New Catholic, new parish, and I signed up for an hour at the adoration chapel, is this a work of charity toward neighbor?

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I’m not a people person (which raises a separate thread, can I even be Christian?) so I thought I could help out by signing up for an hour weekly at the adoration chapel. Is this an act of charity toward neighbor or just toward God? Just wanna know.
 
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At Eucharistic Adoration, you are spending time with Jesus, so I would say it is an act of love/charity toward God.
 
It can be an act of charity if you make it an intercessory Holy Hour. For example, if you want to make pro-life issues your theme during a particular Holy Hour, you can spend time interceding for abortion doctors, abortion clinic workers, pro-abortion advocates, legislators, judges, etc. Then you might say a rosary for women currently faced with an unexpected pregnancy and/or recite the Divine Mercy chaplet for women in Purgatory who are making reparation for abortion. You can ask the Lord to strengthen those on the frontlines of the pro-life fight. Then at your next Holy Hour you can have a new target for your intercession, such as priests, or the salvation of the dying, or atheists, or abused children, or someone who’s been a thorn in your side, etc.
 
I think you could say that it is secondarily an act of charity. If it is perpetual adoration, and if it is an inconvenient hour, you are doing the adoration that someone else would have to do, if you didn’t.

I never like to think of adoration as a burden, but for perpetual adoration, someone has to be willing to do it at 3 am.
 
As far as I know my parish only has volunteers Mon-Fri 7am-7pm during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. When Jesus is reserved in the tabernacle no one has to be there, right?
 
If I choose let’s say, peace within my parish as an intention for holy hour, can the act of sitting there for an hour be itself the prayer, or do I have to keep repeating the prayer for an hour? Obviously I will pray for them explicitly for some amount of time.
 
I know, but if I wanted to offer up the hour for an intention, can I just say “Jesus this hour is for priests” then sit there silently with Him, or to make the intention valid must I keep explicitly asking him to help priests throughout the hour? Make sense?
 
Sometimes it’s awkward trying to think of something to say. You could say the standard prayers first and then remember the intentions you want to bring forward. Then give Jesus a chance to talk to you. Eventually he will.
 
Good! Adoration should be as full as mass is. However, if you pray for someone, it is also a spiritual work of mercy.

Win-win.
 
I don’t like talking Jesus in my mind, but I’m afraid to whisper to him in the chapel about private things because other people are there. I think I will bring a prayer journal next time.
 
Oh, for sure. You can listen carefully and see what He comes up with. That would be interesting.
 
Absolutely, constantly being close to our Lord will slowly but surely move you toward charity acts. No encounter with the Lord ever leaves anybody indifferent 🙂

Besides is it not a great work of charity keeping company with Jesus who many times is left alone on so many Chapels and completely ignored, even by faithful Catholics?

Only by being close to the source of goodness will we ever be able to become good.
 
Praying for the Poor Souls in Purgatory during Adoration could be thought of as an act of Charity. Plus they will be very grateful for it.
 
From the Catechism, of all places!
2715 Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. "I look at him and he looks at me": this is what a certain peasant of Ars in the time of his holy curé used to say while praying before the tabernacle. This focus on Jesus is a renunciation of self. His gaze purifies our heart; the light of the countenance of Jesus illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all men. Contemplation also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ. Thus it learns the “interior knowledge of our Lord,” the more to love him and follow him.
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“I look at him and he looks at me” is more than enough, given the proper disposition of the heart.

But, as I frequently repeat myself by repeating Fr. Benedict Groeschel’s words:
“When you become aware that He is there, you will be changed.”
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Of the billions of people in the world, you’re one of a fraction of a fraction of a percent who is taking any time, and an hour at that, to focus on Him in His True Presence. Since our God is generous beyond description, I’d leave it to Him to decide how to apply the merits of it. Dt 6:4 “Love God; Love neighbor” (abridged :))
 
It’s primarily an act showing love of God.

If you want to also love your neighbor, pray for others during your hour of Adoration. Most Chapels have an intention book and you can offer prayers for everyone’s intentions. Then you will be loving both God AND your neighbor.
 
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