Jesus is waiting for you at our parish every single day in the Blessed Sacrament, waiting for you to stop and spend time with Him. Saint Teresa of Calcutta tells us "The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in Heaven and will help bring about everlasting peace on earth."

Perhaps Eucharistic Adoration is new to you or maybe you have spent many Holy Hours in Adoration, either way, it is an incredible way to be with Jesus.

• Blessed Sacrament – The consecrated host, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, the Eucharist, all of these are the same thing.

• Reposition or Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament - after each Mass, any consecrated hosts remaining after everyone has received Holy Communion are placed in the tabernacle.

• Tabernacle or “dwelling place.” It is a place used to house the Eucharist outside of Mass. At SMOY, the Tabernacle is located at the back of the altar.

• Monstrance – It comes from the Latin word monstrare, meaning “to show.” The monstrance is a beautiful sacred vessel designed to display the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. Typically, it is made of gold and may contain jewels or other precious metals.

• Eucharistic Exposition – Exposing the Blessed Sacrament in a Monstrance for the purpose of allowing the faithful to pray in the presence of Jesus.

• Eucharistic Adoration – This is prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, whether it is exposed in a Monstrance or reposed in the Tabernacle. 

• Perpetual Adoration – Eucharistic Exposition that continues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with Guardians always present in Adoration and prayer. 

• Holy Hour - An hour you spend in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Don’t let “hour” scare you, you can come for as little as a few moments.

Adoring the Lord in prayer is as varied as we are varied as people. There is no right “way” that you need to pray, but if you are able, you should always genuflect (kneel down on the right knee) in front of the tabernacle or monstrance when coming and going. Here are some things to try in Adoration: 

• Say hello to Jesus – greet Him as you would a dear friend

• Pray the Rosary

• Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

• Start with an “Our Father” or a “Hail Mary” to get you focused

• Read scripture and reflect on what Jesus is saying to you

• Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church

• Pray the Divine Praises to adore Jesus

• Read about the lives of the Saints

• Journal about what you hear Jesus saying to you

• Read an inspirational book or meditation

• Pray with the Psalms

• Pray the Litany of Humility

• Just sit there in His presence, you don’t have to “do” anything

• Recite the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner”

• Pray the Liturgy of the Hours

• Ask forgiveness for yourself

• Pray for others

• Tell Jesus how much you love Him

• Thank Jesus for your blessings and your trials

Whichever way you choose to do it, just do it! Jesus wants most just to be with you.

If Adoration is new to you, try going once a week. As you grow in your relationship with the Lord and in your comfort in being there, you can increase the number of times you come to Adoration.

That’s up to you. Just being with Jesus is what He desires. You may find it difficult to sit for more than five minutes at first, that’s OK. Build up to a longer visit with Him. Some days you will lose yourself in His presence and find that you’ve been in the chapel for over an hour without realizing it. The amount of time is not what’s important, actually “going” is what matters.

What is everyone singing when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed?

The priest and congregation sing a song in Latin called “O Salutaris Hostia” (O Saving Victim). Don’t stress about your Latin language skills, sing along as best you can. The words can be found in the Missalette, a Magnificat, or online.

Benediction means blessing. At the end of the time for Eucharist Exposition the song “Tantum Ergo Sacramentum” (Come Adore) is sung and a blessing is given in silence by the Blessed Sacrament. You’ll see that the priest or deacon is wearing what’s called a humeral veil that has pockets for his hands. He picks up the monstrance with his hands covered so that the blessing is actually coming from Jesus and not from the priest or deacon. The Divine Praises are recited and then the Blessed Sacrament is reposed (retuned to the tabernacle) as we sing the hymn “Holy God We Praise Thy Name”.

• Bible

o Psalms

o Reading and Reflecting on Scripture

• Catechism of the Catholic Church

• Divine Mercy Chaplet

• Divine Praises

• Forgiveness

• Lectio Divina

o Divine Reading

o What is Lectio Divina

• Litany of Humility

• Liturgy of the Hours

• Rosary

• Lives of the Saints

o Resource 1

o Resource 2