Your Advent Opportunity

Advent Gives You A Blessed Opportunity

This Advent, as at the beginning of all Advents, the Church encourages us to lift our heads, trust in Jesus’ saving love and make room for him in our hearts, to discover hope amidst life's’ anxieties.  As we begin the season of Advent we need to take time to spiritually prepare for Christmas and the coming of Our Lord.  In every direction we turn we will be reminded and encouraged to “prepare” for Jesus’ coming into the world and to remember the real meaning of Christmas.

Prayer is the secret of preparation.  One of the best ways to pray is to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration in our chapel.  A popular definition of ‘prayer’ is ‘relationship with God’.  What a beautiful thing it would be if at the end of the next four weeks you could honestly say your relationship with God had improved.  Find time in each of the next four weeks to go to the chapel and simply sit in the presence of God.  You don’t even have to have an agenda - a simple prayer such as ‘Jesus, please help me improve my relationship with you’ - then just sit back and while contemplating the Holy Eucharist let God do the work: Nothing else to do, except to say “Thank You God” before you leave.

“I am with you always …” and in his great and wonderful plan of salvation remember that he has been awaiting for you in his real presence for twenty centuries.

www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi

click on “Weekly Commitment”

Finding Right Relationship

“God is the creator of life and the living substance.  God is the creator of existence; therefore everything lives under God.  The logic of this is that the individual is under obligation to let their life flow out from their center.  This center has its core the yielding to the will of God, so that the action that flows out from this center that is always accessible to the will of God will be right action, the relationship will be right relationship.  When Jesus announces that the kingdom of God is at hand, this is the announcement he is making.” (Howard Thurman, Sermons on the Parables)

Right relationship begins with prayer, so if you find it hard to pray because of your busy schedule, go to the Adoration Chapel where you will find quiet and our merciful God eager to listen.  Prayer, as Pope Benedict has explained, is an expression of our ‘personal relationship with God.’ And that relationship, the Holy Father went on the to say, ‘is what matters most.’ … Jesus is waiting.

“one cannot know the Lord without the habit of adoring, adoring in silence.”  Pope Francis

www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi

click on “Weekly Commitment”

Let People See God’s Love In You

Make a conscious effort throughout the day to reflect the fire of God’s love in your heart through goodness, joy, forgiveness, peace, and prayer.  A great way to grow His love is to spend face time with our Lord in the chapel.  Now that Summer is here and no school scheduled, fewer people will be stopping by the chapel for a quick visit.  This gives us the opportunity for a much more intimate visit in the True Presence of Our Lord and Savior.

Show God your love for Him by scheduling a weekly visit.

“Come Let Us Adore Christ, The Bread Of Life”

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.

Adoration and Advent

 Adoration and Advent Do Go Together

Advent is that beautiful time of year that helps us focus on the spiritual preparation for Christmas and on the coming of Our Lord.  It’s that time of year when every Christian publication we subscribe to, every Christian radio station listened to, and perhaps every homily heard, will all be encouraging us to “prepare” for Jesus’ coming into the world and to remember the real meaning of Christmas.

One of the best ways to “prepare” is to pray.  And one of the best ways to pray is Eucharistic Adoration.  A popular definition of ‘prayer’ is ‘relationship with God’.  Have you ever been able to establish a relationship with someone, or improve upon a relationship, without spending time with them … of course not.  Same holds true with God.

Advent presents an opportunity to start or improve your ‘relationship’.  And our beautiful Adoration Chapel is the perfect place for more “face time” with God.

You don't need to be a scheduled adorer - you don't need an appointment - simply drop-in and spend time with God.  If you find the visit improved your relationship with Him why not schedule a weekly appointment to be together in a special way.  He would like that!

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Open Your 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 your mind and heart to God while spending an hour in Adoration at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Adoration Chapel.

www.adorationpro.org/ihmmi

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