EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: Embracing Sacrament of Love and Time Spent with Jesus

For young adults such as Lisa Kehler of St. Leo’s Parish, Eucharistic Adoration is a secure refuge of God’s love, and a sure source of solace and strength in the midst of life’s troubles.

“I really enjoy spending quiet time in adoration, when I can empty my mind of whatever is swirling around at the moment and just focus on being because there are no distractions,” she says. “My relationship with Jesus hasn’t always been the greatest, but by attending adoration, even when I’m tired, along with other positive habits I’ve added to my life in the past couple of years, I have realized that I can reach out to Him throughout the day and He will always be there.”

According to Lisa, adoration has helped deepen her communication and friendship with Our Lord in a remarkable way.

“There was a time where I just couldn’t talk to Jesus because all that came out was tears,” Lisa says. “I was so afraid, because I thought He was punishing me for things I had done in my life, and I was suffering for them. But now I have come to realize that He loves me even on the days where I don’t feel lovable. I feel like adoration has helped me cope with problems in my life better, as well as celebrate the good things.”

Confirmation candidate Avery Kelly feels much the same as Lisa about the beautiful gift of Adoration.

“I think that adoration greatly contributes to a more peaceful and orderly life,” she says. “Attending aids in a stronger and more intimate relationship with Christ.

Adoration offers a lot of time for worship and reflection which can better not only your life, but also you as a person.” Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament is offered at our parish on the first Friday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and also is available at St. Mary’s Cathedral every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. We also offer our Abide Adoration service, which takes place on the fourth Sunday of the month during the months of October through March, from 7 to 8 p.m. The service features adoration with worship and praise music, as well as the reading of Sacred Scripture and reflection.

The extraordinary power of Eucharistic Adoration rests on the Catholic dogma of the Real Presence, which is beautifully explained by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on their website as follows: “In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present — body blood, soul, and divinity — under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the ‘Real Presence’ of Christ in the Eucharist.”

Furthermore, the USCCB also reminds us of the magnanimous love that Christ wants to give us through the blessing of Eucharistic Adoration. As stated in The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church:

“We rejoice in the growing numbers of the faithful who pray in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, a testament of faith in the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. We encourage this devotion, which helps all of us to be formed by the self-giving love we behold in the Lord’s gift of himself in the Eucharist. St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta reportedly once said: ‘When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now’” (17-18).

The entire parish is warmly invited to participate in this gift of prayer by signing up for adoration on the first Friday of the month, paying a visit to Jesus during adoration times, or by attending the Abide Adoration service. A sign-up sheet is located in the parish gathering area.