This weekend we are celebrating the 25thAnniversary of our parish’s Perpetual Adoration Chapel. For 25 years members of our parish, and many from surrounding parishes, have committed to spending at least an hour with Jesus each week. They provide an incalculable number of graces for our parish. As part of our celebration I thought I would let some of our honored brothers and sisters in the faith tell us what Eucharistic Adoration has meant for them.
St. Augustine (354-430): “It is our duty to adore the Blessed Sacrament. No one receives the Blessed Sacrament unless he adores it...and not only do we not sin by adoring, we do sin by not adoring.To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.”
St. John Chrysostom (344-407): “What excuse shall we have, or how shall we obtain pardon, if we consider it too much to go to Jesus in the Eucharist, who descended from Heaven for our sake? This Fountain [of the Holy Eucharist] is a fountain of light, shedding abundant rays of truth. And beside it the angelic powers from on high have taken their stand, gazing on the beauty of its streams, since they perceive more clearly than we the power of what lies before us and its unapproachable dazzling rays. The wise men adored this body when it lay in the manger;…they prostrated themselves before it in fear and trembling….Now you behold the same body that the wise men adored in the manger, lying upon the altar;…you also know its power. How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment.”
St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226): “I beg you to show the greatest possible reverence for the Eucharist through whom all things have been brought to peace and reconciled with Almighty God." One day a rather worldly friend asked St. Francis: "Father what do you do during those long hours before the Blessed Sacrament?" "My son in return I ask you what does the poor man do at the rich man's door, the sick man in presence of his physician, the thirsty man at a limpid stream? What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God. I pray. I adore. I love. "Let us love God and adore him and offer him praises by day and by night. In this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood."
St. Bonaventure (1218-1274): “Lord Jesus Christ, pierce my soul with your love so that I may always long for you alone, who are the bread of angels and the fulfillment of the soul's deepest desires. May my heart always hunger for you, so that my soul may be filled with the sweetness of your presence.”
St. John Bosco (1815-1888): “Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus...My dear ones, the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil. Therefore, go often to visit Jesus and the devil will not come out victorious against you.”
St. Damien the Leper (1840-1889): “It is in the Blessed Sacrament that we find strength. Without my daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, I could not have lasted one single day.”
St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941): “My aim is to institute Perpetual (Eucharistic) Adoration, for this is the most important activity. God dwells in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. Let us not forget to visit . . . Jesus. Let us tell Him we love Him. We might ask Him what He wants of us, what are His wishes. Sometimes we might ask Jesus something for ourselves and something for others. One can speak to Jesus as brother to brother, as friend to friend, more so, since it often happens that men do not understand us, whereas Jesus understands each of us always."
St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955): “My sweetest Joy is to be in the presence of Jesus in the holy Sacrament. I beg that when obliged to withdraw in body, I may leave my heart before the holy Sacrament. How I would miss Our Lord if He were to be away from me by His presence in the Blessed Sacrament." "I adore You, my Eucharistic God. You are there exposed in the ostensorium [monstrance]. The rays are the rays of Your love for me, for each individual soul. If it wasn't for Your love, I would be in hell. I return You thanksgiving through Mary, through St. Joseph, through all the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins and Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in heaven. And lastly, I thank You through the sacred host on all the altars throughout the world.”