From the wonderful book “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young, part of the meditation for January 25:

“Sit still in the Light of My Presence and receive  my Peace. These quiet moments with Me transcend time, accomplishing far more than you can imagine. Bring Me the sacrifice of your time, and watch to see how abundantly I bless you and your loved ones…Enjoy the tempo of a God-breathed life by letting Me set the pace. Hold My hand in childlike trust, and the way before you will open up step by step.”

Go sit before the Blessed Sacrament or in Eucharistic Adoration. It’s transformative!

Throughout all the reading I’ve done and homilies I’ve attended, it seems a big theme that stands out is the necessity to spend time in Adoration. For those of you new to Catholicism, that means time spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament, which is Jesus present in the Eucharist.

Most churches have Blessed Sacrament chapels where the consecrated Eucharist (made flesh by the Priest) is held reverently. There are also times for Eucharistic Adoration where the Eucharist is exposed (otherwise, it is covered) for set periods of time, such as during Lent or Advent, though some churches offer Perpetual Adoration where it is continually on display always with some one to “sit” with Jesus.

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus asks his disciples to sit with him while he prays, but they fall asleep. He asks them “Can you not sit with me one hour?” This is where the concept of a “holy hour” comes from. Jesus asks us if we can sit one hour with him. Not to much to ask :).

So, for a Holy Hour, you can sit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or in Eucharistic Adoration, praying, meditating, sitting in silence, reading, etc. Can you believe we actually have the opportunity to sit WITH Jesus? That’s beyond amazing when you think about it. Why would we pass up that opportunity?

I am personally fascinated by reading stories of how people came to be called to their vocation (priesthood, married life, etc.) and so often you’ll hear them say they began to discern their vocation after time spent in Adoration. It seems to be an incredibly powerful thing :), no doubt about it!

I am making it one of my religious resolutions for 2013 to spend one hour with the Lord in Adoration each week and see where it takes me. I’m studying a book right now called Into the Silent Land about Christian contemplation/meditation and what better place to practice than in Adoration?

To this point, I’ve had good intentions of going to Adoration but keep telling myself “as soon as I get caught up…” I’ll start this practice. Well, surprise, surprise, I never got caught up and probably never will :). So it’s officially scheduled on my calendar and other things will have to work around it.

I’d love to hear from others about their experience in regularly going to Adoration. How has it changed your life for the better?