Eucharistic Adoration
By Andrew Chabak and Jean Marie Doer May 2005
“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” – Pope John Paul II. It is celebrated each Thursday at St. James Basking Ridge.
Pope John Paul II on Eucharistic Devotion – “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is . . . an important daily practice and becomes an inexhaustible source of holiness . . . It is pleasant to spend time with (Christ), to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple and to feel the infinite love present in his heart.” – Pope John Paul II in The Church and the Eucharist
Luna-Glass enclosure that holds the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.
Cope-Ornate cloak-like vestment worn over a white alb and a stole by clergy at Benediction and processions.
Humeral Veil-Scarf-like liturgical garment about eight or nine feet long and two or three feet wide, worn over the shoulders. The minister covers his hand with the ends of the veil so that it, not his hands touches the monstrance at Benediction or during procession of the Blessed Sacrament.
Incense-Granulated or powdered aromatic resin that, when sprinkled on glowing coals in a censer (thurible), becomes a fragrant cloud of smoke to symbolize prayer rising to God. Incense is used whenever there is Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and during processions with the Blessed Sacrament.
Related Web Links
http://www.saintjamesbr.org/AdorationEucharistic.aspx
“We have to do him homage”. Those words, spoken by the Magi from the East as they searched for the infant Jesus, resound through the centuries to be echoed in the heart of every person who makes a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. The presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is as real today as the infant Jesus was to the Wise Men who sought Him by following a star rising in the East.
As Pope John Paul II affirmed in his encyclical on the relationship of the Eucharist of the Church, “….the gaze of the Church is constantly turned to our Lord, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which she discovers the full manifestation of his boundless love.” ( the Church and the Eucharist, 1) Eucharistic Adoration is the act of worshiping God as He is present in the consecrated Eucharist. Since the Last Supper, when Jesus broke the bread and distributed the wine, saying “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood,” Catholics have believed that the bread and wine are no longer merely baked wheat and fermented grape juice, but the actual living presence of the Second Person of the Trinity. Spending time before the Blessed Sacrament, in prayer and devotion, is exactly the same as spending time before the living God. Adoration occurs whenever someone kneels in front of a tabernacle that contains the Blessed Sacrament, genuflects toward a tabernacle, bows before receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass, or in a more focused way, when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for Adoration. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Ways to Celebrate Eucharistic Adoration Mass- The congregation kneels as the priest lifts the Sacrament, declaring: “This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” At Communion, each individual blows in front of the Blessed Sacrament before receiving Our Lord under the appearance of bread and wine. Forty Hours Devotion- Forty semi-continuous hours of adoration of the Eucharist, held annually in some parishes. Perpetual Adoration-continuous exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for the purpose of uninterrupted adoration, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Church Visit-A short visit to a church for the purpose of greeting the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle. Benediction- After a period of exposition and adoration, the Blessed Sacrament is used to bless the congregation. Eucharistic hymns, most often O Saluataris Hostia and Tantum Ergo, are traditionally sung. Procession- A sacred parade in which clergy and faithful walk from one place to another, giving praise, thanks, and worship to God, especially b adoring the Blessed Sacrament. History of Perpetual Adoration Although the Real Presence http://www.therealpresence.org/chap_fr.htm has been recognized since the time of the apostles, evidence shows perpetual adoration may have begun in the sixth century in the Cathedral of Lugo, Spain. By the twelfth century, St. Thomas Becket is known to have prayed for King Henry II before the “majesty of the Body of Christ,” and by the sixteenth century the devotion known as forty hours had developed. In nineteenth-century Adoration at St. James was founded by coauthor Jean Marie Doer in 2004. It occurs each Thursday morning, unless cancellation due to Holy Days. Refer to the on-line bulletin or on-line calendar. Things to Do During Eucharistic Adoration Fr. Benedict Groescel point out In the Presence of Our Lord: The History, Theology, and Psychology of Eucharistic Devotion that there are “four kinds of prayer most appropriate in the presence of the Eucharist, namely adoration and praise, thanksgiving, repentance, and trusting intercession.” Here are suggestions for what to do during private Eucharistic adoration: Whether you are praising, giving thanks, asking for forgiveness, or seeking an answer, you’ll find and appropriate psalm. The ancient prayer of the Church called the Liturgy or the Hours presents and excellent way to pray through the Book of Psalms throughout the year. Say “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner,” repeatedly as you quiet your heart and mind. Choose a passage from the Bibl. Read the words and ask God to let the passage speak to you. Pay special attention to anything that strikes you and ask God what He wishes for you to draw from that passage. Most holy men and women have ha a great devotion to Our Lord in the Eucharist. Therese of Lisieux, Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Peter Julian Eymard, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Baroness Catherine deHuck are just a few. Read about them and pray their prayers before the Blessed Sacrament. Speak to Jesus, aware that you are in His presence, and tell Him all that comes to our mind. Listen for His response. Pray the prayer that St. Francis instructed his brothers to pray whenever they were before the Blessed Sacrament: “I adore you, O Christ, present here and in all the churches of the world, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.” Thinks of those who have hurt you and request a special blessing for them. Ask God to forgive you for all the times you have neglected or hurt someone else. Bring before the Blessed Sacrament all those who have asked you to pray for them. Ask the Lord to address their concerns. Pope John Paul II reminds us, “…is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of the new born Christ and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us every time we receive Eucharistic communion? (The Church and the Eucharist, 55) Ask Mary to join you as you gaze on Christ in the Eucharist and as you pray the Rosary. Think of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament as coming to see your best friend. Sit quietly and enjoy being in each other’s company. Instead of talking to the Lord, try listening to what He wants to tell you. Appendix The Church and the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II 2003 encyclical In the Presence of Our Lord: The History, Theology, and Psychology of Eucharistic Devotion, by Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R., and James Monti Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with the Saints, by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R., and James Monti Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with St. Thomas Aquinas, by Mike Aquilina Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Praying in the Presence of Our Lord for the Holy Souls, by Susan Tassone Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Dorothy Day, by David Scott The How-To Book of the Mass, by Michael Dubruiel Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition Nos. 1322 ff. Definitions 
What is Eucharistic Adoration?
The devotion begins with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. A priest or deacon removes the sacred host from the tabernacle and places it on the altar for adoration. The purpose of adoration is to highlight the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist.
Monstrance – Sacred vessel used for the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.