Adoration question

[Mark_B]

For clarity, I’m a Baptist learning about Catholicism. I enjoy many things about the Catholic faith and I am trying to learn about the various practices of the Catholic faith. I seem to be drawn to the fact that Catholics have the Sacraments to aid in their walk with Christ, and I want to know more about them. I feel that if i go to Adoration and truly open myself to the Presence of Christ, I might find the answers I need to take the next step to accepting the Catholic faith. I fully believe in the power of prayer, and I have prayed numerous times for God to give me the answers. I have been to Mass on numerous occations with my in-laws and feel great when I leave, although I have received a blessing from the priest, but not the Eucharist.

My question is, if I go to Adoration as a non-catholic, what should I do as far as entering the church during Adoration? I don’t currently use the Holy water, and I don’t kneel when I enter the pew. I do, however, pause, and bow my head, in respect for the Church. Is this acceptable during Adoration? I don’t want to offend anyone, but I also don’t know what is proper during this most precious time with the Presence of Christ. I just want to attend an Adoration and allow the Holy Spirit to lead me.

Any responses would be appreciated.

 

[Marie5890]

Mark welcome.

As a non-Catholic the only thing you shouldn’t be doing is partaking of the Eucharist and I am sure you know that.

You most certainly can bless yourself with holy water (that is considered a sacramental, not a sacrament) When we bless ourselves with holy water we are renewing our baptismal promises. You are a baptized Christian.

And genuflecting (going down on one’s right knee) is certainly very appropriate or bowing.

I love Adoration. Absolutely love it!! GO!! And may you enjoy the peace and love that comes from it.

 

[corsair]

You certainly may attend Adoration and don’t be shy about genuflecting toward the Host in the Tabernacle. As a matter of fact, if you truely desire to adore Christ, I would recommend a full double knee genuflection (down on both knees and a deep bow). After all He is truely God and you are in His Prescence.

After that you are totally free to either pray or just sit in silence and let Him guide you as to what to do next.

I usually spend at least an hour and sometime a lot longer. I often pray the Rosary and or read from a spiritual book of some sort. Currently I’m doing the Holy Hour of Reparation. I also leave some time for pure silence.

I leave in the same manner I came in, with both knees to the floor and a deep bow. I often see folks that totally prostrate them selves, others crawl forward while praying toward where they eventually sit in the pew.

So go and enjoy the experience. Its awsome!!!

 

[Mark_B]

Is it ok to bring a Bible to read? I feel that God leads me to certain Scriptures sometimes when I look for His guidance.

 

[Marie5890]

Is it ok to bring a Bible to read? I feel that God leads me to certain Scriptures sometimes when I look for His guidance.

Absolutely. How ever you spend it, as long is it is reverent, is fine.

Enjoy and God Bless

 

[onmyknees]

For clarity, I’m a Baptist learning about Catholicism. I enjoy many things about the Catholic faith and I am trying to learn about the various practices of the Catholic faith. I seem to be drawn to the fact that Catholics have the Sacraments to aid in their walk with Christ, and I want to know more about them. I feel that if i go to Adoration and truly open myself to the Presence of Christ, I might find the answers I need to take the next step to accepting the Catholic faith. I fully believe in the power of prayer, and I have prayed numerous times for God to give me the answers. I have been to Mass on numerous occations with my in-laws and feel great when I leave, although I have received a blessing from the priest, but not the Eucharist.

My question is, if I go to Adoration as a non-catholic, what should I do as far as entering the church during Adoration? I don’t currently use the Holy water, and I don’t kneel when I enter the pew. I do, however, pause, and bow my head, in respect for the Church. Is this acceptable during Adoration? I don’t want to offend anyone, but I also don’t know what is proper during this most precious time with the Presence of Christ. I just want to attend an Adoration and allow the Holy Spirit to lead me.

Any responses would be appreciated.

Hi Mark,

I am very fortunate that my parish has a perpetual Adoration chapel in our church and I just live a few blocks away. I try to visit our Lord at least twice a week for a holy hour with Him.

When entering an Adoration chapel ( where Jesus is exposed in the monstrance) it is appropriate to get down on the floor on your knees and bow down to Him. If one is physically unable to do this they can genuflect or bow to Him. Then you can kneel, sit or stand during the Adoration hour.

When you enter the church you may bless yourself with the holy water as the above poster said. If you don’t have an Adoration chapel and Christ is exposed in the monstrance on the altar then it is again appropriate to get down on your knees and bow down to Him before entering the pew. If He is reserved in the tabernacle on the altar it is good to genuflect before entering the pew. It is a sign of respect and reverence to Him. Also when passing by the altar it is appropriate to make a deep bow because the altar is where the sacrifice of the Lamb of God takes place at mass.

It is so wonderful that you want to come and adore Christ in the Eucharist! Adoration is the best place to ask the Holy Spirit to lead you because you are in His presence. I agree that it is the most precious time and gives us such peace! God bless you!

 

[Victorious]

I feel that if i go to Adoration and truly open myself to the Presence of Christ, I might find the answers I need to take the next step to accepting the Catholic faith.

Correct. This is exactly what will happen. He does all the work. All you have to do is show up. Rather like getting a tan: all you have to do is sit in the sun, and the sun does the rest.

If you believe that you are in the presence of God, then you ought to genuflect. Both knees is appropriate when the Host is exposed in the monstrance.

 

[po18guy]

Blessed are you, Mark_B! You are seeking the truth with an open heart. God knows this and will continue to shed His graces upon you. Many conversions have occurred simply by spending time in our Lord’s presence. Adoration is the worship of Christ outside of the mass. If you have enjoyed the mass, prepare to be bowled over at the profound spirituality that is involved in adoration.

As for me, I did not adore the Blessed Sacrament outside of mass for years. Then, once I began, I could not stop. I found myself being drawn much more deeply into prayer when before Him. I have since experienced too many miracles in His presence to doubt any longer. I would suggest the utmost in reverence when presenting oneself before our Lord. We normally bless ourselves with the holy water upon entering, as it is a sign of our baptismal entry into the Church. A genuflection is appropriate and I would ask only that you take it on simple, childlike faith at this point, that our Lord is there before you.

Feel free to read scripture, pray, or just contemplate Him. You may see some others prostrate themselves before Him - that is not unheard of. Since you are coming from another faith tradition, might I dare to suggest that you ask our Lord, from your seeking heart, to reveal His presence to you? Then, just have pave patience, because once you realize that He is there, you will be changed.

Christ’s peace be with you, and I am praying for you.

 

[puzzleannie]

Fo. I feel that if i go to Adoration and truly open myself to the Presence of Christ, I might find the answers I need to take the next step to accepting the Catholic faith. I f

you are absolutely correct in this feeling. I can think of no better way for you to pray as you have been doing. You might want to read and reflect on the gospel accounts of the Last Supper and the Passion during these times as well. He is here.

My question is, if I go to Adoration as a non-catholic, what should I do as far as entering the church during Adoration?

 

[Lapey]

Is it ok to bring a Bible to read? I feel that God leads me to certain Scriptures sometimes when I look for His guidance.

God bless you brother Mark for your ability and desire to search! I may be a bit premature on this statement, but here it goes anyway, welcome home!!! If you desire adoration, you are hooked…

By all means, bring in your bible to pray with the Sacred Scriptures while in Adoration, yes! Many pray the rosary while in His presence, or the Devine Mercy Chaplet or similar personal devotions. It’s your hour with Jesus, He wants you there in whatever way makes you comfortable.

There are several type situations where adoration is different. Excuse me if I confuse you, I’ll try my best to explain.

Perpetual adoration chapels are becoming the norm in many areas. These can be quite enjoyable because they are normally very quiet and peaceful. You may attend an hour on a regular basis just as Peter, James and John were invited by Jesus to pray with Him on that night before His cruel death.

As awesome as these chapels are, there are other occasions which present totally different opportunities, such as Holy Thursday night. The Thursday before Easter is when the Feast of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. Please accept our invitation to attend this Mass. You will see Scripture and Tradition come alive before your eyes during this celebration. The mass itself, and the washing of the feet, then to top off the evening, Eucharistic adoration until midnight then Benediction with incense and the whole nine yards. All of your senses will be touched. It’s like my birthday every year, by far my favorite day of the year.

If the parish you have been to has an active youth group, seek out the youth director to see if they have times of adoration with the kids. These opportunities can be incredible, if you like being with teens which I love. They can be so reverent and so love Jesus in the Eucharist. Now, I’m not talking about the mandated group, I am talking about the group of teens who voluntarily seek out this time with Jesus, in other words, they want to be there and are not forced. I have learned so much from the kids in my area, they are amazing in their faith.

There are also times of adoration with the Charismatic prayer groups that can be beneficial if this is your spirituality. We have a very good and active Marian charismatic group here in my area that meets every Thursday night. I attend when I need prayer, or a message. Adoration with a gang of charismatics can be a little disturbing for traditionalists, but it’s available if this is your cup of tea.

There are other opportunities, depending on your location. Our bishop has brought in many conferences here in South Louisiana like, Steubenville on the Bayou, Youth Rally, Man of God and Women of God conferences every quarter. So normally he presides over adoration and benediction at all these events.

So I guess my advice to you is, “…seek and you shall find…”

Good luck and God bless!!!

 

[Lynette77]

You have the desire for adoration. That alone is a gift from the Lord himself. When you spend time with the Lord it is not about what prayers you say or what you do, its just being present before the Lord.

On a personal note I like to do a few things at Adoration (depending on the amount of time i have). Sometimes I pray the rosary, divine mercy chaplet, I read the bible sometimes I pray the stations of the cross. For me being still before the Lord and not praying but listening is the best part.

The most important thing is to stick to the time. If you decide an hour, stay for that hour. the regular discipline of that prayer time will deepen your relationship with God. before you know it you will long for that prayer time to come around each day.

be happy

 

[LPS]

I fully believe in the power of prayer, and I have prayed numerous times for God to give me the answers.

My church offers perpetual adoration and I volunteered for a certain hour each week. It has been such an enormous blessing! God has been teaching me and leading me into a deeper prayer life.

I take my Bible each week so by all means, take yours! And while it’s entirely appropriate for you to use holy water and to genuflect, they also are not “required” so what you are doing is perfectly fine. What you do, do it for the LORD

 

[COLOS]

…
…
I don’t currently use the Holy water
…

Any responses would be appreciated.

When I was in the process of converting, I wondered if Jesus might actually be present in the Eucharist. I had an intellectual understanding that this “might be real, and if it is I need to know for certain” kind of thing.

I did what you’re doing. I went to adoration, but didn’t have a clue what I was supposed to do. I ended up sitting in a pew and praying a mental prayer, “If you’re here, please cause me to believe it.” I knew the arguments. I knew the history. I “knew” to a degree in my mind, but it is also a matter of the heart. Often, I wouldn’t say or do anything at all. I would just “be there” with Him.

Ultimately, it is God who draws you to Himself. Just keep going to adoration while being as respectful and reverant as you possibly can. Merely being lovingly in His substantial presence will change you.

Don’t be afraid of the Holy Water. It is set apart for your use. Basically, when you dip your fingers in this sacramental and sign yourself with the sign of the cross you are, in a manner of speaking, reconfirming or restating your Baptismal vows. Holy Water can be viewed as a present sign of the waters at the creation of the world: the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters. This is the sign of the waters of the New Creation. It is a sign of the waters of Baptism…indeed, historically, it is the same water used for Baptism. Where you place the Holy Water, the prayer used to bless the water is also placed. Yeah, don’t be afrad of using the Holy Water.

A couple of quotes from the Catholic Encyclopedia for you to consider:

The use of holy water in the earliest days of the Christian Era is attested by documents of only comparatively late date. The “Apostolic Constitutions”, the redaction of which goes back to about the year 400, attribute to the Apostle St. Matthew the precept of using holy water. The letter written under the name of Pope Alexander I, who lived in the second century, is apocryphal and of more recent times; hence the first historical testimony does not go back beyond the fifth century. However, it is permissible to suppose for the sake of argument that, in the earliest Christian times, water was used for expiatory and purificatory purposes, to a way analogous to its employment under the Jewish Law.

In some places it was carefully preserved throughout the year and, by reason of its having been used in baptism, was considered free from all corruption. This belief spread from East to West; and scarcely had baptism been administered, when the people would crown around with all sorts of vessels and take away the water, some keeping it carefully in their homes whilst others watered their fields, vineyards, and gardens with it (“Ordo rom. I”, 42, in “Mus. ital.”, II, 26).

However, baptismal water was not the only holy water. Some was permanently retained at the entrance to Christian churches where a clerk sprinkled the faithful as they came in and, for this reason, was called hydrokometes or “introducer by water”, an appellation that appears in the superscription of a letter of Synesius in which allusion is made to “lustral water placed in the vestibule of the temple”. This water was perhaps blessed in proportion as it was needed, and the custom of the Church may have varied on this point.

Hincmar of Reims gave directions as follows: “Every Sunday, before the celebration of Mass, the priest shall bless water in his church, and, for this holy purpose, he shall use a clean and suitable vessel. The people, when entering the church, are to be sprinkled with this water, and those who so desire may carry some away in clean vessels so as to sprinkle their houses, fields, vineyards, and cattle, and the provender with which these last are fed, as also to throw over their own food” (“Capitula synodalia”, cap. v, in P.L., CXXV, col, 774).

I don’t mean to digress to a topic mentioned by you only in passing, but Holy Water is beneficial.

As far as Adoration is concerned for a non-Catholic, I don’t think that you can go wrong by showing up for Adoration with a humble and prayerful spirit.

 

[Mark_B]

Correct. This is exactly what will happen. He does all the work. All you have to do is show up. Rather like getting a tan: all you have to do is sit in the sun, and the sun does the rest.

I sense a lot of sarcasm in your response. I’m not trying to say that simply going to Adoration will make me Catholic, nor am I saying it will give me all the answers I am looking for.

For a non-Catholic, one of the hardest beliefs to wrap your head around is the Real Presence. My entire life, I have been taught that Communion is symbolic and a representation of Christ, so it is difficult for a non-Catholic to accept the Real Presence. I personally feel that Christ can do all things, and if He wants to show His Presence in any form, He can and will do that. My reason for wanting to go to Adoration is that I feel that I can truly accept that Christ is present in the Eucharist, and if I open myself up to Him, the Holy Spirit may lead me to some of the answers I am searching for about the Catholic faith. I am not looking for a spiritual awakening. I am very strong in my faith. I’m not searching for Christ. I am searching for a more complete way to worship Christ.

If you did not mean sarcasm in your response, I apologize. However, your comment came across as such.

 

[Victorious]

Victorious;7701203:

Correct. This is exactly what will happen. He does all the work. All you have to do is show up. Rather like getting a tan: all you have to do is sit in the sun, and the sun does the rest.

I sense a lot of sarcasm in your response. I’m not trying to say that simply going to Adoration will make me Catholic, nor am I saying it will give me all

the answers I am looking for.

There was no sarcasm in my response. I meant exactly what I said. Eucharistic adoration changed my life. Try paying attention to my signature quote and my avatar to find out whether I am being sarcastic about Eucharistic adoration.