Eucharistic Adoration Part II

07-11-2021Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In his recent Apostolic Exhortation Veneremur Cernui - Down in Adoration Falling, Bishop Olmsted wrote beautifully about the powerful impact Adoration of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament has in a person's life. Our Saints desire for us to fall in love with Our Eucharistic King.

Bishop Olmsted writes: Saint Augustine teaches us this when, in speaking about the Eucharistic Body of Christ, he said that "we consume what we adore, and we adore what we consume." To enter into this circle of adoration and consummation is to know a foretaste of the beatitude which the Lord desires us to know. The Saints are the best teachers of the power of Eucharistic adoration. Saint Dominic Savio once wrote: "To be happy nothing is lacking for me in this world; I lack only the vision in Heaven of that Jesus, whom with the eyes of faith I now see and adore on the altar." Once a person complained to Saint Teresa of Avila that his faith in Jesus would have been stronger if he could have seen the Lord during the days of his earthly ministry. The Saint quickly responded, "But do we not have in the Eucharist the living, true and real Jesus present before us? Why look for more?". Who can forget the moving wisdom of the farmer who, when asked by Saint John Marie Vianney what he does for hours in front of the tabernacle, responded: "I look at Him and He looks at me." Venerable J.J. Olier wrote: "When there are two roads which will bring me to some place, I take the one with more churches so as to be nearer the Blessed Sacrament. When I see a place where my Jesus is, I could not be happier, and I say, 'You are here, my God and my All'."

Why Perpetual Adoration?

Here are three excellent reasons:

• To provide an easy, attractive, and practical way of rendering God adoration which is His due as our Creator of giving Him thanks for our redemption of making reparation for our sins and the sins of mankind; of petitioning the good God for the constant help we need
• To show our gratitude to our Lord for remaining among us in our tabernacles, and
• To make at least some atonement for the many sacrileges, indifferences, and ingratitude which He receives in His Sacrament of Love.

What spiritual benefits and graces can be attributed to the establishment of a parish Perpetual Adoration program?

• an increase in Mass attendance and reception of the sacraments;
• return of fallen-away Catholics and increase in the number of conversions;
• increase in religious and priestly vocations;
• renewal of Catholic family life;
• spiritual level of the people is raised with a resulting desire and courage to spread the good news to others
• a greater community spirit, centered as it is on the heart of the parish, Jesus' presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

To be continued next week...