EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

Mark Biolo

Can you give me some background on the practice of Eucharistic adoration?

I most certainly can! (It’s my job you know.) First, let me ask you a question: What is the proper posture for receiving Holy Communion? Can’t remember the details? I’ll give you a brief summary at the end of this article but for all the details pull up the article entitled "Holy Communion".

The practice of formal Eucharistic adoration started as the traditional Forty Hours Devotion in the early part of the 16th century at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Milan, Italy, probably as a commemoration of the forty hours that Christ’s body lay in the tomb between his death and resurrection. In November of 1592, the devotion was given formal recognition by Pope Clement VIII, who decreed that it should be observed in the churches of Rome. The devotion was later codified for all the churches of Rome in instructions issued by Clement XI in 1705 and Clement XII in 1731. Eventually Forty Hours devotion spread throughout the Church. In the United States, it was first approved for the Diocese of Baltimore in 1857 and was extended to all the diocese of the United States by the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1868.

The worship of the holy Eucharist outside of Mass was reaffirmed in the postconciliar liturgy documents of the Second Vatican Council. The Sacred Congregation of Rites, in its Instruction on Eucharistic Worship (1967), encouraged the practice of solemn annual exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The revised portion of The Roman Ritual: Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, published by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship in 1973 provides the most recent regulations for solemn exposition of the Eucharist.

Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is a very powerful way to commune with God. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stated, "The solemn exposition of the Holy Eucharist offers the opportunity for the people of God for prayerful reflection on their call to a deeper devotion to the holy Eucharist and a more faithful living of the Christian life. It provides them with an opportunity to become more aware of Christ’s presence with his people and invites them to a spiritual communion with him."1

Pope John Paul II noted in Ecclesia de Eucharistia, "The Church was born of the paschal mystery. For this very reason the Eucharist, which is in an outstanding way the sacrament of the paschal mystery, stands at the center of the Church’s life."2 John Paul II has also written, "The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church. This worship is strictly linked to the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The presence of Christ under the sacred species reserved after Mass – a presence which lasts as long as the species of bread and wine remain – derives from the celebration of the sacrifice and is directed toward communion, both sacramental and spiritual." And he has written, "It is pleasant to spend time with him, to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple and to feel the infinite love present in his heart. If in our time Christians must be distinguished above all by the ‘art of prayer’, how can we not feel a renewed need to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love before Christ present in the most Holy Sacrament?"3 Indeed!

So, Eucharistic adoration enjoys a long and rich tradition in the Church and, as I noted above, is a particularly powerful way to commune with Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. Thus, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, both reserved in the tabernacle and exposed in the monstrance, should be an integral part of every Catholic’s prayer life. I encourage you to remain in church a few minutes after Mass (or come a few minutes early) and spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. And I especially encourage you to avail yourself of those opportunities when the Eucharist is solemnly exposed in the monstrance. We will have Eucharistic adoration at various times during the year at St. Raymond of Penafort so be sure to sign up for a wonderful hour of prayer when those times come around.

 

Solemn Exposition of the Holy Eucharist, United States Catholic Conference Liturgy Document Series, 1996

On The Eucharist In Its Relationship To The Church, Encyclical Letter of John Paul II, 2002

Ibid

 

P.S.

Some gesture of reverence is to be made before receiving Communion, usually a bow of the head. Holy Communion may then be received in the hand (place the left hand over the right or vice versa for lefties and wait for the minister to place the host in the receiving hand) or on the tongue. Recall that the required response to the minister’s words "The Body [or Blood] of Christ" is "Amen". And remember that it is never permissible to grasp the host or take it from the minister, nor is it ever permissible to dip the host into the Precious Blood.