Hello All,
There has been a lot of great discussion here about Eucharistic adoration. It is one of the most spiritually powerful things that we can do in terms of private devotion. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen made a Holy Hour in front of the tabernacle every day of his priesthood, and I try to do the same as often as I can.
Eucharistic adoration (whether in front of the tabernacle or in front of a monstrance) can be as structed or as unstructed as the individual feels moved to do. In terms of a structed approach, there are devotional booklets out there specifically designed for Eucharistic adoration, but I have not read any so I can't give any recommendations at this time.
But regardless of the exact approach, I think Eucharistic adoration should be considered a personal, intimate encounter with our Lord. I see it as "quality time" with Him, and the approaches that Tina and Melody described illustrate this very well.
Bible reading (especially the Lectio Divina approach), spiritual reading, Rosary praying, etc. are things that many people like to do during adoration. Some people like to meditate on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. But my spiritual director suggests that for every minute a person does something active during adoration (reading, Rosary, novenas, etc.) he should spend a minute "listening" to the Lord (i.e., quiet contemplation, listening for God in the silence, noting the movements of your heart, etc.).
Personally I sometimes have trouble with the silent listening part. I can have trouble sitting still and sometimes I even feel like a kid at "time out."
My mind will wander and I start thinking about trivial things. When I realize this, I try to mentally get back on track. But even when someone sits there distracted, adoration is still powerful, because one is taking time out for the Lord and sitting in His substantial Presence. A kind of "spiritual photosenthesis" is going on, helping the soul to be nourished and to grow, just as sunlight does this for plants.
As mortal humans, time is very important to us and we have a natural tendency to try to horde our free time and jealously protect it. Therefore, when we fight this tendency to spend free time with the Lord in Eucharistic adoration, we are giving God something that we hold to be precious. Considering that angels are beings not caught in time and space, a human who gives up his free time for the Lord is giving Him a gift that not even angels can give. This is a very profound thing, and I think that God recognizes this and showers many special blessings on those who spend quality time with Him in this manner. Melody, of course, has testified to this concerning her articles and songs, and that's just one example of what I'm talking about.
Melody - regarding how you like to write articles and songs during adoration, I heard that Patrick O'Brian wrote his entire novel "Father Elijah: An Apocalypse" the same way. If anyone has not read it, it's a great Catholic novel about the end of times (and I believe it is published by Ignatius Press).
God bless,
-Rev. Eric
The Glorify God Community
Author
