Why Sign Up For A Regular Holy Hour?
   (Amber Kinloch - St Joseph’s Shelf)

This question has been on your mind, perhaps, or maybe someone suggested it to you.  Maybe you already attend Adoration on a regular basis, but are reluctant to commit for any number of reasons: the length of time, the burden of other duties, the fear that you can’t keep up a regular commitment.

Maybe you find Adoration a chore.  You love God, but sitting there is so boring.  Nothing ever seems to happen.  Serving God in other ways feels more productive.

I have been a regular adorer for several years and have faced these difficulties firsthand.  Yet Adoration consistently remains a top priority for me.  Here’s why, along with some practical advice for overcoming different obstacles.

Why Sign Up Instead of Just Going?  What Difference Does It Make?

Adoration felt laborious for me in the beginning.  I cannot tell you how many hours I spent sitting in church waiting for the hour to be up just like St. Teresa of Avila.  Sometimes, I still feel this way.  Why do I keep at it then?

The answer is threefold:

#1  Time Matters

Time is our most valuable commodity.  As my dad says, you can always get more money. You can’t get more time.  To not only go to Adoration, but to block out a specific hour for it is to commit to Our Lord on a whole new level.  We tell Him, “You are a top priority.”  Jesus, infinitely generous, will repay such a commitment beyond measure just as He promises in the Gospels (Mark 10:28-30; Luke 6:38).

#2  Love is Manifest in Concrete Action

Love is an act of the will, not an emotion.  Adoration, therefore, is not always an emotional experience.  The hours I spend with Our Lord are not about how I feel.  They are about growing in a relationship with Him.  Adoration at any time is a good thing.  But committing to a particular hour and going then no matter how I feel demands spiritual maturity.

#3  It’s the Place Par Excellence for Prayer

Spending time with Jesus is essential if we’re going to possess the grace needed for fulfilling our duties.  He is the vine and we are the branches.  Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).  The place par excellence for prayer is with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament because “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.  For in the Blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Paschal Lamb’” (CCC 1324).

Now that Lent has started; this may be a wonderful time to make a commitment and a weekly appointment with Our Lord because He so longs to spend ‘face time’ with you.

Sign up for an hour at: www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi

Infusion Of Grace

 Be Infused

When we participate in the practice of perpetual Adoration, we put ourselves in direct contact with the God of presence and mission.  Our action as adorers pales in the face of God’s action of infusing us with the spirit of the Divine Being.  We are changed dramatically just by being in this living presence and being open to the action of our gracious God.  We become instruments of God’s peace, mercy, joy, consolation, or courage.  The more we celebrate the small miracles of daily life, the more we realize the very personal action of God in our daily living.

God will bless your life, your work, and your family.  Praying in the Lord’s presence draws you closer to Christ, gives you strength to deal with the circumstances of daily life, and provides you with the opportunity to ask God to help

With Lent starting on Wednesday why not seriously consider signing up for a weekly hour of Adoration … could be the first step to improving your relationship with God.

A Great Need ...

 A Great Need …

The Church has stressed that Christ is present to His people in many ways, but that none of these detract from the unique experience of the reception of Holy Communion and, in the aftermath of that reception, the adoration of the Real Presence.

In the words of Saint John Paul II: “The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship.  Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love.  Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world.  Let our adoration never cease.”

Lent starts next week.  Have you thought about what positive thing you could do this year.  Consider a weekly hour of Eucharistic Adoration.

Time For God!

 Make Time

“We in the twenty-first century think we are the first to be so busy - busy with making money or being students or caring for children, parents, or grandchildren.  When we are so busy taking care of people and issues right in front of us, how do we remember to make time to enrich our personal relationship with God?  St. Francis, in his own busy life of working, teaching, and writing, was always aware of his need for regular prayer - he would not forget.  For Francis, prayer was essential sustenance.  His guide was Jesus himself, who invites us through his actions and words to engage in deep dialog with God.  How inviting it is to remember that God calls each of us by name and that our name is written on the palm of his hand.  God wants to be close to us and so sent his Son to be with us, because He loves us.  Our part is to remember to make time for God.”  (Jean Amlaw, FSPA)

If you’re not a regular Adorer why not stop by the Adoration Chapel this week and show God that you love him by your action, and appreciate the help he offers you and your families.  

“To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed. You are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face.” (ST. TERESA OF ÁVILA