Below is an article I submitted to the St. Thomas Aquinas parish newsletter Visions about Eucharistic Adoration.
One of the features of our faith life at St. Thomas Aquinas
of which I am most proud is Eucharistic Adoration. We have adorers of our Lord who spend one hour with him in
prayer from 12:00pm-10:00pm Monday through Friday.
Holy
Mass is our highest form of prayer—the source and summit of our lives. Eucharistic Adoration allows us to
continue to pray before Jesus Christ himself in the Eucharist. The magi once stated, “We have come to give [Jesus Christ] homage” (Matthew 2:2). What the wise men from the East did for
the baby Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago, we can do anytime today!
We
believe Jesus gives us his Body and Blood under the forms of bread and
wine. This is no mere symbol but a
real presence of the glorified Christ.
Because of this it is virtuous to worship and pray before Jesus’
presence in the Eucharist.
A
beautiful prayer tradition in our faith has been to make a holy hour before the
Lord. In the Garden of Gethsemane,
Jesus challenged his disciples: “Could
you not watch one hour with me?
Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation” (Matthew
26:40-41). In the United States of
America, Archbishop Fulton Sheen encouraged the practice of the holy hour. He stated, “The purpose of the Holy Hour is to encourage deep personal encounter
with Christ. The holy and glorious
God is constantly inviting us to come to Him, to hold converse with Him, to ask
for such things as we need and to experience what a blessing there is in
fellowship with Him” (Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Archbishop Fulton
Sheen).
I
have experienced the graces of the holy hour firsthand. Praying before the Blessed Sacrament
helped me grow in a personal encounter with Christ and led me to discern a call
to the priesthood. As your Pastor
I strive to make a holy hour everyday to intercede for you and grow closer to
the Lord.
Could you commit to a weekly holy hour in our Adoration chapel? If so, or if you are interested in more
information about Eucharistic Adoration, please call Carolyn Youso at
283-3769. Adorers are always needed
and appreciated to keep our Lord company.
Thank you to everyone who makes Eucharistic Adoration so readily
available in our parishes. Take
advantage of this great gift!
God Bless!
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