Adoration
at the Cathedral
Why Have Adoration?
If
the celebration of the Mass is central to the Catholic faith, according
to Vatican II, then what place does Eucharistic Adoration outside of
Mass have in our Church today?
While Mass is, of course,
the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the primary weekly gathering
of our parish family, the Eucharist that is consecrated into Christ's
Body and Blood at every Mass (and reserved in every Catholic church's
tabernacle) remains His Body and Blood. As Christ was incarnate
for us in His humanity, so too is He present before us still, in all
the tabernacles of the world, as He promised - "I am with you always,
until the end of the age." The Real Presence of Christ remains
for us so that we may be able to bring the Eucharist to the sick and
homebound, but He also is present for us to visit Him throughout the
day with our prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving.
In the gift of the Eucharist,
Jesus is with us in a very special way, a substantial and physical way.
As human beings, composed of both body and soul, we find comfort and
strength in not only recognizing God's spiritual presence throughout
our world, but also in the small white Host, placed before us for our
adoration. Such humility He has, as St. Therese exclaimed, to become
a "prisoner of love" for us, with His splendor hidden and
veiled from us behind the appearance of mere bread.
You can pray anywhere, it
is true, but the personal relationship with Jesus Christ that grows
with time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is a unique source
of encouragement and peace. Rather than take away from the importance
and central aspect of the Mass, the practice of Eucharistic Adoration
should complement the Mass. Adoration helps you to participate
more fully in the Mass, by increasing your loving awareness of Christ
in your life, by renewing your faith in His merciful love, and by deepening
your understanding of the focus of the Mass, which is the worship of
God the Father through the sacrifice of the Son by the power of the
Holy Spirit.
It is only by drawing closer
to Jesus Christ that we can truly draw closer to each other, in our
families and in our worlds. True social justice emerges from love, and
all love emerges from God and our acceptance of His love. Whatever increases
our love of God will increase our love of neighbor, and our love for
our neighbor will inspire us to come to the aid of our brothers and
sisters.
For any relationship to grow
in love, there must be time spent in the presence of the one we love.
As our Creator and our Sustainer, the time spent before the Blessed
Sacrament is time spent before the one we love. Our Lord awaits you!
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