Friday, February 19, 2010

Six Simple Ideas of Adoration

I've been trying to go to daily mass a couple times a week while I am in this ten week Spanish course. It's really difficult to say "no" when mass starts at noon and my lunch hour lasts from 11:30 to 1:00. An extra advantage of doing this is that this church has Eucharistic Adoration prior to mass. Eucharistic Adoration is of course when the Blessed Sacrament is placed in a device called a "Monstrance." It is then placed in a suitable place so that the faithful can be in the presence of God to spend time in prayer. Often people will make a Holy Hour and spend an hour with Jesus. Sometimes people may step in for just a short prayer. There are some chapels that have perpetual adoration and the Blessed Sacrament in on display 24 hours a day seven days a week, always with someone in attendance.

What can you do while you are there? Well, I expect that you could make a long LONG list since there are many type of prayer. But, I decided to make a short little list of things you can do while at adoration. I am a novice at adoration so by no means should this list be considered all-conclusive.

  1. Be reverent--this should be first and foremost in your mind. You are, after all, in the presence of God.
  2. Pray--I expect you are saying, "duh--no kidding." But this could be a stumbling block for some people. They may be asking, "how am I expect to pray?" Anyway you feel comfortable. Maybe you aren't big into prayer and all you can muster are some Hail Mary's or some Our Fathers. That's fine. Saying a rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Stations of the Cross. You may be into meditative prayer--that's fine.
  3. Read--Bring a spirtual book with you. Maybe St Josemaria's "The Way." Maybe this is a good time to do some Bible reading. What a great place to break open scripture. Whatever you are reading may have a bigger impact if you are reading it in front of Jesus.
  4. Just talk--This probably goes under prayer but I don't mean prayer in the normal sense. I mean talk to Jesus like he is your friend, a brother. He is after all. Share your day with him. Tell him your joys, your sorrows and our concerns, but talk to Him as if your were talking to a buddy. Sure, he already knows but who cares. He wants to hear if from you.
  5. Listen--I read something last week and I apologize because I don't remember where I heard it but it said, "God gave you two ears and one mouth so shut up and listen." You can tell God all your problems and ask for his advice but you need to shut up and hear what he may be saying back to you. This is difficult because our minds are used to always being on the go. You may be shocked as to what God has to tell you though.
  6. Just bask in His glory--Just sit back, realize that you are in the physical presence of God and enjoy it, let all of your everyday worries just drip away. Again, you have to shut up--but sit back and enjoy it.
Like I said, I am an Adoration novice. I hope I gave some good advice but I'm looking for some tips from the pros. What do those who go to adoration often do that I didn't put?

3 comments:

  1. I remember one time I went to Adoration and a lady beside me popped open a can of Diet Pepsi and started eating peanut M&M's. I wondered if she was a diabetic...or thought Adoration was a day at the movies? Needless to say, it was distracting!

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  2. What a great post! I have not been to adoration yet although I want to. I'm one of those people who has to research things to make sure I know what I'm doing when I try them..

    I appreciate that you didn't write this post in a way that assumed that everyone reading would know what you were talking about :-) Thank you for taking the time to explain.

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  3. Two ideas: REVERENCE, of course, and the KISS method--Keep It Simple, Stupid! Sit and soak up his Presence; just love Him. Repeat His Name. Or use the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Ask Him to come into your heart and worship Him there as well. Kathy

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