The Theology of Worship

St Theophan the Recluse taught “The principal thing (about worship) is to stand before God with the mind in the heart, and to go on standing before Him unceasingly day and night, until the end of life”.  Many theologians teach ‘Prayer is relationship’, and the statement of Theophan “To stand before God” implies that worship is an encounter, a meeting between two persons, a relationship. 

St Paul taught earlier in his letter to the Thessalonians - “Pray without ceasing” (1Thes 5:17)  Our entire lifestyle should be one in relationship with God so that we are able to “stand before God … until the end of life”.

To pray is not necessarily to ask God for something; it need not even be to employ words, for often the deepest and most powerful of all prayer is simply to wait upon God in silence.  He knows our heart.

How do you move closer to praying always?  A good way to start is in the Adoration Chapel.  By sitting silently in the True Presence of God; ask the Holy Spirit to help you put your mind in your heart.  By putting mind in heart you enter a different level of relationship with almighty God that will lead to a life of praying without ceasing.

Don’t expect immediate results.  God works on us in His time and in His way.  I can promise that if you are sincere and persistent in your request, you will be successful in improving your relationship with God and your ability to pray without ceasing. 

See you in the chapel.

Present Before The Lord

Present Before The Lord

In Exodus 17, when the Israelites fought against the Amalekites, Moses interceded before God by raising his hands to ask for the victory.  As his arms grew heavy, he enlisted the help of Aaron and Hur to hold his arms raised up to God.  And the Lord gave a complete victory to His people.  In the same way, through Perpetual Adoration, we are ever present before the Lord in an unbroken chain of prayer and intercession.  The heart of the parishioner is lifted up to God without cessation; and God gives victory to His people, His Church.  He sends His mercy, His peace and light that chase the darkness from our hearts and the world.

You can be part of this ever presence before Our Lord by becoming a regular Adorer.  We have many prime hours that need to be filled in order to reach our goal of Perpetual Adoration 24/5.  Find a convenient hour that fits your schedule by going to
                           www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi and clicking on ‘Weekly Commitment’.

Chapel Changes

Chapel Changes

The question has been asked as to why we made the recent changes in the Chapel?  The number one reason was security of the Eucharist.  We have no idea how many people over the years have been given the combo to enter the Chapel.  Many times during a normal day a person in the Chapel finds themselves alone.  Once someone enters there’s no additional security for the Monstrance, the Tabernacle, or most important the Real Presence of Our Lord.  We had no way to verify that every time the Tabernacle was opened, the person doing that had authority; and it simply got to a point where we needed to manage risk better.

The acrylic case provides greater security while at the same time giving us the ability to expand Adoration because of the ease to Expose and Repose the Holy Eucharist by either opening or closing the curtain.  Our overall goal as a Parish is to Adore Our Lord 24/5 has not changed.  We hope to have someone praying in the Chapel every hour of every day Monday through Friday.  At this time we’re quite short of that goal in the six hours between midnight and 6AM as only 40% of those hours has someone praying.  Before Covid we were covering 24/5, and I’m sure we can get there again.

If you would like to join the Adoration Ministry as a committed Adorer please visit:

www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi and click on “Weekly Commitment” to sign up for a convenient hour to spend in the Real Presence of Our Lord.

Open Heart and Mind through Prayer

 Open Mind and Heart

"We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words. But this is only one expression. . .  Prayer is the opening of mind and heart—our whole being—to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words, and emotions. Through grace we open our awareness to God whom we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing—closer than consciousness itself. "

    Thomas Keating

Practice opening mind and heart to God by spending an hour quietly in the Adoration chapel.  Do it more than once and it starts to become a habit … a habit that will serve you for eternity.

Solemnity of Mary

Solemnity of Mary

This weekend we celebrate The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.  The word 'solemnity' is not used to define Mary's personality, but rather it's a designation used for certain days within the church calendar to designate the highest rank of liturgical celebration, higher than feast days or memorials.

By raising the celebration of Mary's motherhood to a 'Solemnity' the church is saying to us that it places the highest significance of her role in the life of Christ.  Jesus Himself tells us of the importance of Mary's role as He is reported to have said to Ven. Mother Mary of Agreda: "Many mysteries pertaining to My Mother ... are still hidden, especially the interior secrets of her life, and these I wish now to make known.  I desire to make known to mortals how much her intercession is worth.  If men would now seek to please Me by reverencing, believing, and studying the wonders which are intimately connected with this Mother of Piety, and if they would all begin to solicit her intercession from their whole heart, the world would find some relief."

     The Life Of Mary As Seen By The Mystics p24

You can add to your knowledge about the mysteries of Mary and how to solicit her help to improve your relationship with her Divine Son by spending an hour a week in our Adoration Chapel.  

All you have to do is go and sit quietly in His presence and listen ... God will do all the work

Can't think of a better New Year's resolution!