The 'dos and don'ts' of Adoration

[Daniel_Lysinger]

Adoration of Holy Eucharist is a very honorable thing. It’s sad to see someone dislike it. Our Lord is a king, and it is entirely pleasing to him to be adored and praised by his people. How can you say “His body is not something to be locked in something for exposing. No one makes bread just to ‘see’. It is made to eat”? I’m afraid you are heartily mistaken here, for it is not bread that is in the monstrance, but rather his Body, whole and entire, under the accident of bread. Therefore, your entire argument here is irrational.

Holy Eucharist is the sacrament. It is the entire Holy Mass. Mass is not only the bread and wine that becomes the Body and blood of Jesus. Holy Mass is not merely a process for making Jesus’s body and blood. The entire mass is the sacrament and the His body and blood to be consumed within that mass time. No leftover was allowed by God in the old testament pesha.

If the practice was so bad, the Magisterium of the Church would not have allowed it.

“Adoration outside Holy Mass prolongs and intensifies what has taken place in the liturgical celebration and makes a true and profound reception of Christ possible. I . . . warmly recommend, to Pastors and to all the faithful, the practice of Eucharistic adoration” (Pope Benedict XVI, June 10, 2007).

“The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church. This worship is strictly linked to the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The presence of Christ under the sacred species reserved after Mass—a presence which lasts as long as the species of bread and or wine remain—derives from the celebration of the sacrifice and is directed toward communion, both sacramental and spiritual. It is the responsibility of pastors to encourage, also by their personal witness, the practice of Eucharistic adoration, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in particular, as well as, prayers of adoration before Christ present under the Eucharistic species.” (Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia)

“In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.” “With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily recommend to the Church’s pastors and to the People of God the practice of Eucharistic Adoration, both individually and in community…Great benefit would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the importance of this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience the liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to set aside specific churches or oratories for Perpetual Adoration.”(Pope Benedict XVI, February 22, 2007, Sacramentum Caritatis, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation)

 

[otjm]

Someone told me yesterday that you shouldn’t do the Stations of the Cross during Adoration; is this true and are there any other prayers you shouldn’t say during Adoration?

My first thought was that you should ask them to cite the authority which says that.

Ah, but that is a bit confrontative. Particularly if you did by saying “Says who!?”

I have said the LOTH during adoration. If you are using the Stations as a means of meditation and entering into prayer, contemplation and as a means of speaking with Our Lord, for the life of me I don’t see what is wrong with it. However, if you were walking around the Stations and concentrating on them, and ignoring the Blessed Sacrament, then perhaps you might want to approach it differently.

However, if by “doing” the Stations, that is your means of entering into prayer with Our Lord current and present right there with you, where is the problem?

 

[jjkadavil]

Reply to Daniel Lysinger’s reply to my post which was removed from thread. (dont know why)
First of all, i never said i dislike adoration of the Holy Eucharist. I dont know what you understand by Holy Eucharist. It is the sacrament, it is the Holy Mass. It is the centre of my life. I want you to be careful in using your words.

My argument is simple:

1. I hope you know sacrament is the visible form of Grace. So it must be consistent with the natural law to be able to symoblise it. Bread is to eat. ok? It makes sense to my finite intellect that eating this bread symbolises Jesus’s body becomes part of my spiritual body. If not, explain why Jesus chose bread for this?
2. I hope you know that the old testament pesha is the basis of this. So, externally and symbolically all is same. No left over is permitted. All bread to be eaten during the passover meal. Obey His commandment.
3. Monstrance adoration has no traditional basis. It started in 13th century. How can such practice using the Holy bread start all on a sudden from the air??? There are churches who do not allow this adoration. Those churches have very strong apostolic tradition. So their stand on this has to be seriously studied.
4. “The presence of Christ under the sacred species reserved after Mass—a presence which lasts as long as the species of bread and or wine remain” I cannot understand this. Is there a particular point that the species of bread and wine are not there anymore? Bread losing its species is a gradual process. Does it mean the His presense also gradually goes off? (Bread is not meant to be kept till it goes off)
5. If monstrance adoration brought the entire focus on the bread and wine symbols. Dont you think it has affected how people approach Holy Mass? They think, as long as bread and wine becomes His body and blood it’s fine, doesnt matter how it is.
6. Also it replaced the Liturgy of the hours in the church among common people. They miss lot of things taught by the fathers of the church which has a strong apostolic authenticity.

JESUS IN MONSTRANCE IS JESUS UNABLE TO REACH DESTINATION

Hope you will be able to read this before the admin deletes it. Thanks

 

[drforjc]

Reply to Daniel Lysinger’s reply to my post which was removed from thread. (dont know why)
First of all, i never said i dislike adoration of the Holy Eucharist. I dont know what you understand by Holy Eucharist. It is the sacrament, it is the Holy Mass. It is the centre of my life. I want you to be careful in using your words.

My argument is simple:

1. I hope you know sacrament is the visible form of Grace. So it must be consistent with the natural law to be able to symoblise it. Bread is to eat. ok? It makes sense to my finite intellect that eating this bread symbolises Jesus’s body becomes part of my spiritual body. If not, explain why Jesus chose bread for this?
2. I hope you know that the old testament pesha is the basis of this. So, externally and symbolically all is same. No left over is permitted. All bread to be eaten during the passover meal. Obey His commandment.
3. Monstrance adoration has no traditional basis. It started in 13th century. How can such practice using the Holy bread start all on a sudden from the air??? There are churches who do not allow this adoration. Those churches have very strong apostolic tradition. So their stand on this has to be seriously studied.
4. “The presence of Christ under the sacred species reserved after Mass—a presence which lasts as long as the species of bread and or wine remain” I cannot understand this. Is there a particular point that the species of bread and wine are not there anymore? Bread losing its species is a gradual process. Does it mean the His presense also gradually goes off? (Bread is not meant to be kept till it goes off)
5. If monstrance adoration brought the entire focus on the bread and wine symbols. Dont you think it has affected how people approach Holy Mass? They think, as long as bread and wine becomes His body and blood it’s fine, doesnt matter how it is.
6. Also it replaced the Liturgy of the hours in the church among common people. They miss lot of things taught by the fathers of the church which has a strong apostolic authenticity.

JESUS IN MONSTRANCE IS JESUS UNABLE TO REACH DESTINATION

Hope you will be able to read this before the admin deletes it. Thanks

 

[otjm]

I will respond to a couple of items.

1. Monstrance adoration has no traditional basis. It started in 13th century. How can such practice using the Holy bread start all on a sudden from the air???

If by traditional basis you mean starting from the time of Christ, that is probably true. However, 700 years is more than enough to establish a tradition.

Start from air? No, it started from people. People believed that Christ was truly present, and wanted to spend time with Him.

There are churches who do not allow this adoration. Those churches have very strong apostolic tradition. So their stand on this has to be seriously studied.

There are any number of things the Church does now that were not done at the time of Christ or shortly thereafter, or even a good while thereafter. That does not make the practices illegitimate, invalid, or illicit. Adoration is not a requirement; it is a privilege. It is one of many ways that Catholics may engage in praise, petition, thanksgiving or reparation. It may well be that other churches (and I am presuming we are speaking of the Eastern rites and/or the Orthodox) do not have adoration, and it is entirely possible they have forms of prayer which the A Latin rite does not. It is not a matter of one being right and the other wrong; unity does not mean uniformity.

1. “The presence of Christ under the sacred species reserved after Mass—a presence which lasts as long as the species of bread and or wine remain” I cannot understand this. Is there a particular point that the species of bread and wine are not there anymore? Bread losing its species is a gradual process. Does it mean the His presense also gradually goes off? (Bread is not meant to be kept till it goes off).

It is my understanding (and I could be corrected here) that the Host which is used for Adoration is to be consumed in a reasonably short period of time - so we are not talking about that Host being kept for months or years. As far as the particular point, my understanding is that when it is no longer recognizable as either bread or wine, His presence is gone. Thus, when the sacred vessels are rinsed out, any small bit of wine is so admixed as to be undiscernable (and which is why a sacrarium is required, as it goes directly to earth).

1. If monstrance adoration brought the entire focus on the bread and wine symbols. Dont you think it has affected how people approach Holy Mass? They think, as long as bread and wine becomes His body and blood it’s fine, doesnt matter how it is.

You might want to restate it; as I do not understand your point.

1. Also it replaced the Liturgy of the hours in the church among common people. They miss lot of things taught by the fathers of the church which has a strong apostolic authenticity.

According to what I have read, the common people did not participate in the LOTH, at least in the West. However, adoration and LOTH are making a significant comeback.

JESUS IN MONSTRANCE IS JESUS UNABLE TO REACH DESTINATION

That presumes the only destination of the Eucharist is consumption. It is certainly the primary one, However, even in the early church consumption was not immediate. People would take the Eucharist to their homes, to be consumed over time. It may well be that
Adoration started then (without the Monstrance, or course). I will leave that to the historians.

 

[hannajomar]

Do you think it would be appropriate for me to propose to my girlfriend when we are before the Lord in Adoration?

What about doing the proposal just outside the chapel - in the vestibule or outside the building? I think that would be very romantic, and wouldn’t disturb the silence and reverence of Adoration. A brick wall won’t stop the Grace of Jesus! Let us know how it goes!

 

[mcrts]

What about doing the proposal just outside the chapel - in the vestibule or outside the building? I think that would be very romantic, and wouldn’t disturb the silence and reverence of Adoration. A brick wall won’t stop the Grace of Jesus! Let us know how it goes!

I was thinking of that too! And if she accepts, you can both go in and thank HIM together.

 

[jjkadavil]

Thank you for the reply. My thought regarding it is:

If by traditional basis you mean starting from the time of Christ, that is probably true. However, 700 years is more than enough to establish a tradition.

When Jesus chose this symbolic representation for instituting this sacrament how many years history did it already have? Since the time of Moses? Even He chose a symbolisation from the history in stead of making a fresh one, to make things easily graspable to people.

People believed that Christ was truly present, and wanted to spend time with Him.

This is what I dont understand. There are Holy Mass on a daily basis and opportunity to receive Him inside us in the form of bread. This is the sacrament, the spring through which Holy Spirit pour His Grace on us. I don’t understand what is the relevance of monstrance adoration. People are more happy when seeing Him outside?

There are any number of things the Church does now that were not done at the time of Christ or shortly thereafter, or even a good while thereafter. That does not make the practices illegitimate, invalid, or illicit.

Jesus used bread (based on the old testament pesha) for this. This is a symbolization. And the worship with it should be consistent with the nature of symbols used. Otherwise, in my opinion that practice of worship should be considered invalid.

It is one of many ways that Catholics may engage in praise, petition, thanksgiving or reparation.

I am not going to understand in my life time why people have to go after monstrance adoration for these purposes when the sacrament of Holy Mass which is instituted by Jesus Himself is there in the church which is the biggest praising, petition and thanksgiving.

It may well be that other churches (and I am presuming we are speaking of the Eastern rites and/or the Orthodox) do not have adoration, and it is entirely possible they have forms of prayer which the A Latin rite does not. It is not a matter of one being right and the other wrong; unity does not mean uniformity.

It is not one among them. Here we are talking about worship with Holy Eucharist. Not about some traditional or cultural practices. This matter should have a uniformity in the church.

As far as the particular point, my understanding is that when it is no longer recognizable as either bread or wine, His presence is gone.

This idea really breaks my head. “When it is no longer…”. How do we define that when?? That does not happen like we turning of a light. Disintegration is a gradual process. So His presence also goes away gradually? That means, is partial presence possible for Him?
How can we say at that point Jesus “gets out of bread and wine” as if He was placed in that and it was no longer ‘good’ for Him to stay? Do you mean refrigerating them can keep Jesus longer in it??

These are the very few of many possible problems when we do not use symbols in the way it is supposed to be used.

You might want to restate it; as I do not understand your point.

Sure. I meant the whole mass is the sacrament. There is no less or more important happenings in it. From the beginning to end, it is the celebration of the pascal mysteries and life of our Lord. He broke the bread and gave to us eat. We commemorate that as He asked us to do. Food becomes part of our body. Same way it symbolises Jesus becomes part of our spiritual body by being part in His life (entire mass). Please note, just eating that bread does not make it happen. Eg. Judas.

 

[PatriceA]

What about doing the proposal just outside the chapel - in the vestibule or outside the building? I think that would be very romantic, and wouldn’t disturb the silence and reverence of Adoration. A brick wall won’t stop the Grace of Jesus! Let us know how it goes!

Only if the proposal even in the vestibule wouldn’t cause a distraction. It really depends upon the design of the Church.

 

[mommamaree]

Regarding the proposal, why don’t you invite your girlfriend to go to the Adoration chapel with you, and then when you arrive at the chapel, pause before entering and propose? Then, once she accepts your proposal, and you are able to compose yourselves, you can both enter the chapel and share the joy in your hearts with Jesus? I think that would be a beautiful proposal to remember! Good luck!

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Only if the proposal even in the vestibule wouldn’t cause a distraction. It really depends upon the design of the Church.

Yes, in our adoration chapel, you open the door, there is a little room (is that the vestibule?), and then once you open the inside door, you’re in the chapel. If anyone talks in that little entry hall, we can hear it very clearly and it’s very disturbing.

I still suggest NOT to use the adoration chapel for a proposal.

 

[Ohana]

I don’t think I would walk around doing the Way of the Cross, but to meditate on them while in the Presence would be appropriate I think.

With regard to proposal, I think it is a beautiful idea, just not sure of the “how”. I think you should talk with your pastor about this to make sure it is ok. I would be careful to not distract other adorers.

Hmm, what I did not say above is that including Jesus in your proposal is a wonderful idea. The way you start bodes well for the way you will go on. After thinking on this a bit, I am not sure about when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed is the best time. How about going to Mass together, then proposing in the chapel where the Hosts are reserved? Maybe discuss with your priest.

The triangle of you two and Jesus is a prescription for a wonderful marriage. Just remember to keep him there! Good luck and God Bless

 

[TimothyH]

Yes, in our adoration chapel, you open the door, there is a little room (is that the vestibule?), and then once you open the inside door, you’re in the chapel. If anyone talks in that little entry hall, we can hear it very clearly and it’s very disturbing.

I still suggest NOT to use the adoration chapel for a proposal.

I think it is an amazing idea.

I would walk right in, bow before Jesus and say, “My Lord Jesus, with your permission…”

And then I would kneel on both knees in front of her, tell her how much I love her and pop the question out loud.

Anyone who gets offended has no heart.

-Tim-

 

[PatriceA]

I think it is an amazing idea.

I would walk right in, bow before Jesus and say, “My Lord Jesus, with your permission…”

And then I would kneel on both knees in front of her, tell her how much I love her and pop the question out loud.

**Anyone who gets offended has no heart. **

-Tim-

So you’d just disregard the etiquette and protocol of Eucharistic Adoration and just do what you want because your needs and wishes are more important, right? And please don’t accuse those that don’t think its a appropriate place as “having no heart”. That’s uncharitable.

 

[bcuster]

Someone told me yesterday that you shouldn’t do the Stations of the Cross during Adoration; is this true and are there any other prayers you shouldn’t say during Adoration?

When the Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the altar, all focus should be on adoration. If you are praying privately, you can meditate on the Stations, but it is bad form to get up and walk the stations, since your attention should be on the Jesus in the Monstrance. This is one of the little-known etiquette tidbits I learned while I was in formation in a convent.

 

[quiet52]

I think it is an amazing idea.

I would walk right in, bow before Jesus and say, “My Lord Jesus, with your permission…”

And then I would kneel on both knees in front of her, tell her how much I love her and pop the question out loud.

Anyone who gets offended has no heart.

-Tim-

It’s about Jesus, not about you.

 

[RosalieM]

I love to meditate / contemplate in utter silence during Adoration.

The last time I did this, I nearly jumped through the ceiling when, after really becoming immersed, someone loudly proclaimed, “Brothers and sisters, we will now recite the rosary!”

Perhaps it was wrong of me, but I left before they began. I don’t understand why people can’t just be quiet. Now I try to choose a time when I don’t think many people will be around. There seems to be a need to fill every silent moment with some kind of sound. I guess I want more silence for reverie.

 

[Fairwinds]

I think it is an amazing idea.

I would walk right in, bow before Jesus and say, “My Lord Jesus, with your permission…”

And then I would kneel on both knees in front of her, tell her how much I love her and pop the question out loud.

Anyone who gets offended has no heart.

-Tim-

I’d be annoyed enough to complain (outside, or course), explain why its in bad taste and contrary to the rules requiring silent reverance, and spoil that “special moment”.

 

[RosalieM]

I think it is an amazing idea.

I would walk right in, bow before Jesus and say, “My Lord Jesus, with your permission…”

And then I would kneel on both knees in front of her, tell her how much I love her and pop the question out loud.

Anyone who gets offended has no heart.

-Tim-

I have a heart, and I would totally freak out if someone proposed during adoration The sentiment is sweet, but the action itself would be totally out of place. People are there to worship and adore the Lord, not each other in a romantic sense. I hope I said this right and I don’t mean to start an argument at all.

 

[maryjk]

I’d be annoyed enough to complain (outside, or course), explain why its in bad taste and contrary to the rules requiring silent reverance, and spoil that “special moment”.

I have a heart, and I would totally freak out if someone proposed during adoration The sentiment is sweet, but the action itself would be totally out of place. People are there to worship and adore the Lord, not each other in a romantic sense. I hope I said this right and I don’t mean to start an argument at all.

I would complain too. And yes, I have a heart.

But I didn’t go to Adoration to see someone propose. Sorry.