Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the Church of Saint Joseph

We would like to announce an expansion of hours during which adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be available in our parish. In addition to Wednesday mornings following daily Mass until 11:00 am, adoration will now also be offered on the second Saturday of each month from 8:00 am until Noon. All are invited to consider spending some time in prayer before the exposed Blessed Sacrament.

Since the Blessed Sacrament should never be left unattended, we need people willing to sign up for specific hours of adoration. You may call the parish office to inquire about the name and phone number of the current contact person. In addition, individuals should feel free to make a visit to church for whatever amount of time they wish during adoration, beginning and ending their time of prayer as needed. Adoration can include various styles of prayer including silence, the rosary and other formalized prayers, reading Scripture or meditating on the writings of one of the saints. Prayer resources will be available in church.

During adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a consecrated host is placed in a beautifully adorned vessel known as a monstrance. The monstrance has a glass window through which the host can be seen for purposes of adoration, contemplation and prayer. The period of time when the Eucharist is shown in this manner is called “exposition,” since the Eucharist is being “exposed” for public veneration, as opposed to its usual placement in the tabernacle. As Catholics, we believe in the “real presence” of Christ in the Eucharist; we know that it is Christ himself whom we venerate and before whom we pray during this time.

The practice of keeping the Eucharist in a tabernacle grew out of a very practical need. The Christian community wanted a way of making sure the Eucharist would be available for the sick, the dying, and those otherwise unable to attend the weekly celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Soon, the community realized that there were additional spiritual benefits to being able to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Eventually, the practice of exposing the Blessed Sacrament for periods of more intense, formal, public prayer and veneration arose.

Along came the Middle Ages and with them, a spiritual discipline that tended to promote a more personalized Eucharistic piety coupled with a greater emphasis on human sinfulness. The negative effect of this was that over time, more and more people simply felt unworthy to receive Communion at Mass. (The old “Easter duty” of making sure one received Communion at least once a year was eventually set in place to help counteract this.) During this time, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament took on deeper meaning for the general populace. For many, it was their only way of hoping to share in any form of union or intimacy with the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In effect, the popular piety of the time was saying, “I may not feel worthy enough to receive Christ in the Eucharist, but I can at least see him and adore him from afar as the host is elevated at Mass or viewed in the monstrance.”

Obviously, the liturgical spirituality of our present day is quite different from that of the Middle Ages. However, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has remained a treasure within the life of the Church. Yet, a shift in emphasis and meaning can be noted in present day church documents. No longer is there adoration because of a perceived inability or unworthiness of the faithful to receive the Eucharist at Mass. Nor is adoration ever observed as merely a “personal thing” in isolation from the overall prayer life of the local community. Adoration is always to flow from and lead back to the celebration of the Eucharist, i.e. the Mass. It is never to be viewed as a substitute for the actual celebration of the Eucharist.

Additionally, the benefit and effectiveness of adoration is always assessed in light of its effect in the wider community. How so? Those who spend time in prayer before Christ in the Eucharist come to experience the gift of a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In turn, their prayer for our community, the universal Church and world at large is itself a great gift, as is their strengthened commitment to discipleship that is a byproduct of their adoration. It is this growing awareness of the wider community and a person’s role within it that is perhaps a hallmark of authentic Eucharistic spirituality.

When our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is partnered with a deepening awareness of Christ’s presence in our brothers and sisters, with a result of greater unity among God’s people and a keener sense of justice, then we are embracing a Eucharistic spirituality and lifestyle. By our baptism, each of us is, in a sense, a “living monstrance” showing forth the presence of Christ. True Eucharistic spirituality always helps us see beyond the tabernacles of our churches, to an awareness of the tabernacles…the places where Christ is present…in our daily encounters and relationships. Properly understood, adoration should be a powerful means by which we are led to acts of service and works of justice. It helps us to put on the mind of Jesus Christ, conforming ourselves to him more and more. In this way, we are strengthened and moved to living out our lives as Jesus did.

─David Orzechowski, Liturgy & Music