in their moments of despair and
confusion. Pray for the spiritual well-being of family, friends,
acquaintances and even strangers openly living in mortal sin who
will surely go to Hell without your petitions to God on their
behalf. Never forget to include the poor souls in Purgatory in
your offering of prayers to God. They, in turn, will become
petitioners for you. When you earnestly plead for others, you
are twice blest for God not only hears the invocation but He
also hears the voice of the supplicant.
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THANKSGIVING
- Everything is a
good that comes from God and belongs to God. The roads, cars,
streetlights, family, friends, clothes, food, trees, grass, sky,
mountains, you name it, God created it. Oh yes! So and so is
written as the inventor of this gadget or that machine but every
inventor was given the talent to invent from God. We owe thanks
to God for everything we have and enjoy all day long when we
truly comprehend this, we will realize our arrogance for
thoughts we have about "our accomplishments" or "our
possessions". For in truth we are nothing and owe all that we
are and have to God and God alone. Since there is nothing we
have that is ours, there is no way we can possibly repay Our
Lord for His generosity. However we can and should, at the very
least, acknowledge His gifts to us and demonstrate our gratitude
through prayers of thanksgiving for the many gifts we receive in
abundance daily from Him.
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We even need to be
thankful for the crosses God sends to us. It is our obligation
to accept our crosses because they are God's Holy Will for us.
They are visible signs of His love that He gives to each of us.
These sufferings, united to Christ, are our opportunities to
grow in holiness. How many times have we heard from the greatest
of saints about the enormous value of suffering. Why so? Because
through our sufferings we grow ever closer to God. And the
closer we get to God, the greater our joy will be for all
eternity. As Jesus accepted His Father's Will and the cup of
suffering in the garden so should we. (Matthew 26:39).
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FORGIVENESS
- Appeal to God's
Divine Mercy. In the "Diary" of St. Faustina, Jesus says; "…I am
Love and Mercy itself. (1074) … Let no soul fear to draw near to
Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. (699) … My mercy is
greater than your sins and those of the entire world. (1485) … I
let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide
the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw
graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart.
(1485)… The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to
My mercy. (723)".
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When we ask for
forgiveness and mercy, we are told by Jesus that we have to
forgive and be merciful to others, "For if you forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if
you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15).
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Jesus tells us to
forgive without limit when He told Peter he must forgive His
brother, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times
seven." (Matthew 18:21). God wants us to approach His Divine
Mercy and obtain sacramental forgiveness by going to Confession
to reconcile our relationship with Him. It is through the
sacrament of reconciliation that we receive God's forgiveness
for our sins as well as an abundance of graces to help us to
maintain our relationship with Him. When we lose God, we lose
our joy.
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REPARATION
- Many horrible
sins are committed against Jesus Christ who offered Himself as a
victim for the reparation of sins. Sins of blasphemies at war
with the Holy Name, invalid and graceless Holy Communions,
sacrileges that oppose and profane the Sacred Host, infidelity
and unfaithfulness of and abuse toward His love for us,
disobedience to His Holy Laws, and hostile contempt towards His
Holy Presence. Although God in His Divine Mercy forgives us our
sins, we still have to repair for whatever damage those sins may
have caused. We need to make amends for the wrongs or injuries
committed against God. We do this through prayer, penance and
sacrifice.
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OFFERING & SACRIFICE
- When the heart is
moved with gratitude, we are prompted to respond in ways that we
know are pleasing to God. It becomes easy to practice the gift
of charity because He Who is Almighty has done something great
for me and I feel His Love yet I am not worthy of it. Let me
make a personal offering of my time or talents, or money to
someone less fortunate. Let me make a sacrifice of something
which I sense has value, and never thought I could live without.
Let me reach out and touch someone because I have been touched
and I know I will never be the same. Like Mother Teresa, let me
do something beautiful for God. Physical actions united to
Christ and performed for the love of God are prayer.
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TESTIMONIALS
- God is a living
God. He is here today physically present, body and blood, soul
and divinity, in the Holy Eucharist. This is the same God who
walked among the people 2000 years ago and performed miracles,
cured the sick, healed the blind and lame, cast out demons,
forgave sins and taught people how to live their lives. He is
still doing the same things today.
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People committed to
adoration found themselves healed spiritually or physically or
their lives were visibly improved in some manner or another. All
they know is they needed something, they prayed to God for it
and received it. These are the people who will stand there and
tell you about the goodness of the Lord. They are ready to
proclaim what has happened to them to anyone who is willing to
listen. Like the one leper out of the ten that Our Lord cured
(Luke 17:12-19), these people not only came back to give thanks
to the Lord but they are ready and willing to proclaim it to the
world. By their testimonies, their faith increases not only for
themselves but for those who see and hear them.
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SILENCE
- We pay homage to God when we
practice silence in His Presence. It is probably difficult for
most of us to allow silence to take over, to "just be". To pay
no attention to our sense of sight, hearing and smell, to allow
no internal words to surface, to not even have a thought, to
just sit or kneel before the monstrance and wait, preferably
with our eyes closed. It is in the glow of this silence that God
speaks to our heart. There are no words to describe the
communication which takes place in our inner being when we
experience it; we know the value of silence. We feel a wonderful
closeness to Him whom we love. We sense peace. It is not
necessary to fill our time before the King of Kings with
constant prayer. It is considered adoration when we care enough
to come into the chapel just to be with Him. Simply being
consciously in the presence of God is a form of prayer.
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CONTEMPLATION
- For a long time, contemplation
was considered to belong to the domain of those in religious
life, especially for the monks and cloistered orders. Not any
more. Contemplation is for all of us who seek a closer, more
personal relationship with Jesus. When you diligently seek to
stay in the state of grace through the frequent reception of the
sacraments of reconciliation and communion, you become more
disciplined, more faithful to your conversations with God. Your
prayer life will gradually deepen whenever you enter into
contemplation. Always ask Jesus to help you. Start with whatever
causes you to focus on God. It could be a holy image, a favorite
prayer, or maybe a reading from a spiritual book. Place yourself
in a state of humility. Abandon the world around you. Empty
yourself of ego and all that identifies you with the world.
Dismiss your cares and charges and yield your will entirely to
Him. Be dependent upon Him and open your heart wide to wait for
the Spirit of the Lord to come to you. God initiates the moment.
When it arrives you will want it to last an eternity. You will
return often to contemplation, to the joy of the closeness to
God in prayer.
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From here on, what
you started to build stone by stone gradually takes on the shape
and form of a beautiful structure. By your perseverance and
labor you have bridged the gap between Heaven and earth.
Contemplation has elevated you into a meaningful relationship
with God.
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When we leave the
adoration chapel, we are to carry the joy of our relationship
with God to everyone we meet. We are expected to evangelize, to
speak to everyone about God. He wants us to act as His
representative on earth so that others are able to find Him
through us. It is through our deeds of corporal and spiritual
works of mercy that others will discover God. Then in return, we
too will begin to see God in others. Pray for those who walk
away from the challenge to develop a relationship with God.
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HOLY HOUR of Eucharistic Adoration
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Why a HOLY HOUR before
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?
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PERHAPS MANY still ask that question. To it there is basically
only one answer: Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is present....
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He is
present in that special Eucharistic manner of transubstantiation
in which the very substance of the bread and wine are changed
into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
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St.
Thomas taught that the Eucharist is the greatest of miracles
ever worked by Christ, to perpetuate his Passion and Sacrifice
with us and to be specially present to each individual.
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Christ is
present there for us, to manifest his great love for us. St.
Thomas says, "He cares for us and is there." If we care for him,
we would also be there for a Holy Hour or some other form of
Eucharistic adoration. Christ had asked this of St. Margaret
Mary Alacoque as he had asked the apostles in the Garden of
Olives: "Can you not watch one hour with me?"
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Vatican
II insists that the Christian life is incomplete if it is not
Eucharistic. In the Decree on Priests (No. 5) the Council wrote:
"Every ministry of the Church and every work of the apostolate
are linked with the Holy Eucharist and are directed to it." Of
course, this refers primarily to the Eucharistic sacrifice and
the Council said so in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
(No. 11): "Taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which is
the apex and fount of the whole Christian life, the faithful
offer the Divine Victim to God and offer themselves with it."
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However,
it is in the Eucharist that Christians will find unity in
Christ: "In the Sacrament of the Eucharistic Bread, the unity of
all believers, who form one body in Christ (1 Cor. 10,17) is
both expressed and brought about." (Consti. on the Church No. 3)
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To stress
that this did not refer only to the Eucharistic Sacrifice and
the reception of Holy Communion but also to Eucharistic
adoration, Pope John XXIII, who called the Council, arranged for
the canonization of Blessed Julian Eymard, the apostle of
Eucharistic adoration, for the solemnities of the closing of the
first session of the Council, that he was to be an example and
model of true Catholic renewal.
- I
- The first
suggestion is: divide the Holy Hour into four 15 minute periods.
It is essential to take sufficient time to really visualize the
purpose in each period. Do not proceed till you have made that
particular purpose clear and definite.
- The second
suggestion is for that first 15 minute period: dedicate it to a
realization of who is present in the Holy Eucharist. Of course
you know the answer to that, but think of it until there is in
your soul a response of wonder ("is it possible?" "how can that
be?" and yet "it is true") and admiration (how wonderful: Jesus
is really, truly present here!).
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Think of
the marvel of this great reality: Christ, the God-Man, is truly
present in his divinity as well as his humanity, body and soul.
Even: substantially present—the substance of the bread and wine
changed into the body and blood of Christ.
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Try to
realize also how different this presence of Christ is from the
presence of God in the whole world, or in us by grace, or in the
Church, or in the words of the Holy Scriptures. This is a unique
substance, substantially special and different from his presence
anywhere else. It is the mystery of his total presence in the
great mystery of his love: the incarnation now
transubstantiated. This is not just the presence of God but the
presence of God as the God-Man via the substance of bread and
wine changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.
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Consider
who he is as God: the Creator; as God-Man: our Redeemer, our
Savior-Brother, our Lord and King.
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Push your
thoughts to search out the meaning of these truths and let your
soul rest in the wonder of his loving presence here—for you. Be
quiet and listen, too, because God wants to speak to your heart.
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If
perhaps words of admiration and wonder do not come to you, use
the words of some familiar prayers and songs of adoration and
praise that you can usually find in any missalette available in
most churches. For example: "Down in Adoration Falling," "Holy
God, We Praise Thy Name," the "Holy, Holy, Holy" of the Mass,
"Now Praise We All Our God," or any Benediction hymn. However,
rely on yourself—do not move too quickly to these texts.
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These
words should be read slowly, with great, deep understanding and
always in relation to Christ present before you in the
tabernacle: you directing your praise to him who is truly
present there! Do not hurry, thinking that you have to finish
all or any of these hymns and prayers. Remember that Christ
himself said, "Do not prattle on . . . in sheer multiplication
of words . . ." (Mt. 6, 8). Make sure that they express the
thoughts and desires in your own heart.
- II
- A suggestion
for the second 15 minutes: devote the time to thoughts and
prayers of thanksgiving to God as you grasp the wonder of who is
present Really: God is with us! the Emmanuel of Christmas.
- Momentarily
give some fresh thought to the fact: God is with us in this
special, most remarkable way. Now let words of thanksgiving rise
up in your soul, or just simply give thanks to God for his
presence here in such a remarkable way. Thank God for the great
Sacrament of the Priesthood and for vocations by which he
perpetuates his presence in the Holy Eucharist.
- In a parallel situation think of our
Blessed Mother's joy when she realized that Christ, the great
Messiah, was present within her, conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit. Make her words of the Magnificat your own as you
realize that Jesus is equally present here. There hidden in a
human body; here hidden under the form of bread. Or with Simeon
break out in that beautiful exclamation of delight and
contentment when he realized whom he was holding in his arms:
"Now, Lord, you may dismiss your servant in peace . . ." or read
the words of the joy of Zachary when he could again speak to
proclaim the wonder of the presence of the one who would prepare
the way of the Lord. Or use the text of Ps. 148.
- You might also
take some time to recall and thank God for other special
blessings and wonders of God: your family, vocation, gift life,
opportunity to be in his Presence, special friends, etc. Thank
him for his love for you, for his unfailing help in trials and
difficulties. Do you really believe that? Think about it till
you can really say that in sincerity and heartfelt conviction:
that God does love you!
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- III
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- A suggestion
for the next 15 minutes. Dedicate this to petition. First of
all, ask Jesus here present in the Holy Eucharist for the grace
that is dearest to him, the grace he wants most for you: the
great blessing of redemption and eternal salvation. Just think,
for some time what that means . . . for you, for each member of
your family, your friends, people of you neighborhood and
parish, for all mankind. Think of how marvelous that would be if
all would be so blessed: to be in heaven for all eternity! Pray
for that! Beg for it: the fulfillment of Christ's greatest
intention, the fulfillment of his greatest hope and desire and
the main reason for his coming, for which he is preset here.
"Come to me all you who labor and al burdened and I will refresh
you." For this he was in agony.
- Pray for
conversions. Pray for particular people, those who are away from
the Church and the Sacraments. Pray for the sick and lonely, the
discouraged, our youth, the unborn, our country, its leaders.
Pray for our Holy Father, and for all priests and religious that
they may be so influenced by grace that they will be effective
instruments doing the work of God. Pray for vocations to
complete the work of Christ. Pray for the grace to know the will
of God always in your own life. Pray for peace, God's peace in
the hearts of all.
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- IV
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- Dedicate the
last 15 minutes of the Holy Hour to atonement. Why atonement? A
look into one's own conscience and the conscience of the world
gives the answer. A mere glance at headlines and you see
insults, blasphemies, defiance thrown by man into the face of
God. These will make you shudder unless your heart is cold and
uncaring. The injuries of man to man when Christ commanded:
"Love one another." The ignoring and deliberate pushing aside
(for sophisticated, selfish reasons) God's commandments of
respect for life. Think of the sins of injustice that cry to
heaven for vengeance, the sins of the modern Sodom and Gomorrah
that defy the wrath of God. There are also the slurs and insults
against the virginity and Immaculate Conception of our Blessed
Mother. There is much need for atonement for the sins of
disregard, of refusal to recognize and obey the Holy Father,
Christ's own spokesman and Vicar on earth. Think and you will
know many, many more reasons for atonement and for begging God's
pardon and mercy.
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You might
wish to express your thoughts of sorrow for all these evils
("sins" expresses it more accurately) by any traditional act of
contrition or in the liturgical words of the "Lord, have mercy,"
the "Lamb of God" or the hymn "O Lord, I am not worthy." In the
Litany of the Sacred Heart and the Litany of the Holy Name we
find powerful and inspirational motives for praying for pardon
and mercy in a great spirit of atonement. The Litany of our
Blessed Mother is very appropriate, asking her under all her
titles of honor and power to "pray for all of us." The Litany of
the Saints and the Prayer to St. Michael could be expressive of
the hopes in your heart.
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A slow,
thoughtful saying of the Rosary would be very helpful during any
phase of a Holy Hour. With our Blessed Mother and with Christ
present there before you in the Holy Eucharist, recall and
consider those events in his life. Ponder all those things in
your heart as you ask our Blessed Mother to pray for us.
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- Other
Suggestions for Holy Hours
- Holy Hours can
also be made at home, either alone or with one's family. Unite
yourself with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the nearest
tabernacle or in all the tabernacles of the world. Keep in mind
that perspective of being in the presence of our Lord in the
Holy Eucharist—perhaps even in some Communist country. Pray for
the special problems or topics described above or others you are
concerned about. You will find much motivation and inspiration
for prayer. Feel free to break from any of these suggestions,
("structures") though at times you will find them helpful.
Perhaps even your own inability or reluctance to pray can be a
reason for prayer.
- The aged, sick
and handicapped are urged to make such a Holy Hour of prayer
right there in their bed, chair, or home or hospital or
wherever. They should unite their sufferings with Jesus
crucified and with him atone for the sins of the world. So much
suffering could be converted into blessings by such prayer.
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- Questions
Frequently Asked Concerning Eucharistic Adoration
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What is Eucharistic Adoration?
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Eucharistic adoration is the recognition of and honoring this
special presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
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How can a Eucharistic Adoration program be started in a parish?
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- a)
discuss this idea with your pastor, seek his advice, permission
and support.
b) try to find support and help from other interested people.
c) arrange for pulpit and bulletin explanations and
announcements; make mimeographed explanations available at the
door or send them to the homes via the school children, with the
support of the faculty.
d) publicize each Eucharistic Adoration that is going to be
held, inviting others to come.
e) make it easy for individuals to sign up for particular hours
for adoration if you are having any kind of a perpetual or
partial adoration.
f) obtain capable and reliable speakers if a homily or
meditation is on your program.
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What kinds of Eucharistic Adoration are there?
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- a) a
simple, devout, very brief visit to Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament.
b) a private or public (group) Holy Hour
c) a traditional Thirteen or Forty Hours of Adoration in a
parish.
d) a 3 or 4 or 5 hour Eucharistic Vigil, usually by a larger
group with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, perhaps with
procession and other devotions.
e) the all-night Eucharistic Vigil (watch) by a similar group,
starting in the evening (8 or 9 p.m.) and ending with Mass in
the morning (6 or 7 a.m.).
f) perpetual adoration. Some parishes have an organized program
of continual adoration with one or several present in church
each hour, day and night. Individuals would take the same hour
each month, each week, or more frequently.
g) partial adoration. Same method as in "f" except that it would
be only one day a week or month or perhaps only from morning (7
or 8 a.m.) to evening (6 or 7 p.m.).
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What
are the benefits and advantages of Eucharistic Adoration?
First of all, we get to
realize that indeed the Lord is Himself present in the Blessed
Sacrament. In Eucharistic adoration, the host that we gaze upon
is the Lord Himself and we keep Him company and do homage and
worship to Him by our very presence.
Second, we get to love the
Eucharist and all that is related to it: adoration and its
celebration in the parish community or in a religious community.
We get to realize how truly the Eucharist is the source and
summit of Christian life. And this we realize by our frequent
visits to the adoration chapel and by our practice of
Eucharistic adoration.
Third, we gain not only
partial or plenary indulgences but we obtain much spiritual
insight and wisdom from our prayers in Eucharistic adoration We
get to enter into the divine mysteries of our Lord's life. And
the benefits and advantages we derive from the practice of
Eucharistic adoration are all the more increased if we combine
it with the practice of
Lectio Divina.
Fourth, by our practice of
Eucharistic adoration, we join with millions of Catholics all
over the world who pray for the Catholic Church and its
institutions. The mere fact that we are making Eucharistic
adoration is the sure sign of our support for the Eucharist as
an institution of the Catholic Church. And many of those who do
Eucharistic adoration may not realize this but their prayers
strengthen our faith in a God who became Man and who gives
Himself to us daily through the Eucharistic celebration and
through adoration of His most blessed Sacrament.
Finally, there are for
certain many other benefits and advantages to practicing
Eucharistic adoration in our Catholic lives. We cannot put them
all in this article but we know that there are many such
blessings and graces that can be wrought from the practice of
this classic spiritual exercise in our Catholic tradition. So,
let us thank the Lord for the gift of the Eucharist, especially
at this time that we are dedicating a year for it, and let us
follow what the Holy Father is saying about the Eucharist: "let
us heed the call to be 'experts' in the celebration, adoration,
and contemplation of the Eucharist." Let our practice of
Eucharistic adoration be a way of being schooled in the
Eucharist so that we may indeed pray well and be docile to
Christ, our Good Shepherd, who is Himself in the Blessed
Eucharist.
Article with the kind compliments of
Catholic Internet Mission
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- This "little aid"
has been written to show you that a Holy Hour is not so
difficult. Further explanations can be had by writing to:
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- Franciscan
Friars of Marytown
Eucharistic Adoration Department
8000 - 39th Ave.
Kenosha, WI 53140
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