Could you not watch one hour with Me?
"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything
was the night when He went into His agony. But as often in the history
of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep.
That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could
you not watch one hour with Me?' (Mt 26:40).
Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship"
(Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).
What is the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament?
The Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament, is Jesus Himself.
Jesus gave us the gift of His Body and Blood, the Blessed Sacrament, on
the first Holy Thursday night. At every Catholic Mass, the
bread and wine, "By the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy
Spirit, become Christs Body and Blood" (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, #1333). The Holy Eucharist
(Blessed Sacrament) is the Body and Blood of Jesus. After that Last
Supper, Jesus went with His friends to the Garden of Gethsemani.
It was there that Jesus asked them, "Could you not watch one hour with
Me?" (Mt 26:40). This is the same invitation
that Jesus gives to us today. Pope John Paul II writes, "Remaining
in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, it is Christ totally and really
present whom we discover, whom we adore and with whom we are in contact"
(Letter to Bishop of Liege, 1996). Through Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament, we express our love and friendship to Jesus.
How does a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration make
a difference?
Jesus said that faith can move mountains (see
Mk 11:23). Pope John Paul II said, "Closeness to
Christ in silence and contemplation does not distance us from our contemporaries
but, on the contrary makes us attentive and open to human joy and distress
and broadens our heart on a global scale. Through adoration, the Christian
mysteriously contributes to the radical transformation of the world and
to the sowing of the Gospel. Anyone who prays to the Savior draws the whole
world with him and raises it to God" (Letter to Bishop of Liege,
1996). When the Divine Mercy Messenger, St. Maria Faustina
of the Blessed Sacrament, was praying before Jesus in the Holy Eucharist
He showed her a vision. Each time a person entered the chapel and visited
Jesus exposed in a monstrance, she saw His Divine Rays of Love and Mercy
burst forth and encircle the whole world and everyone in it with graces
and blessings! Jesus told St. Faustina "I want Adoration to take place
... for the intention of imploring Mercy for the world." (Divine
Mercy Diary, 1070).
What are some benefits of a Holy Hour of Eucharistic
Adoration?
Everyone that spends time in adoration of Jesus in the
Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist develops a personal relationship with Jesus,
and grows in love and holiness. Quiet time with the Lord in adoration enables
people to listen and recognize His voice as He speaks to their hearts.
Many of the faithful who attend adoration report various miracles and healings.
Parish communities experience increased Mass attendance, service of others,
unity, conversions, the return of fallen away Catholics, as well as vocations
to the priesthood and religious life. The laity work together to coordinate
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, helping to build a faith filled
community.
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Reawakens Faith!
What is Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration?
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is when a parish sets
aside a small room, or chapel, that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
with permanent exposition of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
It is an expression of our love for Jesus, who loves us so much that He
desires to stay with us always, in this Sacrament of Love.
Why is Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration necessary?
When we limit the hours of Adoration, we limit the availability
of Christ to His people. Few can respond to the Lords invitation
Could you not watch one hour with Me?, when we only have one hour, or a
few hours of Adoration, each week. The more we expand the hours the
more we extend the opportunity to adorers. When a chapel is opened
all the time everyone in the parish can participate. In 1980, Pope
John Paul II visited Le Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, France where there
has been Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for over 100 years. He proclaimed,
"Still, today, the living Christ loves us and presents his heart to
us as the source of our redemption.... In the Holy Eucharist--this
is also the meaning of perpetual adoration--we enter the movement of love
from which all interior progress and all apostolic efficacy springs."
Through Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration we proclaim to our parish and community
that Jesus is here, truly present among us today!
Why is Eucharistic exposition necessary?
The difference between spending time with Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament exposed in a monstrance, rather than in the tabernacle,
is the same as the difference between conversing with a friend face-to-face
instead of having a closed door between you. Seeing Jesus exposed
in the Holy Eucharist is much more conducive to intimacy and personal prayer
than looking at a tabernacle. It also helps adorers (or "guardians")
to be faithful to their scheduled hours, because they know that Jesus cannot
be left alone in the monstrance. Yet, the most compelling reason
for exposition is that the Holy Spirit asks for it. During His Eucharistic
discourse, Jesus made this emphatically clear: "Indeed this is the will
of My Heavenly Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes
in Him, shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last
day" (Jn 6:40).
Is this a mission of the laity?
Vatican II emphasized the importance of lay involvement
in the mission of the Church. Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is
coordinated by the laity, with the clergy. By leading people to Jesus,
laity are involved in ongoing renewal and evangelization.
Is it dangerous to have Adoration 24 hours a day?
Many pastors have witnessed that since Perpetual Eucharistic
Adoration has started in their parishes, the crime rate in their community
has drastically decreased. "We had prostitution and drugs being sold
right out in front of our church. When we took on Perpetual Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament, this all stopped. When our Lord in the
Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the altar, crime leaves that area.
I am convinced of that" (Fr. James Swenson, St. Bridget
Catholic Church, Las Vegas, NV).
ADORE CHRIST FOR PEACE!
"Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust
to My mercy." Jesus told St. M. Faustina that the Blessed Sacrament is
"the throne of mercy" on earth, and to daily "Adore,
in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy."
(Divine Mercy Diary, 300, 1485, & 1572)
"It is urgent that a choral invocation be raised
from earth to heaven, to implore from the Almighty, in whose hands is the
destiny of the world, the great gift of peace." (Pope
John Paul II, November 2001)
On December
2, 1981, Pope John Paul II began Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament in a chapel in St. Peters Basilica in Rome and urged
all parishes to do the same.
In his homily at the 45th
International Eucharistic Congress in Seville, Spain in June 1993, the
Holy Father said: "I hope that this form of Perpetual Adoration, with
permanent exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, will continue into the future.
Specifically, I hope that the fruit of this Congress results in the establishment
of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in all parishes and Christian communities
throughout the world."
"Perpetual Adoration, Eucharistic Adoration offers
to our people the opportunity to join those in religious life to pray for
the salvation of the world, souls everywhere and peace on earth.
We cannot underestimate the power of prayer and the difference it will
make in our world." "The time you spend with
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament ... will help bring about everlasting peace
on earth" (Mother Teresa).
THE HOUR OF POWER
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen explains that, "We are not called
to great penances, and many would interfere with our duty, but the (Holy)
hour is our daily sacrifice in union with Christ." This is why
throughout his life, beginning as a young man, he never missed his daily
Holy Hour with Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist each morning. In the beginning
of his autobiography A Treasure in Clay, Archbishop
Sheen gave witness to the awesome movement of hundreds of thousands of
souls, Catholic and non-Catholics, who were inspired to accept his challenge
of making a daily Holy Hour. Priests who were
struggling with their vocations were renewed through Christs love.
A police officer, searching for a Church to make his daily Holy Hour, found
a priest who not only opened the Church but prayed with him each day.
Over 100,000 Protestants, said Archbishop Sheen, pledged themselves to
spending this daily hour of power with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
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