by Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church of Picayune, MS
What is Perpetual Adoration?
Perpetual Adoration is a Eucharistic devotion where members of the parish unite in taking hours of adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament, both during the day and throughout the night, seven days a week.
Why is exposition in the monstrance preferred?
To see Jesus visibly present under the appearance of the small white host is much more conducive to intimacy than hidden away in the tabernacle. Moreover, it adds an extra responsibility on the adorers to be sure to be faithful to the hours they are scheduled, since the suggested norm for having Jesus exposed in the monstrance is that there should be at least two adorers present, and He must never be left alone. Could not these words of our Lord be applied today: "Indeed, this is the will of My heavenly Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son, and believes in Him, shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day."
What are some good reasons for establishing Perpetual Adoration?
To provide an easy, attractive, and practical way of rendering God adoration which is His due as our Creator, of giving Him thanks for our redemption, of making reparation for our sins and the sins of mankind; of petitioning the good God for the constant help we need.
To show our gratitude to our Lord for remaining among us in our tabernacles, and to make at least some atonement for the many sacrileges, indifferences, and ingratitude which He receives in His Sacrament of Love.
What spiritual benefits and graces can be attributed to the establishment of a parish Perpetual Adoration program?
Perpetual Adoration began at St. Charles Borromeo Church February 13, 1994.
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Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
By Fr. Donald Arsenault
We all know that we are in a mess, in a great turmoil. Society is in a serious
crisis. Faith is in a great crisis. We would have to be blind not to see it.
When sin is publicly advertised as normal and ‘correct’, and millions of
abortions are performed each year, something has gone radically wrong. How did
we ever get into this mess?
“The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic Adoration.”
--Pope John Paul II
Worship of Idols
To me the answer is very clear and plain; we have put God aside to turn
ourselves towards gods and idols of our own making, like materialistic things,
pleasures, the cult of the body, thirst for money, addiction to TV, etc. These
things have become gods and idols to many. And then, we wonder why we are in
such a mess.
Because we have repeated the Old Testament infidelities, and worshipped idols
made with our own hands, we are in trouble, in serious trouble. Who is going to
save our troubled world? The Savior of the world! Only Jesus can bring true
peace to the world. Only God can redirect the course of world history back to
the path of peace. “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, says
the Lord.” (Is 45:22)
Where is our God?
And where is our God? Where is our Savior, Jesus Christ? “Jesus is in heaven
for the elect and in the tabernacle for us pilgrims,” St. Peter Julian Yard
tells us. As we are not yet in heaven; the only place here on earth where we can
be physically present with the bodily presence of Jesus is before the Real
Presence either at Mass or reserved in the Tabernacle.
The loss of the sense of the Real Presence is widespread in the Church today,
and many do not realize that this central truth of our faith is under much
attack. For sure God is everywhere, but He is present in the Blessed Sacrament
in a way that is unique, with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, with His
beating Heart. Here He is present as both God and man. This presence of Christ
in the Sacred Host is called the REAL PRESENCE. Are we aware, do we realize,
that the One who created the heavens, earth, and waters, and everything that
swells in it, is present among us?
He is available to everyone at any moment of the day or night. Is it not
wonderful that we should have our God so close to us as He is? Our faith in the
Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is what distinguishes us from
the Protestants, what makes us Catholic. This is the belief that countless
martyrs have given their life for.
Invitation to a Holy Hour
1) Time for a Holy Hour
Pope Paul VI declared that there would be no renewal in the Church without a
fervent Eucharistic renewal. John Paul II has said: “The Church and the world
have a great need of Eucharistic adoration. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of
love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration…May
our adoration never cease.”
When we love someone we want to spend much time with them. Can we say that we
love Jesus if do not take time to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament? It is by
His continual presence there that He shows us how much he loves us. By being
present in HIS Presence, we can show our love for Him.
2) Value of a Holy Hour The value of an hour spent before the Blessed Sacrament
is beyond all that we can imagine. This time that you spend with Jesus is more
precious than any other time. Mother Teresa has said:
“The best act that we can perform at present, is to spend at least one hour
each week before the exposed Blessed Sacrament.” And she adds: “You cannot
be like Jesus unless you spend time with Jesus. You cannot see Jesus in others
unless you see Him in the Sacrament of Love.”
3) Reparation
Jesus needs generous souls to love Him and console Him for the many sins and
crimes committed in the world. The hour that you will spend with Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament is very precious to Him, and makes reparation for innumerable
sins. He needs this gift of your hour to save souls.
Every hour is blessed, but those which involve the most sacrifice are the most
blessed. Sacrifice is the language of love. The very first holy hour took place
during the middle of the night, when Christ made His sad complaint to Peter,
James and John: “So, could you not watch with me one hour?” The Apostles
were tired and sleepy but it was at that time that Jesus needed the consolation
of their presence. Even though you may find it difficult to get up in the middle
of the night, Jesus is addressing to you the very same invitation that he
addressed to His Apostles.
He saw all those, down through the ages, who would keep watch with Him for one
hour. Jesus saw you. He saw your generosity, your sacrifice and the love that
you would show Him, and it was this that consoled Him in His Agony.
I particularly call on retired people, seniors and those without work, who may
be able to catch up on their sleep during the day. Come, be generous! And rest
assured that Jesus will never be outdone in generosity, never. Somehow, the
night hours are the easiest to do. Nobody has any appointments then and neither
has anyone ever been harmed on the way to or from adoration at night.
To those who hesitate in committing themselves to one hour a week, I would like
to offer a challenge. Try it three times first. Give it a try, and if you go
with good intentions and faith, you will see a change.
Fruits of Eucharistic Adoration
1) Personal Benefits
You will experience a peace of heart that the world cannot give, a peace that
only Jesus can give you. In our noisy and agitated world, there is great need to
experience this peace. It will give you strength to face the difficulties of
life and courage to take up your cross daily.
You will discover the love that Jesus has for you personally. It is at the feet
of Jesus that you will experience in a real way that Jesus loves you for who you
are, despite your sins and your miseries. There you will find out that you are
not alone in your loneliness. When you feel lonely, Jesus will reveal to you
that the only real loneliness is to be without Him. Do we not remember the
second question of the Catechism? ‘Why did God create you? To know Him, to
love Him, to serve Him and be happy with Him for all eternity.’ In other words
the feeling of loneliness is an unconscious desire to be with God, from whom we
came.
I know from the testimony of others as well as from personal experience, that
there is no better place than in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
to present our requests and express our needs.
People who become involved in Eucharistic adoration often have surprisingly
positive things to say about it. A lady in Vancouver who was ill, was hesitant
to sign up for her perpetual Holy Hour, then consented to being a spare.
Eventually she offered her holy hour on a perpetual basis and now says that one
hour in not enough. Another says: “My holy hour is a must. That’s when I get
my priorities straight, at the feet of Jesus.”
2) Vocational Fruits
Here too, young people can discover their calling and find the strength to say
“yes.” Seminary figures indicate that parishes with perpetual adoration are
actually producing more vocations than parishes without perpetual adoration. If
we want young people to come to church out of conviction, we need to bring them
to the Blessed Sacrament, where the radiance of Christ’s love can melt their
hearts.
Pope John Paul II:
“I urge priests, religious, and lay people to continue to redouble their
efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic
adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they
are not introduced to the mystery of His Presence?”
3) Parish Effects
Priests who have established perpetual adoration in their parishes, come out
very strongly with the statement that their parish has been transformed at every
level. I know of a priest in Toronto whose daily Mass attendance rose from
around 25 to over 200, because of perpetual adoration. Another priest wrote
recently that he was both astonished and inspired by the success of perpetual
adoration in his parish. Several parishioners said to him: “It is the greatest
thing you could have given us.”
Conclusion
Jesus gives us 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week. Out of those 168 hours, He is
inviting us to spend one single hour with Him, one hour just for Him…will you
say ‘yes’ to His invitation?
Many stores and supermarkets are open 24 hours a day to meet people’s material
needs. Your parish is willing to offer you similar service for your spiritual
needs, to all of you, whatever hours or shifts you work. By having adoration
around the clock, no one is excluded. The advantage, the really great advantage,
is that you can come to the chapel at any time of the day or night, KNOWING that
the chapel door will be open, that you will find Jesus there and can open your
heart to Him.
Jesus is asking you for an hour but, in return, he wants to give you so much
joy, peace, and an outpouring of grace to transform you. God is inviting you to
volunteer your time so that the miracle of perpetual adoration can take place in
your parish. So that whatever you are doing in the day, or when you wake up
during the night, you will know that someone is praying before the Blessed
Sacrament in your parish church.
Closing Prayer
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Mother and first Tabernacle of our Lord,
perfect adorer of the Most Holy Eucharist, help us to hear His call now and to
respond with your generosity.
Amen.
(“Do Whatever He Tells You” emblem)
Ave Maria Centre of Peace
#5200
P.O. Box 489, Station U,
Toronto, Ont. M8Z 5Y8
(416)251-4245 (800)663-MARY