How Eucharistic Adoration has Changed Lives

01-22-2023Weekly ReflectionWalt Stenborg

Eucharistic Adoration was not something that I had been exposed to, even growing up Catholic, regularly attending Mass on Sundays and having attended Catholic Grade School.

Having been a parishioner here at St. Mary Magdalene for nearly 19 years, I have been blessed to spend time with the Lord routinely over the last 5 or so years in the Adoration Chapel. I have chosen the early morning hours of 1am on Sunday mornings, mostly because of my hectic last minute work travel schedule.

For me personally, and I am sure this would resonate with many, the busyness of family and work life take up much of my brain power, often leaving me little time to reflect on my faith and my relationship with Jesus Christ. My wife and I always attend Sunday mass, either at St Mary Magdalene, or elsewhere if we happen to be traveling, but outside of that, I personally need to work on having my faith and my relationship with the Lord to be a more integrated part of my daily life.

When sitting quietly with the Lord, and based upon my chosen hour, I am usually alone, I am granted the opportunity to leave my worldly thoughts, problems, worries, deadlines, and hectic schedules, all behind.

Sometimes I sit quietly in prayer, sometimes I speak out loud, sometimes I cry, sometimes I’m joyfully thankful, sometimes I pray for my family and others, sometimes I pray a Rosary for a specific intention, I routinely ask for God’s grace to be a better husband, father, friend, sibling, and better Catholic. I ask for forgiveness, for strength, for ability to see Christ in others, and to better recognize Christ acting in my life.

I start every hour with reading a few of the daily entries in a Prayer Book called “My Daily Bread”. I was given this book on a Men’s Retreat years ago. For those who have never seen this little book, each entry starts off with a narrative or Christ speaking to you…directly to you!

This followed by a short paragraph or two labeled “Think” that discusses further the message in Christ’s words, then closes with “Pray” as a short prayer to ask for the graces to live out that mini lesson. So many times, when I open that little book, the message resonates deeply and sparks the thoughts and conversations that I have with the Lord during that hour.

We are all on a journey, and I have much work to do, but spending this time in the presence of the Lord is truly a blessing. As Baptized Catholics, we are all called to be to be apostles of Christ. He’s waiting!

—Walt Stenborg

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