Parishes across the United States are participating in year two of the Eucharistic Revival, to celebrate Jesus' true Presence in the Eucharist. Year two focuses on parishes, the hands and feet in the world. The Shrine will offer Adoration on Wednesday afternoons, 4:45 - 5:45 p.m. Come and spend some quiet time with the One who loves each of us waits to spend time with us.
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A Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
The Eucharist is the most special sacrament, in which Christ himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church constantly lives and grows. The Eucharistic sacrifice, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated over the centuries, is the summit and source of all Christian life and worship; it signifies and affects the unity of the people of God and achieves the building up of the Body of Christ.
As children reach the age of reason, generally around age seven, the Church extends to them an invitation to celebrate the sacrament of Eucharist. The initiation into the Christian community that took place at baptism is further extended by inviting children to enter fully into the heart of Christian faith through participation in the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is the sacrament by which Catholics receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. For Catholics, this is the most treasured gift given to the Church by the Lord at the Last Supper. In receiving the Eucharist, we are nourished by the Lord. The bread and wine used in the Mass are transformed in all but appearance into the Body and Blood of Christ.
Slowly. Like any other new endeavor, taking it slowly may be best. Plan to start with 5-10 minutes of your time and allow yourself to get used to the experience of sitting in silence, letting go of all the thoughts racing through your mind. Then increase the amount of time spent on focusing quietly on Jesus.
Bring Scripture (We have a Bible available in the Shrine). Have a bible or a favorite book of spiritual reading with you and take time to consider how God may be speaking to you in the passages.
Pray the Rosary. The repetition in the Rosary helps lead us into restful and contemplative prayer. The repetition of the words helps us to enter into the silence of our hearts, where Christ's spirit dwells.
Silently. With all the noise of our daily lives, sitting in silence can be strange and uncomfortable. It is only in silence that we hear the voice of God. Psalm 46:10, Lamentations 3:26, Psalm 62:5
Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ. Eucharistic Adoration is the worship, praise, and adoration of Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is displayed in a special holder called a monstrance, and people come to pray and worship Jesus continually throughout the day and often the night. Christ loves us without limit, and offers Himself to us in the Holy sacrament of the Eucharist. Eucharistic adoration is a way for us to give Jesus love and worship in return.
For more information on Eucharistic Adoration and on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, including articles and resources, go to the website of the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association:
http://www.therealpresence.org/
From the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2001)
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments:
164. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a form of Eucharistic cult which is particularly widespread in the Church and earnestly recommended to her Pastors and faithful. Its initial form derives from Holy Thursday and the altar of repose, following the celebration of the Coena Domini Mass. This adoration is a most apt way of expressing the connection between the celebration of the memorial of the Lord's Sacrifice and his continued presence in the Sacrament of the Altar. The reservation of the Sacred Species, so as to be able to administer Viaticum to the sick at any time, encouraged the practice among the faithful of recollection before the tabernacle and to worship Christ present in the Sacrament (175).
Indeed, this worship of adoration has a sound and firm foundation, [109] especially since faith in the Lord's real presence has as its natural consequence the outward and public manifestation of that belief. Therefore, the devotion prompting the faithful to visit the blessed sacrament draws them into an ever deeper share in the paschal mystery and leads them to respond gratefully to the gift of him who through his humanity constantly pours divine life into the members of his Body. [110] Abiding with Christ the Lord, they enjoy his intimate friendship and pour out their hearts before him for themselves and for those dear to them and they pray for the peace and salvation of the world. Offering their entire lives with Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit, they derive from this sublime colloquy an increase of faith, hope, and charity. Thus they foster those right dispositions that enable them with due devotion to celebrate the memorial of the Lord and receive frequently the bread given us by the Father. (176)
165. In adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which can take different forms, several elements deriving from the Liturgy and from popular piety come together and it is not always easy to determine their limits (177):
A simple visit to the Blessed Sacrament: a brief encounter with Christ inspired by faith in the real presence and characterized by silent prayer
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed for a period of time in a monstrance or pyx in accordance with liturgical norm(178)
Perpetual adoration or the Quarantore, involving an entire religious community, or Eucharistic association, or parish, which is usually an occasion for various expressions of Eucharistic piety(179).
The faithful should be encouraged to read the Scriptures during these periods of adoration, since they afford an unrivalled source of prayer. Suitable hymns and canticles based on those of the Liturgy of the Hours and the liturgical seasons could also be encouraged, as well as periods of silent prayer and reflection. Gradually, the faithful should be encouraged not to do other devotional exercises during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (180). Given the close relationship between Christ and Our Lady, the rosary can always be of assistance in giving prayer a Christological orientation, since it contains meditation of the Incarnation and the Redemption (181).