Eastern Christians (Orthodox and Catholic) typically do not appropriate “newer” innovations. Like anything newer than the first seven Ecumenical Councils.
Adoration of the Eucharist is a newer development in the Church, and became most pronounced during the Counter-Reformation.
No one in the East ever doubted the True Presence of Christ. In the West, Protestants began that attack on the Western/Latin Church that they had experience with.
The Holy Mysteries are guarded and protected, and Eastern theology is happy to embrace their Mystery. It is very different from Western precision, explanation, and legalism that comes forth from Scholasticism and the Angelic Doctor.
Recall, even during the Divine Liturgy, very little of what occurs on the Altar is seen by anyone but the clergy. Even when the Royal Doors are open, you simply see the back of the priest. Many of his prayers are never heard by the congregation. You interact more with the deacon who leads multiple litanies and incensations. The iconostasis is like a wall separating heaven (sanctuary) from earth (nave).
The theological and liturgical patrimony of the East simply do not envision worship of the reserved Holy Bread. It is only reserved for taking to the sick, as it was in the West, initially, too.
Where Eastern parishes or monasteries might do something like this, they are the exception and not the rule. Many parishes have Latinizations, but they don’t make sense, and Pope Saint John Paul II, worked hard to get rid of them.
Deacon Christopher
