Is Eucharistic Adoration For Everyone?

[Keith_Strohm]

Hello all,

I’ve pretty much been a lurker on this forum, reading and enjoying the lively discussions. I have a question, however, that is weighing heavily on me.

Recently in planning a retreat for catechists in my parish, the subject of Eucharistic Adoration came up. In the course of that conversation, the question was asked: Well, isn’t Christ present to us in the community as we are present to each other to the same degree as He is present to us in the Eucharist…

Now, I believe that the Church is pretty clear in its teaching regarding the fullness of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, but the point of view got me to thinking about a few things. I often hear many people say that Eucharistic Adoration isn’t their thing–they don’t feel as close to God when they are before the Eucharist as, say, they do when they are out in the woods or even when they are serving others…

But, if the Eucharist is the fullness of the Presence of Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, then what these folks are receiving when they do other prayerful things should also be present in the Eucharist. So, would it ever be correct to say that doing something else would be better than sitting before the Eucharist?

I guess I’m not thinking clearly today. I’m having trouble with the concept that going for a walk in the woods could be spiritually better than sitting before Christ in the Eucharist, yet I have to acknowledge that certain folks seem to draw life from different things.

Can anyone give me their thoughts on this?

Keith

 

[vz71]

Keith Strohm:

I often hear many people say that Eucharistic Adoration isn’t their thing–they don’t feel as close to God when they are before the Eucharist as, say, they do when they are out in the woods or even when they are serving others…

Going out on a limb here, since apologetics really is not my forte. But it seems to me the operative word here is ‘feel’.

I am not so certain the purpose of Eucharistic Adoration is to ‘feel’ closer to God. Although that is the effect on most. I was always under the impression the purpose was to quietly spend time in prayer before God. Without distractions.

I’m sure there are other apologists on this forum that could give a better answer then this, I welcome corrections.

Z

.02 duly deposited.

 

[JimG]

Keith Strohm:

… the question was asked: Well, isn’t Christ present to us in the community as we are present to each other to the same degree as He is present to us in the Eucharist…

No. He is not present in the community to the same degree at all as He is present in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist He is fully, totally, bodily, completely present in his human and divine natures.

In the community he is spiritually present. While that is certainly real, it is not the same as His real presence in the Eucharist.

It is like saying to someone, “Because you are in our hearts, you are always with us; so there’s really no need for us to come visit you personally in your house.”

 

[puzzleannie]

Eucharistic Adoration is just that, adoring and worshiping Christ truly present, body blood soul and divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. It is not a liturgical action, but it flows from the Eucharistic celebration in which His presence is confected by the priest, and is an extension of that celebration. It is one form of worship, inseparable from the worship we are united in through the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

there are many other forms of prayer, community and personal, that are appropriate and helpful at different times and places, but they do not replace the Mass. Our unity is the result of Christ’s sacrifice and our participation in it. While it is often appropriate to “withdraw into one’s own room to pray” whether your cell or a walk alone in the woods, it does not replace our communal worship, it brings the fruits of the Eucharist to our own lives.

Our coming together in one place to worship does not effect the presence of Christ, He does that in the Eucharist, unity is the result not the cause of His presence with us and in us.

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

Like a previous poster stated…he is in us SPIRITUALLY…however, he is FULLY-HUMAN AND DIVINELY present in the Eucharist…it IS Jesus

Loose Example:

When I leave my mothers house…of course I am taking her “with me”…in spirit and memory

When I am IN her house and she is in FRONT OF ME…she is PHYSICALLY present…

 

[Lance]

JimG:

No. He is not present in the community to the same degree at all as He is present in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist He is fully, totally, bodily, completely present in his human and divine natures.

In the community he is spiritually present. While that is certainly real, it is not the same as His real presence in the Eucharist.

It is like saying to someone, “Because you are in our hearts, you are always with us; so there’s really no need for us to come visit you personally in your house.”

I agree whole heartly, plus I have been going to Adoration for over 3 years and have never heard anyone who spent a hour there in real prayer say it was not their thing. When my wife convienced me to try it I was sure I would go once and never return, now I look forward to my time with Jesus with no distractions. Try it, you will like it!

 

[Keith_Strohm]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Over the past three years, I have experienced a real desire to sit before Christ in the Eucharist. It has certainly deepened my prayer life and my relationship with Christ, His Church, and the world…

It is difficult, however, to have a conversation with many Catholics nowadays who seem to prioritize Christ’s immanence within the community over His transcendence (Presence in the Eucharist). Most seem to think that, at best, all the fuss about Eucharistic Adoration is “old school,” something the Church left behind (or should leave behind). At worst, they seem to believe that Christ’s presence in the community is at least the equal of His presence in the Eucharist, if not greater than His presence in the Eucharist.

They will often focus on the Church as the Body of Christ rather than the actual Body of Christ. The truth, I know, is that both are bound up with each other, and that the Eucharist is the “sublime cause of our unity.”

But, a major question needs to be addressed and it’s answer evangelized throughout the Church: Which is greater, the Body of Christ in the Eucharist or the Body of Christ in the Church. It seems to me that one of the fundamental shifts in belief that undergirds much of the theology of “professional” lay ecclesial ministers and the majority of Catholics today is the pre-eminence of the Church as the Body of Christ over the Eucharist…

Keith Strohm