Eucharistic adoration and time constraints

[DavidJoseph]

In the past I’ve asked people on here how they like to spend their holy hours. Now I have a similar question. Every Friday, my parish has a holy hour after the evening Mass, and it includes benediction at the end. Well, the rite of exposition and concluding rite of benediction take about 10 minutes each. That means I only have 40 minutes to “do my own thing” prayer-wise in between those times. Sometimes I serve at exposition and benediction, so on those days I have to spend a little bit of time in the sacristy while everyone else is adoring. That would whittle my prayer time down to about 35 minutes. In addition, confessions are offered during adoration, so if I want to go to confession, that would take off another 5 minutes or so. So all in all, I don’t exactly have an hour to spend on personal prayer – far from it.

Normally I’d start off my holy hour by basking in the Lord’s Presence for a couple minutes, pray a rosary and perhaps a litany, do a little spiritual reading and reflection, talk to God about whatever is on my mind and thank Him and pray for my needs and those of others, and for the rest of the time gaze upon the Host and listen to Jesus. But I can’t possibly fit all of that into 30-40 minutes. Does anyone here have that same problem? What would y’all suggest? Thanks in advance.

 

[threej_lc]

Its not an uncommon problem. Benediction services really aren’t meant for the same kind of prayer as perpetual adoration. PRetty much your only option is to find another place/time that has eucharistic adoration, and attend it as well. Or ask your priest to extened the benediction service.

Josh

 

[Morning_Glory]

I try to do my rosary before Mass, would that help you out? A lot of people are usually not early for church, and it’s much quieter.

 

[threej_lc]

Morning Glory:

I try to do my rosary before Mass, would that help you out? A lot of people are usually not early for church, and it’s much quieter.

I’m a big fan of the rosary during Eucharistic Adoration. What a most powerful way to be united on the blessed sacrament, gazing at him, silently meditating on his life, while invoking his mother’s intercession to be united to him.

Josh

 

[Didi]

When you have Exposition and Benediction, it is a different type of holy hour as it’s more public. I agree that if you find your time limited, try to find another hour during the week to visit Jesus somewhere else. If there isn’t anything else nearby, ask your priest if you can organize another day of adoration and get people to sign up for their own hours.

I’ve also found that sometimes I have my own expectations of what my hour should be, and that may not be what God wants of me. Some of my most fruitful times have been when I completely surrender the time to God and ask Him how he’d like me to spend it and what He wants me to pray for. Sometimes I simply sit in His presence; sometimes I sing (if there’s nobody else there); sometimes I’m led to read a particular meditation or scripture passage; sometimes I feel very called to pray the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy; sometimes someone in particular comes to mind that I haven’t thought of for awhile so I lift them up in prayer.

Leave it in His hands and ask for guidance.

 

[DBT]

Didi:

I agree that if you find your time limited, try to find another hour during the week to visit Jesus somewhere else.

I agree too.

I’ve gotten into the habit of spending my lunch hours at a Church with perpetual adoration that happens to be very near my office. Unless I have a business meeting, I pretty much go every work day.

Maybe something like this will work for you as well.

Dave.

 

[trumpet152]

threej_lc:

I’m a big fan of the rosary during Eucharistic Adoration. What a most powerful way to be united on the blessed sacrament, gazing at him, silently meditating on his life, while invoking his mother’s intercession to be united to him.

Josh

Nicely put.

 

[Mamamull]

Well, there is much good to be had during expositionof the Blessed Sacrament, I would like to remind you even when Jesus is in the Tabernacle – he is still the Savior of the World and the second person of the Holy Trinity and the Eternal Word Incarnate in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

You can adore the Lord even when He is in the Tabernacle – actually too many people forget to honor him while He humbly waits for us to love him. A little metal or wood is nothing to the Savior of the World. I have had many wonderful prayer moments before the Tabernacle and can say that even though Exposition makes it easier, it isn’t the only way.