“Among all the
words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: the revealed name
of God. . . . ‘The Lord’s name is holy.’ For this reason man
must not abuse it. He must keep it in mind in silent, loving
adoration. He will not introduce it into his own speech except to
bless, praise, and glorify it.”
(Catechism
of the Catholic Church: 2144)
"This food we
call the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one
who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the
washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as
Christ handed down to us. For we do not receive these things as
common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being
incarnate by God's Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so
also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of
prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are
nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that
incarnate Jesus."
St. Justin Martyr, First Apology,"
Ch. 66, inter A.D. 148-155.
In
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, “The priest, in the role of
Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God’s.
This is my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered. .
. . “The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of
the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species
subsist. . . . (Catechism
of the Catholic Church: 1375, 1377)
As
faith in the real presence of Christ in his Eucharist deepened, the
Church became conscious of the meaning of silent adoration of the
Lord present under the Eucharistic species. . . . To prepare for
worthy reception of this sacrament, the faithful should observe the
fast required … . Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to
convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ
becomes our guest."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church: 1379, 1387)
Jesus said: “. . .
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . .
abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:56).
Jesus’ plea to His
disciples in the
Garden of Gethsemane just before
Judas’ betrayal was:
“Could you not watch
with me
one hour?” (Mt. 26:40)
Adore Jesus today. He
waits for you
in this Sacrament of love.
The great
promoter of a
holy hour, keeping company
with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
was St. Peter Julian Eymard, founder
of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers.
Unfortunately,
after the Second Vatican Council,
this form of Eucharistic Adoration subsided, though
it certainly was not the Council’s intention
to cause such a decline.
Eucharistic
Adoration is now on the incline
in the United States, in large part due to
the influence of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen,
who promoted, in particular,
a holy hour for priests.
No.
1419 “Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ gives us in
the Eucharist the pledge of glory with him. Participation in the Holy
Sacrifice identifies us with his Heart, sustains our strength along the
pilgrimage of this life, makes us long for eternal life, and unites us
even now to the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the
saints.”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church
Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament
Lord, Jesus, as I kneel before Your hidden presence, help me
respond to Your graces so that I may be as really present to You, as You
are to me, in the most Blessed Sacrament of Your love and mercy. Allow
your radiant presence to re-ignite the fire of Your Spirit within me, so
that I may be Your Sacrament of love and mercy and all. Amen.
Hope for the Journey,
Fr. Jack Spaulding
(Queenship Publishing Co. Santa Barbara CA)
“The Holy Eucharist is the
sacrament of God's infinite generosity towards man. When we are generous
in our response to Him in this sacrament of love, God pours out His
infinite goodness upon all mankind. God will bless you, your family and
the world ten times as much for this sacrifice because God cannot be
outdone in generosity. Whatever we give to Him, He gives us back ten, a
hundred times as much. Those who are generous and willing to make a
sacrifice by taking one of the most difficult hours are the ones who
bring down God's blessings upon the earth like rain that pours forth
from the heavens. This is why Pope John Paul II exclaimed: "Let us
be generous in our time in going to meet him..."
No.
1419 “Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ gives us in
the Eucharist the pledge of glory with him. Participation in the Holy
Sacrifice identifies us with his Heart, sustains our strength along the
pilgrimage of this life, makes us long for eternal life, and unites us
even now to the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the
saints.”
