Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament (Part II of V)

11-08-2020Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Family,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

Our St. Bernadette family has been blessed to have adoration of Our Lord offered for many years. We have several committed parishioners who adore Our Eucharistic King regularly. This is such a wonderful blessing for them and for our parish.

Each adorer who commits to one Holy Hour per week becomes a critical link in an unbroken chain of love offered to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Our parish magnifies our Eucharistic King by giving Him the honor and glory due His Holy Name through perpetual Eucharistic adoration. Perpetual adoration gives great honor and glory to Our Lord because, "worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing (Rev. 5:12) and to be incessantly adored for all that He has done for our salvation." (cf Rev. 5:9)

Each adorer is individually called to take part in perpetual Eucharistic adoration, freely responding to the first commandment, "The Lord your God is the one to whom you must adore, him alone you must serve." (Mt 4:10) Besides, for each adorer, “the act of adoration outside of Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, #66)

Thus, the chapel of perpetual adoration becomes an oasis of peace where people go to gain new strength according to the call, "Come to me all you who labor and are overburdened and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28), and to open a temporary gap in the daily hustle and bustle of life to be in the Lord's Divine Presence. "Be still and know I am God." (Ps 46:11)

Recall the story of Martha and Mary… Martha was busy (and upset) while Mary sat at the feet of Our Lord. Jesus reminded Martha that Mary had chosen the better part. Pope Emeritus Benedict the XVI emphasizes these words from Our Lord when he wrote: "I would like to recall the priority of prayer over action since it is on prayer that the effectiveness of action depends. The Church's mission largely depends on each person's personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and must, therefore, be nourished by prayer: "It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism." (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritatis Est, n, 37)

Therefore, the commitment to perpetual adoration is to grow in our personal relationship with Jesus and contribute to the Church's mission to bring Christ to the world and the world to Christ.

To be continued…

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