I just went to adoration and I feel horrible

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I prayed for all my family and friends and everyone who was in the church at the time but I felt nothing. I honestly didn’t even want to go tonight but I belong to the men’s group and they pretty much begged me to sign up for an hour in the wee hours of the morning. I went out of obligation and in all honesty, I slept throughout most of my hour.

I feel awful. I didn’t get anything out of tonight’s adoration. What does this mean? Did I offend God? Do I need to work on loving the Lord without feeling obligated?
 
This hour you are doing at night may be because no one else volunteered. If so, then this hour is a sacrifice for God, leave feelings out if it. Not all parts of Christianity feel good, just look at Jesus on the cross.
2. Use this hour to dedicate a kind of pattern. Example, pray the rosary, then read 5 pages of the Bible, give thanks for all God has done for you, your requests for tomorrow, a reflection. And the people who also go to adoration will also become a strength by their own faith.
 
Don’t worry about it, Jesus does work for your soul whether you feel it or not. You cannot feel ecstatic every time you go to adoration
 
Time spent in adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is never wasted. The value and importance of the time spent there is inestimable and doesn’t depend on how you feel. Of course consolations are nice but they are not the be all and end all. Jesus was there. That’s what matters. And even though you weren’t aware of it being in His Eucharistic Presence profoundly affects you at the depths of your being. I sometimes nod off at adoration. That’s fine. We are human. We get tired. We are weak at times.

Every hour spent at adoration is priceless for you and the whole world. When you get to meet Jesus face to face in heaven you will then realise the importance of every mass you attended and every hour you spent with the Lord in Adoration.

God bless you.
 
It probably means your body hates being up at that time, and that’s likely all it means.
You’re doing the exact same thing Peter, James and John did when they fell asleep in the garden while Jesus was praying. They’d been up the evening before eating a big heavy meal of lamb, bread, wine.

We do not go to Adoration expecting to get a great feeling. If we happen to get a good feeling, it’s a gift from God, but we’re doing this For God, not to get something back except maybe some grace when and if God chooses to give it to us.

So, you have two choices:
  1. Continue to do the hour as a sacrifice. See if you can do something like take a nap earlier in the day or pound a big cup of coffee before you show up for Adoration, so that you can stay awake during the hour. With practice, it may get easier.
OR
  1. Bow out because it’s too hard for you to be awake at that time; maybe see if you can find someone else to take the hour who is better able to stay awake.
 
You won’t necessarily feel anything at all during adoration. If you try to judge whether God is with you or not based on feelings you will be greatly disappointed often. We know God is always with us because He said so. Everyone has bad and good days. It’s okay, don’t feel bad about it. Just keep going and praying. True devotion is having faith regardless of how you feel. God bless
 
You mention “tonight’s adoration.” Has your experience been different when you’ve gone before? If so, I wouldn’t be too concerned about one time that was less consoling. On the other hand, it’s this is your regular reaction to adoration, then perhaps you need to discern whether this is the best form of prayer for you. We all have different personalities, different strengths and weaknesses, and different prayer preferences. That’s the way God made us and it’s a good thing!
 
every first friday of the month i sign up for an hour in the early morning hours. i sometimes go on wednesdays too
 
Adoration, actually none of the practices of the faith are about feelings.

Think of it this way, parents LOVE their kids. Sometimes when the kid vomits all over the bed at 3 AM the parent does not feel the lovey feelings, they get up and clean the child and get them some medicine and back to sleep out of obligation. Having a sense of duty and obligation is a good thing.
 
If you don’t feel a thing. That’s OK.

If you leave still in kind of a crummy mood. That’s OK.

Imagine what would happen if everyone felt something good whenever they went to adoration, lots of people would go. But would their intentions be pure? Far from it. God wants to be loved for himself. This is what I often think to myself. Some days will be accompanied with consolation, but you must not expect it.

As long as you’re in a state of grace, I don’t think you need to worry about God being angry with you.

You do get Grace from Adoration whether you feel anything or not. It’s called a Son tan.

I recommend you do it for one month and then come back and tell us how things have gone.

Jesus loves that you made that Holy Hour, nap time or not.

Take a quick look at this PDF on 100 benefits of Eucharistic Adoration…I think its’excellent and now and then take it out and read it a little at adoration as encouragement.

http://www.stmarknc.org/media/1/18/benefits_of_holy_hour.pdf
 
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So it sounds like you go regularly. Is it normally empty like it was this most recent time, or is it normally better than that? I wouldn’t be too concerned about one time. If it’s your regular experience then I think you need to look at it more.
 
Keep going…you will notice a change.
Jesus knows you are there with Him.
 
I used to visit my grandmother when she was in the later stages of Alzheimers in the nursing home - the same one I put her in, by the way. Sometimes, the visit wouldn’t last too long because she would sleep through it. Sometimes, I was distracted and went out of obligation as her duly appointed caregiver and legal representative. I would look at her mail, check nursing notes or speak to the staff about care issues, and look over the laundry situation. I didn’t “feel” much during those visits - guess you could say I didn’t get anything out of it. She passed two years ago or so… I’m glad I was there, even for those perfunctory visits. Did she know I was there? Did I get a sense of anything special at the time (or did the benefit only come later)? Does any of that really matter? Just some musings as I reflect on your sentiments (which I have shared myself before) about adoration - and those musings are precisely why I go to adoration every chance I get - even if I don’t feel like it or mistakenly think I don’t get anything out of it.
 
I used to pray Vigils daily with Benedictine Monks. It was at 4:30am and many of them were propped up on kneelers asleep while the others carried the prayer. I’m confident in saying all of us would have rather been in bed at that hour. So, if the professionals struggle like this, then we amateurs shouldn’t be do hard on ourselves.
 
I used to bring all kinds of prayer books to adoration.

Eventually, I would just sit there and smile … I smile at Him and He smiles at me.

No conversation necessary.
 
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One day a nurse arrived and prayed … then a police officer … then a priest … I figured the three of them were there for me … in case I croaked at 4am … but then, one by one they left.

Another time, a young fellow got up to leave, but instead went up to the altar and looked closely at the monstrance from every angle and finally genuflected and left … but first came over to me and asked if the glass in the monstrance was “magnifying glass”. I said “no, I don’t think so”. So, he just nodded and left. I always wondered what he saw to “inspire” that question.
 
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