Adoration of the Lord

Hanukkah 2021 started at nightfall on November 28 and ends at nightfall on December 6. Did you know this holiday is in the Bible? In 1 Maccabees 4:55 we read: “All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success.”

Look at those three words: “All the people!” Here is another time we see that same phrase used in Scripture, during this Christmas season: “Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them . . . The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:8-10).

Our parish * Adoration Chapel first opened on December 8, 2012. It recently re-opened after having been closed because of the pandemic. Once again, for 80 hours each week, almost 160 parishioners are adoring our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. But adoration is not just for a chosen few; it is for everyone! It is for all the people! That means you and me and . . . well, everybody! Maybe you would like to join them, but you fear that something might prevent you from fulfilling your commitment? Don’t let that stop you. We have a list of substitutes, as well as 12 division leaders, who are willing to help you find a sub if needed.

Lu Suarez, a fellow parishioner-adorer, has often told me that there are countless angels adoring our Lord alongside us when we are at Eucharistic Adoration – maybe some of the same angels who announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds!

The infant who was adored by the angels and shepherds on that first Christmas night is the same Jesus who was adored by the magi at Epiphany, and he is the same Lord who is adored on the altars of our churches, and he is the same Lord who is adored in the monstrance at St. Mary’s Adoration Chapel. The Christmas season is a particularly poignant time to resume or initiate this holy devotion as a way of acknowledging that Christ is born again at every Mass, in the flesh and blood of the Eucharist, and from where he continues to live among all the people.

When I was a Protestant minister, I often heard people ask, “What would you do if Jesus walked into the room right now?”  As a grateful Catholic convert, I know the answer: Drop to my knees in adoration because He is truly present under the appearance of bread.

"In Eucharistic Adoration you can find a quiet and sacred place to pray. And . . . you can make a spiritual communion to unite yourself with our Eucharistic Lord. This is especially meaningful when you are praying in His Real Presence in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament."

O come, let us – all the people – adore him, Christ the Lord!

*Click the link for more information

Evelyn Clark
Parishioner