Eucharistic Adoration: An Introduction from Father Chris

11-20-2022Weekly ReflectionFr. Chris Axline

Eucharistic adoration is an incredible gift and I am so pleased that we have perpetual adoration; it has transformed this parish (and all of us) in ways we will not see fully until the other side of eternity. For me, adoration was not something I experienced until college as part of an overnight event the Newman Center was putting on for Lent. I remember going and not knowing what to expect and/or do during that hour. Turns out, Jesus knows what to do and He led me through this hour and left me desiring more. Unfortunately, there was no perpetual adoration at that time and so this desire to adore Jesus in the Eucharist would go unfulfilled until seminary. That’s when I was able to daily make a holy hour with Jesus; something that’s now the foundation of my life and daily routine.

In 1976 Archbishop Fulton Sheen (one of my heroes), speaking to the 41st Eucharistic Revival, “Everyone, make the Holy Hour, and you will discover as you leave the divine Presence that if you move among people in the world, they will say of you as the maid said of Peter, ‘You have been with Christ.’ And then at the end of a lifetime spent in adoration of the Lord, and in love of the Blessed Mother, of the Blessed Sacrament, when you come before the Lord do you know what He will say to you? He will say, ‘I heard my Mother speak of you.” Come, see the good things Jesus has in store for you!

Testimony from Maximo De La Cruz:

I’m constantly busy with work and personal obligations. I tend to wake at three in the morning and have a very busy schedule that keeps me moving from one activity to the next. I talk too much, I’m overly opinionated, I think too much, I worry a lot, my brain just won’t stop running one-hundred miles an hour. Before I know it, I’m making dinner for the family before retreating to my bedroom to prepare for another busy day. A few months ago, I saw that there was a need for someone to cover a three AM time slot for Adoration. I can’t explain it, but I knew this was for me! I’ve been to adoration many times, when time “permitted”, but I’ve never made a commitment. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but maybe this is what I needed. No need to overthink. Adoration instantly became a part of my life. It was something I never knew I was missing, but now can’t see any future without it. As soon as I enter the Adoration Chapel, I’m able to release my extremely heavy metaphorical backpack of stress, angst, and fears, at the door. This time is the only time I can actually hear. I can breathe… and just listen. The peace that Adoration has brought my soul is indescribable. One needs to feel the warmth and calmness to understand. I’ve found that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are always talking to me, but I was always too busy to hear. Maybe I did hear, but I wasn’t listening. I am so grateful now for every opportunity I get to be alone with the Holy Trinity and the peace that one hour of adoration continually provides my soul.

Testimony from Gene and Maggie Tokraks:

Gene: Our adoration hour is an important time of the week for me and us. I like the silence and the peace I feel being there while praying. I pray for deceased family and friends. It is a time I can talk to Jesus and sense His love for me. Going as a couple enriches our prayer life and we have an intimate connection as we pray together separately in the Adoration chapel. I find it uplifting to be there with Our Lord and my commitment to be there every week strengthens my faith.

Maggie: We have had a weekly adoration hour for many years. I like going together and having that spiritual intimate time with Jesus. We each pray in silence, but we are there together as sacrament. Even though we pray as a couple at home, when we are in the adoration chapel, I have a greater sense of God’s presence. Having a weekly adoration hour is one of the ways to grow our relationship with God first and that nurtures our sacramental relationship as a result.

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