Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Wyd Hour of Power Booklet
Wyd Hour of Power Booklet
CONTENTS
Introduction by Bishop Anthony Fisher 1. WYD08 Eucharistic Adoration Campaign 1.1 Eucharistic Adoration and World Youth Day 1.2 Goal a weekly Holy Hour of Power 1.3 For Pastors and the leaders of young people 1.4 Before and after WYD08 P.04 P.08 5. The Ceremonies and Rituals associated with Eucharistic Adoration 5.1 Exposition of the Eucharist 5.2 Adoration of the Eucharist 5.3 Benediction of the Eucharist 5.4 Decoration of the Altar 5.5 The Practice Testimonies 6.1 Little miracles started to happen the amazing story of a parish! 6.2 A Eucharistic Chapel? An opportunity too good to refuse! 6.3 Secondary students reecting on their experience of Eucharistic Adoration 6.4 I grabbed my jacket and car keys a theologians testimony. Scripture Readings Collection of Prayers Music P.23
Publisher: WYD 2008 Copyright WYD 2008 ACN 118 060 987 as the Trustee for The World Youth Day 2008 Trust ABN 73 422 698 032, September 2007. All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described under the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Editor: WYD2008 Communications Division
2.
Why Eucharistic Adoration? P.13 2.1 The WYD08 theme 2.2 Adoration and the Sunday liturgy 2.3 Eucharistic Adoration, Christian Life and Mission 2.4 Eucharistic Adoration and Spirituality 2.5 Other forms of prayer Ten practical steps to establish a Holy Hour of P.16 Eucharistic Adoration the Holy Hour of Power 3.1 Decide to do it 3.2 Speak to others 3.3 Receive agreement 3.4 Establish a time 3.5 Create, develop or nurture a core team 3.6 Promote the opportunity 3.7 Give Catechesis on Eucharistic Adoration 3.8 Be present 3.9 Follow a format 3.10 Tell others For your Parish or community: P.20 A suggested schedule for the Holy Hour of Power
6.
P.26
3.
7. 8. 9.
Graphic Design: Catholic Communications and rebeccamdesign.com Printer: Photography: Superne Printing Co Pty Ltd WYD2008, Hamilton Lund Photography, WYD Sydney Observation Team to Cologne 2005, istockphoto.com, Brendan Read and Harvest Youth Tours
10. Want to learn more? 10.1 Websites 10.2 Utube clips 10.3 References Appendix 1 Benedict XVI On Eucharistic Adoration Appendix 2 Weekly parish inserts for Bulletins
4.
World Youth Day 2008 has made every effort to ensure the information in this publication is correct at the time of printing.
P.44 P.46
youth. In fact Eucharistic Adoration begun at or around World Youth Days, has helped renew young peoples enthusiasm for the celebration of Mass, its preparation through Confession and its continuation in Adoration and a Eucharistic life lived in justice and charity in the world. Their parents generation had largely given up these practices: it surprised them to nd a new generation interested, devout but doing it their own way. I remember as a pilgrim group leader and an ofcial observer at WYD05 in Cologne how struck we were by the power of young people encountering Christ in the Eucharist, praying together or alone and perhaps seeking out a confessor along the way, to draw us oldies with them. On World Youth Day 2007 we had the Franciscan rapper, Fr Stan Fortuna, perform for more than 3,000 young people on Palm Sunday in Sydney. Yet again thousands made their Confession. And yet again ordinary passers-by of an older generation were drawn into contact with Christ through them. Theres a new realism in the air: Im not perfect, it says. It does matter what I do, what Ive already done. Im OK, youre OK isnt enough anymore. I know I can hurt others, mess myself up, break up with God. But theres something I can do about it. Theres a new idealism in the air too: people can change, I can change. Gods mercy is there for me. And relief, joy, a new start. Like the Father of the Prodigal Son, God is waiting for me with arms wide open. And when God gives me a fresh start I want to thank him. I want to be with him. Sit quiet with him for a while. Kneel in adoration. Sing for joy. The candlelight, the music, the company: they tell me something of the new romance of Eucharistic Adoration. Parish priests and pastoral associates, ethnic and tertiary chaplains, youth leaders and parish councils, school teachers and others are invited to take up the challenge of our WYD08 Eucharistic Adoration Campaign and the material offered in this Kit. My thanks to those who prepared this material: I know it will do great good for some of our young people. Special thanks to those of you who will use this Kit to help bring our young people closer to God: you have here a real opportunity not only to share the grace of World Youth Day with them but to be a channel of that grace. You have an opportunity to be a living monstrance, presenting our Eucharistic Lord to the next generation!
By proposing Eucharistic Adoration as a key way of preparing spiritually for WYD08, the WYD 2008 ofce encourages pastors to invite the youthful energies of enthusiastic representatives to do the bulk of the organisation. With the promotion and organisation taken care of, the pastors can focus on the task of the spiritual leadership of the young people in prayer, with them and for them. Users of this kit may refer also to WYD08 School Curriculum Module 3, which focuses upon Eucharistic Adoration and Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation on the WYD08 website (www.wyd2008.org) in the Australian Parishes and Schools section.
11
12
13
Many of the mystics in the tradition of the Church spent substantial regular time in Eucharistic Adoration. All of the mystical visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus given to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century took place while she was in the presence of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. Short visits to the tabernacle also play an important role. Jesus instructed St Faustina, the recipient of the Divine Mercy revelation of the rst half of the 20th Century, to step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of Mercy. Immersion in the Word of God, the teaching of the Church and the lives of saints is a crucial dimension of nourishing the spiritual life in an authentic manner by guiding the contemplative prayer of Christians. It is necessary to keep in mind when helping young people to grow in prayer that, as St Therese of Lisieux said, There is a unique way of holiness for each person. Blessed Mother Teresa said The Cross reminds me of how much Jesus loved me; the Blessed Sacrament reminds me how much Jesus loves me. Other examples of mystics who immersed themselves in Eucharistic adoration include people such as Thomas Aquinas, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis de Sales, Padre Pio, Dorothy Day, Teresa of Calcutta and Oscar Romero.
14
15
16
17
3.8 Be present
If you are a priest or deacon, acolyte or Extraordinary Minister, expose the Blessed Sacrament and spend the time in prayer with the young people. If you are a teacher or youth leader, also spend the time. Priests can make themselves available for counsel or the Sacrament of Penance.
18
19
4. FOR YOUR PARISH OR COMMUNITY: A SUGGESTED SCHEDULE FOR THE HOLY HOUR OF POWER
Exposition and Incense (5 minutes)
Scripture John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my esh for the life of the world. Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal Son of God made man, you come to us now from God our Father so humbly in the form of bread. You are truly present. You remain with us in this sacrament so that we can be lifted to heaven. Living Bread, nourish us for this life and all its daily needs, and may our Sunday communion with you extend your mission in the world. Lord Jesus we love you. Song Watch and Pray (Taize) Silence (10 minutes) Song Ubi Caritas (Taize) Silence (10 minutes)
There are a range of forms that Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament may take:
A simple visit to the Blessed Sacrament Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed for a period of time Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Holy Hour Eucharistic Vigil
24
25
6. TESTIMONIES
6.1 Little miracles started to happen The amazing story of a parish!
The idea of Adoration at St Thomas Beckett Catholic Church began through the inspiration of a Catholic Church in the suburb of Duluch in South Australia. It was started by retired lay people and a wonderful parish priest, Monsignor Atkin. We had Adoration going all Friday night. Through our adoration many young people come back to their faith! On 4th August 2001 we began by having adoration all night on Fridays. Many people who signed up didnt have a prayer life or even know what adoration was! People would come in off the street just to sit in the church. Little miracles started to happen. One lady used to do the early hours and she asked her husband to join her; he only went to keep her safe. He was not into the Catholic Church and their daughter had left the church to go to Hillsong, Whilst sitting in adoration his faith started to come to life. His wife convinced him to go on a pilgrimage and now he is full on in his faith and they have started up adoration in another church. After adoration started at our parish we started getting young people come to help out with parish initiatives. People were turning up from all over the place! Our Wednesday prayer group grew and people began being formed in their faith. A youth group was started and young people who were never in the parish were appearing. They started wanting to sit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Through the gift of adoration the Immaculata Community began to develop. Our aim became parish revival through adoration and formation, which was led through the Heart of Mary and the intercession of all the Saints and Angels. Out of this came many vocations, four marriages within our community and many more through young people sitting and listening to Gods voice. There have also been many religious vocations with three known cases of men joining the seminary and possibly more unknown. 26
The greatest miracles of all have been the healings in many families: parents who were gamblers stopped their addictions; there were emotional healings for our whole community. There is currently a Protestant couple that have signed up for adoration and they spend hours each week with Jesus! So many people have come back to their faith. Marriages have been healed, not to mention the fact that 12 young people were able to go to World Youth Day Toronto 2002 by praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. A total of $37,000 was donated towards their costs. We recently had a miracle through adoration where a parishioner was doing her Holy hour, which she does every Monday. She started praying to Jesus and crying out to Him, asking for her relative, who is a Nun, to be healed from three blocked arteries in her heart. On the Wednesday she went to the hospital to have the operation and the doctor said that he did not have to operate because the arteries were not blocked anymore. He also said that there has been a miracle. Jesus cannot be outdone in generosity! Our dream is to have perpetual adoration. We pray that Gods will be done during WYD08. Putting Jesus at the centre by acknowledging the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the beginning of opening up new life: acknowledge Him and He will acknowledge us.
Also the opportunity of a place of such comfort, direction and peace provides those who use it with an oasis of prayer which is readily accessible as needed. Chapels which are available for 24 hours are especially valuable. Over the years, any number of chapel visitors have told me of how much they have valued the time sometimes short and spasmodic, sometimes lengthy and regular to be in the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist. For some, it has been a life-changing experience, a place where critical, pivotal decisions have been worked through with the best Counsellor anywhere. For nearly all, there has been the opportunity for the deepening of a faith they may have well taken for granted, at least to some extent. Any parish which attempts to establish a Eucharistic Chapel will be undertaking a project with the potential to give a new and magnicent Christ-centred direction to the entire life of the parish. Fr Kevin Dillon, St Mary of the Angels Basilica, Geelong Victoria
Having Adoration made my focus on the Eucharist stronger. It was amazing how everyone looked at it and it helps you to focus on what it is. You can pray and you can reect. Sonja During Eucharistic Adoration, I found myself more in tune with my faith and asking myself, how can I further show my love for God? Being with people as young as I am and seeing their deep faith was really a cleansing feeling. Sarah During a recent experience of Eucharistic Adoration, we had the opportunity to light our own candle, and to pray for a personal intention. This created a whole spread of lights in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Taking part in Eucharistic Adoration was just an amazing time of being together with other young people and a great opportunity to strengthen my relationship with God. Levia At a recent youth festival, we had time for personal reection and to rebuild our relationship with God. We took part in Eucharistic Adoration where the Blessed Sacrament was placed on the altar, enabling us to enhance our connection with God and benet through this spiritual experience. This was a new experience for me which I felt was benecial and should take place more often as I left at peace with myself after this experience.
the Eucharist, exposed in a golden monstrance. And there is Jesus: purest white against the most radiant gold. There to use the language of devotional love is His real presence in the Blessed Sacrament: body, blood, soul, and divinity. Its my custom to spend an hour in this chapel once a week. Tradition calls such a time of prayer, spent before the Blessed Sacrament, a holy hour. I love those hours. They are blissfully unguarded moments. In the silence, I pour out my heart to Jesus. I read the Scriptures in the company of their author. I read my own writings to Him, too, from rough drafts or from my journals. I tell Jesus about each of my children one by one. I ask Him what I need to change in my life, so that I may serve them and serve Him better. I ask Him to give me courage to face the trials that inevitably come to my life. And I wait quietly for His word. Holy hours are my oases of peace and joy, and much needed moments of purity. They are times when I am most myself, because I know that I can hide nothing not my sins, my desires, or my motives from God, Who is really present with me. If the Eucharist is my covenant oath, then my holy hour is the time I contemplate that oath with all its promise and with all its demands. It is a fearful thing, a thrilling thing, (did I really once believe the sacraments were boring?) Scott Hahn, Swear to God, The Promise and Power of the Sacraments
28
29
30
31
8. COLLECTION OF PRAYERS
To Jesus hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament - St Faustina Kowalska
I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You have spread so much beauty over the earth and it tells me about Your beauty, even though these beautiful things are but a faint reection of You, incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You and my souls recognises its Creator, its Highest Good, and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of adoration.
32
33
Give me O my God, that I may lift my heart to You frequently and with fervour, that I do everything with love, that I take for dead anything that does not belong to your service, that I do things not out of routine but referring them to You with devotion. Make me O Jesus, my love, my life: obedient without contradiction, poor without degradation, chaste without corruption, patient without dissipation, mature without afiction, diligent without inconsistency, in awe of You without desperation, true without bending. Make that I practice what is good without presumption, that I correct my neighbour without pride, that I build with words and deeds without falsehood. Give me O Lord my God, a vigilant heart that does not go away from You for a curious thought; give me a noble heart that does not deviate for any sinister intention; give me a rm heart that does not break for any tribulation; give me a free heart that will not be dominated by any violent passion. Grant me Lord God, understanding to know You, diligence to search for You, wisdom to nd You, behaviour that You will be pleased with, perseverance that hopefully will wait for you,
and hope, that nally will embrace You. Grant that I may be aficted by sorrows here as penance, and in the way of my life I use your benets for grace, and that in Heaven be happy with your joys for glory. Lord, You that live and reign, God forever and ever. Amen.
this Sacrament from all Your enemies; third, I intend by this visit to adore You in all the places on earth in which You are present in this Sacrament and in which You are the least honored and the most abandoned. My Jesus, I love You with my whole heart. I am sorry for having offended Your innite goodness so many times. I purpose, with the help of Your grace, never more to offend You; and, at this moment, miserable as I am, I consecrate my whole being to You. I give You my entire will, all my affections and desires and all that I have. From this day forward, do what You will with me and with everything that belongs to me. I ask and desire only Your holy love, the gift of nal perseverance and the perfect fulllment of Your will. I commend to You the souls in Purgatory, particularly those who were most devoted to the Most Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary; and I also commend to You all poor sinners. Finally, my dear Saviour, I unite all my affections with the affections of Your most loving Heart; and thus united, I offer them to Your Eternal Father, and I entreat Him, in Your Name and for Your sake, to accept and answer them. Amen. 35
Fatima Prayers
Most Holy Trinity I adore you. My God, My God, I love you in the most Blessed Sacrament. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly and offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world today, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And through the innite merits of His most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I rmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen
36
Adoration Christ and St John Icon. Image courtesy of Benedictine Convent of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem.
37
Pardon Prayer
My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee! I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love Thee.
38
39
9. MUSIC
Suitable reective sacred music which is Christ-centered is recommended as follows:
Taize Chants
O Lord Hear My Prayer; Eat This Bread; Jesus Remember Me; Watch and Pray.
Reective Music
Music for Contemplative Worship by Margaret Rizza
40
41
www.childrenofhope.org
Promoting Eucharistic Adoration for Children
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ4tEFPuhYI
You are my God, Father Stan
www.concordiaministries.net/adoration.htm
On The Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdiolzhztIs&mode=related&search=
Father Stan School of the Eucharist
www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/a.html
Perpetual Adoration Manual for all you need to know about Adoration and how to get it started in your parish; Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass
10.3 References
The Holy See Catechism of the Catholic Church, St Pauls Publications, Stratheld NSW, 1994 Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass The Rites of the Catholic Church (Vol 1) Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1990 McCarthy C (ed) WYD08 Children of Hope I the Lord Am With You Always, McPhersons Printing Group, Sydney, 1999 & 2003 Curriculum Module 3, Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and the Prayer of Eucharistic Adoration WYD08, 2007 Children of Hope Leaders Manual, Brothers Oblates of St. John 2002. Hahn, Scott Hahn Swear to God, The Promise and Power of the Sacraments Doubleday, 2004
www.carr.org/~meripper/faith/benedict.htm
Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction
www.taize.fr
Taize prayer, songs
http://landru.i-link-2.net/shnyves/prayer.html#Texts
Classic texts in Prayer and Spirituality from the Catholic Tradition
42
43
45
46
47
6 January 2008
5. Each moment that you spend in His Eucharistic Presence will increase His Divine Life within you and deepen your personal relationship and friendship with Him. I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly. I am the Vine and you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me and I in Him shall bear much fruit because without Me, you can do nothing. (Jn 10:10; 1 Peter 5:7; Jn 14:27)
10 February 2008
10. Each hour you spend with Jesus on earth will leave your soul everlastingly more beautiful and glorious in heaven! They who humble themselves shall be exalted.... All of us, gazing on the Lords glory with unveiled faces, are being transformed from glory to glory into His very image. (Lk 18:14; 2Cor 3:18)
23 March 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true esh, so now He has us see Him in the Sacred Bread. Looking at him with the eyes of their esh, they saw only His Flesh, but regarding Him with the eyes of the spirit, they believed that He was God. In like manner, as we see bread and wine with our bodily eyes, let us see and believe rmly that it is His Most Holy Body and Blood, True and Living. For in the way our Lord is ever present among those who believe in him, according to what He said: Behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world.(Mt 28:20) St Francis of Assisi
20 April 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints Christ held Himself in His hands when He gave His Body to His disciples saying : This is My Body. No one partakes of this Flesh before he has adored it. St Augustine
27 April 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints When you have received Him, stir up your heart to do Him homage; speak to Him about your spiritual life, gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present for your happiness; welcome Him as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence. St Francis De Sales
17 February 2008
11. Jesus will bless you, your family and the whole world for this hour of faith you spend with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Blessed are they who do not see and yet believe... (Jn 20:29; Mk 11:23; Mk 5:36; Rev 21:5)
13 January 2008
6. Each hour you spend with Jesus will deepen His Divine Peace in your heart. Come to Me all of you who are weary and nd life burdensome and I will refresh you... Cast all of your anxieties upon the One who cares for you... My Peace is My Gift to you. (Mt 11:28; 5:7; Jn 14:17)
24 February 2008
12. Each moment you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament brings joy, pleasure, and delight to His Sacred Heart! I found delight in sons of men. (Prov 8:31)
30 March 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints In each of our lives Jesus comes as the Bread of Life to be eaten, to be consumed by us. This is how He loves us. Then Jesus comes in our human life as the hungry one, the other, hoping to be fed with the Bread of our life, our hearts by loving, and our hands by serving. In loving and serving, we prove that we have been created in the likeness of God, for God is Love and when we love we are like God. This is what Jesus meant when He said, Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. Bl Mother Teresa of Calcutta
4 May 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints ... if we would only comprehend the fact that while the Eucharistic Species remain with us, Jesus is there and working in us inseparably with the Father and the Holy Spirit and therefore the whole Holy Trinity is there..., St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
20 January 2008
7. Jesus will give you all the Graces you need to be happy! The Lamb on the Throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. (Rev 7:17)
2 March 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints Can you feel the fragrance of Paradise which diffuses Itself from the Tabernacle? St Phillip
27 January 2008
8. Jesus is innitely deserving of our unceasing thanksgiving and adoration for all He has done for our salvation. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive honor, glory and praise. (Rev. 5:12)
11 May 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints Words cannot express the perfection of his adoration. If Saint John leaped in the womb at the approach of Mary, what feelings must have coursed through Joseph during those six months when he had at his side and under his very eyes the hidden God! If the father of Origin used to kiss his child during the night and adore the Holy Spirit living within Him, can we doubt that Joseph must have often adored Jesus hidden in the pure tabernacle of Mary? How fervent that adoration must have been: My Lord and my God, behold your servant! No one can describe the adoration of this noble soul. He saw nothing, yet he believed; his faith had to pierce the virginal veil of Mary. So likewise with you! Under the veil of the Sacred Species your faith must see our Lord. Ask St Joseph for his lively, constant faith. St Peter Julian Eymard
9 March 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. St Maximilian Kolbe
6 April 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints If I can give you any advice, I beg you to get closer to the Eucharist and to Jesus... We must pray to Jesus to give us that tenderness of the Eucharist. Bl Mother Teresa of Calcutta
3 February 2008
9. For Peace in our country! When My people humble themselves and seek My Presence... I will revive their land. (2Chr 7:14)
16 March 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints Do you realise that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you for you alone? He burns with desire to come into your heart...dont listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love... St Therese of Lisieux
13 April 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints 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 John Chrysostom
48
49
18 May 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints The Blessed Sacrament is indeed the stimulus for us all, for me as it should be for you, to forsake all worldly ambitions. Without the constant presence of our Divine Master upon the altar in my poor chapels, I never could have persevered casting my lot with the lepers of Molokai; the foreseen consequence of which begins now to appear on my skin, and is felt throughout the body. Holy Communion being the daily bread of a priest, I feel myself happy, well pleased, and resigned in rather exceptional circumstances in which it has pleased Divine Providence to put me. Bl Damien, Apostle of the Lepers
8 June 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints In the presence of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament we ought to be like the Blessed in heaven before the Divine Essence. St Teresa of Avila
to Christs Resurrection. All interior life needs silence and intimacy with Christ in order to develop. Pope John Paul II, from the Vatican, 28 May 1996
Apostolic Journey To The Far East And Mauritius Eucharistic Adoration At Nonyong-Dong Parish Homily Of His Holiness John Paul Ii Seoul (Korea) Saturday, 7 October 1989
13 July 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers ...Yes, beloved brothers and sisters, it is important that we live and teach how to live the total mysteries of the Eucharist: the Sacrament of Sacrice, of the Banquet, and of the permanent Presence of Jesus Christ the Saviour.... the several forms of worship of the Most Holy Eucharist are an extension and at the same time a preparation for the Sacrice of the Mass and Communion. Will it be necessary to insist again on the deep spiritual and theological motivations of worship to the Most Holy Sacrament outside of the celebration of the Mass? It is true that the reservation of the Sacrament was made, from the beginning, in order to be able to take Communion to the sick and to those absent from the celebration. But, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, for the deepening of the faith in the Real Presence of Christ in His Eucharist, the Church became aware of the meaning of the silent adoration of the Lord present under the Eucharistic species (n. 1379). Pope John Paul II, June 1993 homily at the 45th International Eucharistic Congress in Seville, Spain
27 July 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church. This worship is strictly linked to the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrice. The presence of Christ under the sacred species reserved after Mass a presence which lasts as long as the species of bread and of wine remain derives from the celebration of the sacrice and is directed towards communion, both sacramental and spiritual. It is the responsibility of Pastors to encourage, also by their personal witness, the practice of Eucharistic adoration, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in particular, as well as prayer of adoration before Christ present under the Eucharistic species. Pope John Paul II, The Eucharist and the Church
15 June 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints When the Sisters are exhausted, up to their eyes in work; when all seems to go awry, they spend an hour in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This practice has never failed to bear fruit: they experience peace and strength. Bl Mother Teresa of Calcutta
25 May 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints In order to be like You, who are always alone in the Blessed Sacrament, I shall love solitude and try to converse with You as much as possible. Grant that my mind may not seek to know anything but You, that my heart may have no longings or desires but to love You. When I am obliged to take some comfort, I shall take care to see that it be pleasing to your heart. In my conversations, O divine Word, I shall consecrate all my words to You so that You will not permit me to pronounce a single one which is not for Your glory...When I am thirsty, I shall endure it in honor of the thirst You endured for the salvation of souls...If by chance, I commit some fault, I shall humble myself, and then take the opposite virtue from Your Heart, offering it to the eternal Father in expiation for my failure. All this I intend to do, O Eucharistic Jesus, to unite myself to You in every action of the day. St Margaret Mary
22 June 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints Do not think that Jesus Christ is forgetful of you, since he has left you, as the greatest memorial and pledge of his love, himself in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. St Alphonsus Liguori
3 August 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers It is pleasant to spend time with him, to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple (cf. Jn 13:25) and to feel the innite love present in his heart. If in our time Christians must be distinguished above all by the art of prayer,48 how can we not feel a renewed need to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament? How often, dear brother and sisters, have I experienced this, and drawn from it strength, consolation and support! Pope John Paul II, The Eucharist and the Church
29 June 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints Never forget that Jesus Christ is not less powerful or less generous in the Blessed Sacrament than He was during His mortal life. Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
20 July 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers If we are to experience the Eucharist as the source and summit of all Christian life (Lumen Gentium, 11), then we must celebrate it with faith, receive it with reverence, and allow it to transform our minds and hearts through the prayer of adoration. Only by deepening our Eucharistic communion with the Lord through personal prayer can we discover what he asks of us in daily life. Only by drinking deeply from the source of life-giving water welling up within us (Cfr. Io 4, 14) can we grow in faith, hope and charity. The image of the Church in worship before the Blessed Sacrament reminds us of the need to enter into a dialogue with our Redeemer, to respond to his love and to love one another.
6 July 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers I urge priests, religious and lay people to continue and redouble their efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they are not introduced to the mystery of his presence? Like the young Samuel, by learning the words of the prayer of the heart, they will be closer to the Lord, who will accompany them in their spiritual and human growth, and in the missionary witness which they must give throughout their life. The Eucharistic mystery is in fact the summit of evangelization (Lumen Gentium, n. 28), for it is the most eminent testimony
1 June 2008
To inspire you....Quotes from Saints The Eucharist is the supreme proof of the love of Jesus. After this, there is nothing more but Heaven itself. St Peter Julian Eymard
10 August 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers This practice, repeatedly praised and recommended by the Magisterium,49 is supported by the example of many saints. Particularly outstanding in this regard was Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who wrote:
50
51
Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.50 The Eucharist is a priceless treasure: by not only celebrating it but also by praying before it outside of Mass we are enabled to make contact with the very wellspring of grace. A Christian community desirous of contemplating the face of Christ in the spirit which I proposed in the Apostolic Letters Novo Millennio Ineunte and Rosarium Virginis Mariae cannot fail also to develop this aspect of Eucharistic worship, which prolongs and increases the fruits of our communion in the body and blood of the Lord. Pope John Paul II, The Eucharist and the Church
7 September 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers When we participate regularly and with devotion in Holy Mass, when we spend a sustained time of adoration in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, it is easier to understand the length, breadth, height and depth of his love that goes beyond all knowledge (cf Eph 3:17-18). Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the 22nd WYD 2007
5 October 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers Receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself. Pope Benedict XVI, The Sacrament of Charity
9 November 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers My dear young friends, if you take part frequently in the Eucharistic celebration, if you dedicate some of your time to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Source of love which is the Eucharist, you will acquire that joyful determination to dedicate your lives to following the Gospel. Pope Benedict XVI, Message for WYD08
14 September 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers How great is humanitys need today to rediscover the source of its hope in the Sacrament of the Eucharist! I thank the Lord because many parishes, as well as celebrating Holy Mass devoutly, are educating the faithful in Eucharistic Adoration Pope Benedict XVI
16 November 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers Indeed, there is an intrinsic connection between celebration and adoration. The holy Mass, in fact, is in itself the Churchs greatest act of adoration: No one eats this food, St. Augustine writes, if he has not rst worshipped it Pope Benedict XVI, on the Feast Day of Corpus Christi
12 October 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers I heartily recommend to the Churchs pastors and to the People of God the practice of Eucharistic Adoration, both individually and in community. Pope Benedict XVI, The Sacrament of Charity
17 August 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers Every member of the Church must be vigilant in seeing that this sacrament of love shall be at the center of the life of the people of God so that through all the manifestations of worship due to it, Christ shall be given back love for love, and truly become the life of our souls, Pope John Paul II, Redeemer of Man
21 September 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers Every time that the priest renews the Eucharistic sacrice, in the prayer of consecration he repeats: This is my body ... this is my blood. He does this giving his voice, his hands, and his heart to Christ, who wanted to remain with us as the beating heart of the Church. But even after the celebration of the divine mysteries, the Lord Jesus remains living in the tabernacle; because of this he is praised, especially by Eucharistic adoration Pope Benedict XVI, on the Feast Day of Corpus Christi
19 October 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers Wherever possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to set aside specic churches or oratories for perpetual adoration. Pope Benedict XVI, The Sacrament of Charity
23 November 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers I am happy to testify that many young people are discovering the beauty of adoration, whether personal or in community. I invite priests to encourage youth groups in this, but also to accompany them to ensure that the forms of adoration are appropriate and dignied, with sufcient times for silence and listening to the word of God. Pope Benedict XVI, on the Feast Day of Corpus Christi
24 August 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers In the course of the day the faithful should not omit visiting the Blessed Sacrament, which in accordance with liturgical law must be reserved in churches with great reverence in a prominent place. Such visits are a sign of gratitude, an expression of love and an acknowledgment of the Lords presence Pope Paul VI, The Mystery of Faith
26 October 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers I also recommend that, in their catechetical training, and especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and helped to cultivate a sense of awe before his presence in the Eucharist. Pope Benedict XVI, The Sacrament of Charity
30 November 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers In life today, which is often noisy and scattered, it is more important than ever to recover the capacity for interior silence and recollection: Eucharistic adoration permits one to do this not only within ones I but rather in the company of that You full of love who is Jesus Christ, the God who is near us. Pope Benedict XVI, on the Feast Day of Corpus Christi
28 September 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic Adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Churchs supreme act of Adoration Pope Benedict XVI, The Sacrament of Charity
31 August 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the Living Heart of each of our parishes. Pope Paul VI
2 November 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Holy Fathers ...besides encouraging individual believers to make time for personal prayer before the Sacrament of the Altar, I feel obliged to urge parishes and other church groups to set aside times for collective Adoration. Pope Benedict XVI, The Sacrament of Charity
52
53
7 December 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Saints This marvelous presence of Christ in our midst should revolutionize our life. We have nothing to envy in the apostles and the disciples of Jesus who walked with him in Judea and Galilee. He is still here with us. In every city, in every village, in each of our churches; he visits our homes carried on the heart of the priest, and we receive him each time we draw near to the sacrament of the Altar. Saint Alberto Hurtado
14 December 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Saints Consider the generosity of our Savior: what He acquired by dying becomes ours by eating. As often as we receive this Sacrament with proper dispositions, we make our own the fruits of all the labors, injuries and sufferings of His life, especially those borne at the time of His passion and death. Just as the power and the sensations of the head reach all the members of the body, in the same way, because Christ is the head of the Church which is His Body (Eph. 1:23), the treasures of His grace are made abundantly available to all who through charity are one with Him as living members. Saint Louis of Grenada
21 December 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Saints ...In this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood. Saint Francis of Assisi
28 December 2008
To inspire you.... Quotes from the Saints The devotion to the Eucharist is the most noble because it has God as its object; it is the most protable for salvation, because It gives us the Author of Grace; it is the sweetest, because the Lord is Sweetness Itself. Saint Pius X
54