Mary as Mother

Contemplate Jesus lying in His Crib, wrapped in the might of divine peace and redemptive suffering.  Mary, kneeling, enraptured, in ecstasy, watches over the Child, over the Eternal One.  She meditates on another Bethlehem, on quite another Crib, a crib of apparent repose, but of real and perpetual immolation, the Altar!

Looking ahead through the centuries to come, the loving Queen, the sorrowing Virgin contemplates this lasting Bethlehem, indestructible through the ages, where this same adorable Child will be born thousands of times upon the Altar.  She sees Him placed, like a mild prisoner, between the walls of a humble and silent Tabernacle.  Glancing down at her sleeping Child, she beholds the same Jesus—her God—humbled even more in each ciborium, than He is in the manger.

The vision of Bethlehem has become reality.  On every altar, Jesus-Host seems to sleep, and Mary continues to guard this Eucharistic crib from which Jesus constantly watches over us.  ~ Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey

Breath of Adoration

Deep in adoration he breathes with me,  the Blessed Sacrament expanding with each breath I take.  I feel the golden chains extend to my heart enfolding it in bliss. Whom is adoring whom? I am with him now as then, time stands still. I walk with him, feeling the sun on my face and the silken sand at my feet. I remember, through the Tabernacle, out into the expansion of the interconnection of time. He is in my heart just as my entire being lives in his, the union of breath and beating hearts.

The silence of adoration is where the subtlest whispering can be heard, where the breath can be felt and where the knowing can occur. “Let me take root in your heart,” my heart swells with joy.

Eucharistic Adoration for 2000+ Years

I found a great website with good information on Eucharistic Adoration I wanted to share.

http://www.eucharisticdevotion.com/the-saints.html

Jesus Christ (0 to 33)

Truly, truly, I say unto you: except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is food indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me: and I in him. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven: that if any man eat of it, he may not die.

 St. Ignatius Of Antioch (35 to 108)

The biggest reason we volunteer to cover a specific hour of Eucharistic Adoration is that the Divine Physician has come down from heaven to shower us with His graces and heal us. As St. Ignatius of Antioch said: “There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first passible and then impassible, even Jesus Christ our Lord.”

 St. Justin Martyr (103 to 165)

“For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic Prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished, is both the Flesh and the Blood of that incarnated Jesus.”

 St. Irenaeus (120/140 to 200/203)

Do we believe in the Real Presence strongly enough to volunteer to cover a specific hour of Eucharistic Adoration? All of the early Church Fathers believed strongly in this Real Presence, of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, including St. Irenaeus who wrote: “For as the bread from the earth, receiving the invocation of God, is no longer common bread but the Eucharist, consisting of two elements, earthly and heavenly, so also are our bodies, when they receive the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible but have the hope of resurrection into eternity.”

 St. Augustine (354 to 430)

“It is our duty to adore the Blessed Sacrament. No one receives the Blessed Sacrament unless he adores it…and not only do we not sin by adoring, we do sin by not adoring.To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.”

St. Ambrose (315 to 367)

The “Oblationaires” of St. Ambrose were pioneers of Eucharistic Adoration outside of Mass. These were a group of 10 poor men and 10 poor women who, on feast days, would also bring the people’s oblation of bread and wine to the altar at the offertory at Mass. “Let your door stand open to receive Him, unlock your soul to Him, offer Him a welcome in your mind, and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand before the sun of the everlasting light.” “I adore and venerate you as much as ever I can, though my love is so cold, my devotion so poor. Thank you for the good gift of this your holy Body and Blood,…”

St. Cyril Of Jerusalem (315 to 386)

“Do not, therefore, regard the Bread and the Wine as simply that; for they are, according to the Master’s declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ. Even the senses suggest to you the other, let faith make you firm….. Having learned these things, and being fully convinced that the apparent Bread is not bread, even though it is sensible to the taste, but the Body of Christ; and that the apparent Wine is not wine, even though the taste would have it so,….”

 St. Macarius The Great (300 to 391)

“(Jesus) said: ‘This is my Body’; therefore the Eucharist is not the figure of his Body and Blood, as some have said, talking nonsense in their stupid minds, but it is in very truth the Blood and Body of Christ.”

 St. Gregory Of Nyssa (335 to 394)

“He offered Himself for us, Victim and Sacrifice, and Priest as well, and ‘Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’ When did He do this? When He made His own Body food and His own Blood drink for His disciples; for this much is clear enough to anyone, that a sheep cannot be eaten by a man unless its being eaten be preceded by its being slaughtered. This giving of His own Body to His disciples for eating clearly indicates that the sacrifice of the Lamb has now been completed.”

Alexander Akimites and The Sleepless Ones (400)

The Acoematae were a group of 300 to 400 Monks (sometimes thousands in one place), with many monasteries, that dedicated themselves to giving prayer and praise to God on a 24hour/7day a week basis as early as 400 A.D.. Their influence on today’s Christian life is considerable. The splendor of their religious services largely contributed to shape our liturgy. Our modern Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration programs are a remnant of them.

 St. John Chrysostom (344 to 407)

“What excuse shall we have, or how shall we obtain pardon, if we consider it too much to go to Jesus in the Eucharist, who descended from Heaven for our sake? This Fountain [of the Holy Eucharist] is a fountain of light, shedding abundant rays of truth. And beside it the angelic powers from on high have taken their stand, gazing on the beauty of its streams, since they perceive more clearly than we the power of what lies before us and its unapproachable dazzling rays. The wise men adored this body when it lay in the manger;…they prostrated themselves before it in fear and trembling….Now you behold the same body that the wise men adored in the manger, lying upon the altar;…you also know its power. How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment.”

St. Cyril Of Alexandria (376 to 444)

Coming before the Most Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration enlightens us to our many faults and heals them. Speaking specifically of the sin of pride St. Cyril of Alexandria stated: “If the power of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility.”

St. Peter Chrysologus (406 to 450)

The greatest reason to sign up and cover a particular hour of Eucharistic Adoration is because our Lord has come down from heaven to be present to us in the Eucharist. As St. Chrysologus said: “He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful.”

St. Victorian Of Asan (? to 558)

St. Victorian had a great devotion to the Eucharist and spent many hours in Eucharistic Adoration outside of Mass as was reflected in the biography of St. Victorian: “In this (chapel), more frequently and fervently, (St. Victorian daily) poured forth his prayers before that indescribably Sacrament of Divine Goodness, and commended to God the health of the whole Church.”

St. Thomas Beckett (1118 to 1170)

St. Thomas Beckett, in his writings, indicates he was often in adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament: “If you do not harken to me who have been wont to pray for you in an abundance of tears and with groanings not a few before the Majesty of the Body of Christ”.

 St. Francis Of Assisi (1181 to 1226)

“I beg you to show the greatest possible reverence for the Eucharist through whom all things have been brought to peace and reconciled with Almighty God.” One day a rather worldly friend asked St. Francis: “Father what do you do during those long hours before the Blessed Sacrament?” “My son in return I ask you what does the poor man do at the rich man’s door, the sick man in presence of his physician, the thirsty man at a limpid stream? What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God. I pray. I adore. I love. “Let us love God and adore him and offer him praises by day and by night. In this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His Most Holy Body and Blood.”

St. Bonaventure (1218 to 1274)

“Lord Jesus Christ, pierce my soul with your love so that I may always long for you alone, who are the bread of angels and the fulfillment of the soul’s deepest desires. May my heart always hunger for you, so that my soul may be filled with the sweetness of your presence.”

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 to 1274)

It is said that we will be remembered by the company we keep. St. Thomas recognized this when he said, “The things we love tell us who we are.” Are we to busy to commit to a special specific hour each week with Jesus, who has done everything for us? One thing is for sure – if we faithfully attend Eucharistic Adoration Jesus will recognize and remember us as one of his faithful disciples at our death. St. Thomas use to spend many hours in adoration before our beloved Lord. He once said that he learned more from prayer before the Blessed Sacrament than from many hours of study. “No other sacrament (except the Holy Eucharist) has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift.”

St. Teresa Of Avila (1515 to 1582)

“I am quite sure that if we could but once approach the Most Holy Sacrament with great faith and love, it would suffice to make us rich. How much more so if we approach it often. In the presence of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament we ought to be like the Blessed in heaven before the Divine Essence. You are mine … You came into the world for me; for me You underwent severe trials; For me You suffered many lashes; for me You remain in the most Blessed Sacrament. To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed. You are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face. Christians, this is the hour to defend your King and to keep Him company in the profound isolation in which He finds Himself. How few, O Lord, are the servants who remain faithful to You! Here on earth it is impossible to perform a more meritorious act than visiting Jesus often in the Holy Eucharist.”

St. Francis De Sales (1567 to 1622)

“We must visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament a hundred thousand times a day. As mountain hares become white in winter because they neither see nor eat anything but snow, so by adoring and feeding on beauty, purity and goodness itself in the Eucharist you will become altogether beautiful, pure, and good. owhere do we find our Savior more tender or more loving than here (in adoration) where He, so to speak, annihilates Himself and reduces Himself to food in order to penetrate our souls and to unite Himself to the hearts of His friends. By adoring and partaking of His beauty, His Goodness and His purity in this Divine Sacrament, you will become all beautiful, good and pure.”

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656 to 1680)

Do we love the Eucharistic Lord? The only way to grow in the love of our Eucharistic Jesus is to spend time with Him in adoration. Blessed Kateri new this as she would spend as much time as her duties allowed in Church adoring the Blessed Sacrament. Even a bad snowstorm wouldn’t stop her as she would tread thru knee deep snow to spend more time with our beloved Lord.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647 to 1690)

Because Jesus loves you infinitely, unlimited is the joy you bring to His Sacred Heart when you come to spend an hour with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. In an apparition to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus spoke these moving words: “I have a burning thirst to be honored by men in the Blessed Sacrament”.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774 to 1821)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton received great solace by bringing her sorrows to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and speaking heart to heart with Him there: “How sweet, the presence of Jesus to the longing and harassed soul! He is instant peace and balm to every wound.” “There is a mystery, the greatest of all mysteries—not that my adored Lord is in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar—His word has said it, and what so simple as to take that word which is truth itself?—but that souls of His own creation, whom He gave His life to save, who are endowed with His choicest gifts in all things else, should remain blind, insensible, and deprived of that light without which every other blessing is unavailing!”

St. John Bosco (1815 to 1888)

“Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus…My dear ones, the Visit to the Blessed Sacrament is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil. Therefore, go often to visit Jesus and the devil will not come out victorious against you.”

St. Damien The Leper (1840 to 1889)

“It is in the Blessed Sacrament that we find strength. Without my daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, I could not have lasted one single day.”

St. Therese of Lisieux (1873 to 1897)

“Do you realize that Jesus is there in the Blessed Sacrament expressly for you, for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart. Frequently, only silence can express my prayer. However, this Divine Guest of the tabernacle understands all, even the silence of a child’s soul filled with gratitude. When I am before the tabernacle, I can say only one thing to Our Lord: ‘My God, you know that I love you’ and I feel my prayer does not tire Jesus. To bear the exile of this valley of tears I need the glance of my Divine Savior. This glance full of love has revealed its charms to me. It has made me sense the happiness of Heaven. My Jesus smiles at me when I sigh to Him. Then I no longer feel my trial of faith. My God’s Glance, His ravishing Smile, That is Heaven for me! How I loved the feasts!…I especially loved the processions in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. What a joy it was for me to throw flowers beneath the feet of God!…I was never so happy as when I saw my roses touch the sacred Monstrance.”

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901 to 1925)

All of Blessed Pier’s actions began with the contemplation of Jesus. He felt a strong constant urge to be near the Blessed Sacrament and would spend the whole night in adoration when it was offered. “When you are totally consumed by the Eucharistic fire, then you will be able more consciously to thank God, who has called you to become part of His family. Then you will enjoy the peace that those who are happy in this world have never experienced, because true happiness, oh young people, does not consist in the pleasures of this world, or in earthly things, but in peace of conscience, which we only have if we are pure of heart and mind,”

St. Maximillian Kolbe (1894 to 1941)

“My aim is to institute Perpetual (Eucharistic) Adoration, for this is the most important activity. God dwells in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. Let us not forget to visit . . . Jesus. Let us tell Him we love Him. We might ask Him what He wants of us, what are His wishes. Sometimes we might ask Jesus something for ourselves and something for others. One can speak to Jesus as brother to brother, as friend to friend, more so, since it often happens that men do not understand us, whereas Jesus understands each of us always.”

 St. Katharine Drexel (1858 to 1955)

“My sweetest Joy is to be in the presence of Jesus in the holy Sacrament. I beg that when obliged to withdraw in body, I may leave my heart before the holy Sacrament. How I would miss Our Lord if He were to be away from me by His presence in the Blessed Sacrament.” “I adore You, my Eucharistic God. You are there exposed in the ostensorium [monstrance]. The rays are the rays of Your love for me, for each individual soul. If it wasn’t for Your love, I would be in hell. I return You thanksgiving through Mary, through St. Joseph, through all the Apostles, Martyrs, Virgins and Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in heaven. And lastly, I thank You through the sacred host on all the altars throughout the world.”

 St. Gaetano Catanoso (1879 to 1963)

“Do we love Jesus enough to commit to spending one special specific hour with him each week? St. Catanoso had a great devotion and love for the Eucharist. He often spent hours or entire days in prayer before the Tabernacle, and in his parish and beyond he promoted Eucharistic Adoration. He had a great devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and would often say: “If we wish to adore the real Face of Jesus, we can find it in the divine Eucharist where, with the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Face of our Lord is hidden under the white veil of the Host.”

St. Padre Pio (1887 to 1968)

When an Open Holy Hour occurs at our local adoration program we should not wonder who is going to cover it. Jesus is not asking the person to the right or left of us, the person with more time on their hands, or the person that is holier than us. He is asking us. St. padre Pio realized this as he spent as much time in adoration as possible. “A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent in sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When you want to find me, come near the tabernacle.” Padre Pio considered adoration so important that this was the directions he gave to his fellow friars if they went looking for him. “I weep and mourn at the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for often I’m consoled. We must always have courage, and if some spiritual languor comes upon us, let us run to the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and let us place ourselves in the midst of the heavenly perfumes, and we will undoubtedly regain our strength. Kneel down and render the tribute of your presence and devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Confide all your needs to him, along with those of others. Speak to him with filial abandonment, give free rein to your heart, and give him complete freedom to work in you as he thinks best. By means of the angels, Jesus calls the poor and simple shepherds, in order to manifest Himself to them. He calls the learned men by means of their science. And all of them, moved by His inner grace, hasten to adore Him. He calls all of us by divine inspiration, and communicates with us by means of His grace. How many times has he invited us, too? And how readily have we responded? My God, I blush and become embarrassed when I have to answer such a question.” St. Padre Pio was so happy during his many hours of Eucharistic Adoration that he wrote: “When I am close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I feel as if my heart is bursting out of my chest. When Mass ended I remained with Jesus to render Him thanks. My thirst and hunger do not diminish after I have received Him in the Blessed Sacrament, but rather, increase steadily. Oh, how sweet was the conversation I held with Paradise this morning. The Heart of Jesus and my own, if you will pardon my expression, fused. They were no longer two hearts beating but only one. My heart disappeared as if it were a drop in the ocean.”

 St. Joseph Escriva (1902 to 1975)

“Each time you approach the Blessed Sacrament remember that Jesus has been waiting for you for twenty centuries for this personal visit from you.” “If you don’t keep in touch with Christ in prayer and in the bread, how can you make Him known to others?”

 Saint Pope John Paul II (1920 to 2005)

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is … an important daily practice and becomes an inexhaustible source of holiness … It is pleasant to spend time with (Christ), to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple and to feel the infinite love present in His heart. With ever-living ardor, contemplate Christ in the mystery of the Eucharist. Following His example, be ready in all circumstances to make yourselves instruments of mercy and communion.

 Pope Benedict XVI (1927 – Present)

Let us take time, in the course of the week, in passing, to go in and spend a moment with the Lord who is so near. This is what is lovely about Catholic churches, that within them there is, as it were, always worship, because the Eucharistic presence of the Lord dwells always within them. I ask everyone to intensify in coming months love and devotion to the Eucharistic Jesus and to express in a courageous and clear way the real presence of the Lord. There is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering. I heartily recommend to the Church’s pastors and to the People of God the practice of Eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community.

Pope Francis (2013 to Present)

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that in the Eucharist we find all the good of the Church. In it we have the certainty that God is faithful to His promise and stays with us until the end of time (Mt. 28.20)… In (our) visits and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we experience the closeness of the good Shepherd, the tenderness of His love, the presence of (a) faithful friend. We … all experience (this) large support (in our lives) provided by faith (and our) personal and intimate dialogue with the (Lord in the Eucharist).

Mary, Perfect Adorer

At the Visitation, Mary is called ‘Blessed’ by Elizabeth because of her perfect trust in God.

“Blest is she who trusted.” (Lk 1:46)

Perfect trust is based not on ourselves but on the infinite perfections of God; His infinite mercy, His infinite justice, His infinite goodness, His infinite compassion, His infinite power, His infinite love. As Mary reached out to Elizabeth in her time of need, so now Mary reaches out to us with her Divine Son, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

This is the joy of the Visitation mystery:

“In the tender compassion of our God” – He continues to visit us in the Holy Eucharist that we may come to Him with confidence. As John the Baptist recognized Jesus hidden in the womb of Mary, the first tabernacle of the Lord, so now we recognize Jesus hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, the mystery of our faith. Elizabeth leaped for joy in His presence then, just as we rejoice in His presence now for here Jesus pours out His Spirit upon us in this Sacrament of infinite love.

~ Excerpt from the book “Come to Me”

Anima Christi

Anima Christi 

Soul of Christ, sanctify me, Body of Christ, heal me.

Blood of Christ, drench me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me, Good Jesus, hear me.

In your wounds shelter me. From turning away keep me.

From the evil one, protect me. At the hour of death, call me.

Into your presence lea d me, to praise all your saints for ever and ever. Amen.

The persistency of the love of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament is undeniable proof that He loves us. He loves, He hopes and He waits.

“Does He love me personally?” we ask. Jesus gives Himself wholly and entirely to each one of us. If the church is full of adorers, can they not all pray to Jesus and converse with him? Is not each one listened to as if she or he were the only one in the church?

Such is the personal love of Jesus for us. Each one may take it all for himself and wrong no one, the sun gives all its light to each and every one of us, the ocean belongs wholly and entirely to each and every one. Jesus is greater than us all and He is inexhaustible.

I love them; I see them; I am waiting for them; I am coming to them. Jesus is then with us; and as long as there are adorers on Earth, Jesus will be there to protect them. This is the secret of longevity of the Church, people fear the enemies of the Church, but that comes from lack of faith. Let us take good care of Jesus and we have nothing to fear. If we love Jesus in the Eucharist, He will always be able to say, “I have a home”. He has pitched His tent in the midst of you so that you may see Him at all times. While you are working think often of this good Brother who is always present among you, protecting you and looking down on you in kindness. The more helpless and forgotten you are, the more He loves you. You hear His words, not indeed the words that strike the ear, but that touch the heart and give it peace and joy.

If you have faith in these things, if you understand your happiness, here you have for yourself and your own, Jesus, for whom no substitution can be found.

~ St Peter Julian Eymard

True Eucharistic Adoration

I have been spending a lot of time lately at Adoration and to me, it is the best way to connect with God to feel His nearness and to be able to listen to him through the silence.

Pater tales queril qui adoreni cum…in spiritu et veritate

The Father seeks us to adore Him….in spirit and in truth ~ John 4:23

The object of Eucharistic adoration is the Divine Person of our Lord Jesus Christ present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, He is living there, He wants us to speak to Him, and He will speak to us. Anybody may speak to the Lord. Is He not there for everyone?

This conversation between the soul and our Lord is the true Eucharistic adoration.

Faith pure and detached from the senses and free in its action unites us simply to the truth of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament. “The flesh profits nothing’” says the Savior. “My words are spirit and life.”

His whole life our Lord prepared the Eucharist in secret, the heavenly wheat was, as it were, sown in Bethlehem the “house of bread”.  See the wheat on the straw, trodden and crushed representing poor humanity, of itself barren. The grain sown, the tears of Jesus will make it grow into beautiful wheat. Bethlehem is built on a hill facing Jerusalem, when the ear is ripened, it shall lean toward Calvary where it shall be ground and be set on the fire of suffering to become a living bread.

One likes to penetrate a veiled truth, to discover a hidden treasure, to triumph over a difficulty. In like manner the faithful soul, in the presence of the Eucharistic veil, seeks the Lord like Mary Magdalene at the tomb. Her longing for Him grows more intense. Like the bride in Canticle of Canticles she calls for Him. She delights in ascribing to Him everything that is beautiful, in adoring Him with every kind of glory. The Eucharist is to her what God is to the blessed: a truth and beauty ever old and ever new, that one never tires of fathoming and looking into.

Quaeram quem diligit anima mea! “O Lord, beloved of my soul I will seek Thee forever. Show me thy adorable face!”

~ From the writings of St. Peter Julian Eymard