The Tradition of Eucharistic Adoration - Insert 2
While the liturgy of the Mass is without a doubt the greatest act of worship in which we can participate, Adoration of the Eucharist outside of Mass offers a unique opportunity to focus our prayers and meditation on the incarnate reality of God, found in Jesus Christ. The worship and care of the Holy Eucharist independent of the Mass can be traced back to the early Church. St. Justin Martyr wrote around the year 150 A.D. that deacons were charged with taking the Blessed Sacrament to those who could not attend the liturgy. St. Basil of Caesarea, who died in the year 379, is said to have separated the Eucharistic Bread into three parts when he celebrated Mass in the monastery. He consumed one, the second he gave to the monks, and the third was placed in a golden dove suspended over the altar. Only a few decades later, St. Augustine reflecting on Psalm 99 wrote, “no one eats the flesh of Christ without first adoring it.” Because Christ is present in the Eucharist, adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and worship has always been an essential part of receiving him who has given completely of himself.
Until the eleventh century, Christ’s presence in the Eucharist under the species of bread and wine was taken for granted in the faith-life of the Church. However, when a heretical movement concerning the Real Presence came to a head towards the end of that century, a new era of Eucharistic Adoration developed in the Church under the leadership and teaching of Pope Gregory VII. A renaissance of worship and veneration emerged. Eucharistic Processions were instituted, and visits to Christ in the pyx were encouraged. Led by members of various religious orders, a whole new devotional tradition developed.
Veneration of the Blessed Sacrament became so prevalent during this period in Church history that it came as no surprise when Pope Urban IV instituted the universal feast of “Corpus Christi” to commemorate Christ’s institution of the Holy Eucharist. In calling for this celebration on September 8, 1264, the Pope stressed the love and desire of Christ to remain physically present with all of humanity until the end of time. As a result, various customs soon developed that appealed to the piety of the faithful. For example, in central Europe, the feast of Corpus Christi was also known as the “Day of Wreaths.” Buildings and homes were adorned with flowers, wreaths, flags, and banners as the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament was held in procession through the streets of the towns and villages.
Over the next few hundred years, Eucharistic devotional practices developed which combined the public exposition of the Blessed Sacrament along with extended prayer vigils. Partly in response to the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent, Pope Clement VIII in 1592 gave formal recognition to the practice of the “Forty Hours Devotion”. His intent was to use this continuous forty-hour vigil to pray for God’s aid in protecting the Church from both internal and external danger. The Pope’s historic document, Quarant’ Ore (Forty Hours), may well have laid the framework for an uninterrupted practice of devotion that would soon take hold. In his proclamation, the Pope proposed that during the Forty Hours Devotion, the city of Rome was to hold a continuous course of prayer such that “every day and night, the incense of prayer shall ascend before the face of the Lord.”
Perpetual Adoration As early as the fourth century, there are some instances of localized Eucharistic devotional practices that exposed the Blessed Sacrament for extended periods of time. However, it was not until the latter half of the sixteenth century that uninterrupted Eucharistic devotions developed on a worldwide scale. Throughout the western world, various religious and lay organizations were founded to promote the practice of perpetual adoration among the faithful. Cloistered Religious Institutes, Apostolic Religious Institutes, and Perpetual Eucharistic Associations stressed the importance of worshiping Christ in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. By the time Vatican II convened in 1962, Perpetual Adoration beyond the popular Forty Hour Devotions had become customary in many places.
In 1967, the Vatican Congregation of Rites issued the document Eucharisticum Mysterium in order to provide guidelines and encourage continuous exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Additionally, the papal teachings of Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis remind us that all men and women are called to seek, to know, and to love the God of Truth. God invites each and every person to enter into his active and divine presence through his Son, Jesus Christ. Far from being distant with humanity, Pope Francis tells us that God’s gift of Jesus enables us to “grasp reality’s deepest meaning and to see how much God loves this world and is constantly guiding it towards itself.” In contemplating Christ in the devotional practice of Eucharistic Adoration, we do not merely gaze at Jesus; we see things as Jesus sees them. Not only are we drawn into a deeper participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery, but we are also invited to perceive reality in a new way—an approach that allows us to witness the presence of God in all of creation.
Our Current Holy Hour Schedule is:
To find out what our current open hours are contact: [email protected]. However, feel free to commit to any Holy Hour as you are able!
Until the eleventh century, Christ’s presence in the Eucharist under the species of bread and wine was taken for granted in the faith-life of the Church. However, when a heretical movement concerning the Real Presence came to a head towards the end of that century, a new era of Eucharistic Adoration developed in the Church under the leadership and teaching of Pope Gregory VII. A renaissance of worship and veneration emerged. Eucharistic Processions were instituted, and visits to Christ in the pyx were encouraged. Led by members of various religious orders, a whole new devotional tradition developed.
Veneration of the Blessed Sacrament became so prevalent during this period in Church history that it came as no surprise when Pope Urban IV instituted the universal feast of “Corpus Christi” to commemorate Christ’s institution of the Holy Eucharist. In calling for this celebration on September 8, 1264, the Pope stressed the love and desire of Christ to remain physically present with all of humanity until the end of time. As a result, various customs soon developed that appealed to the piety of the faithful. For example, in central Europe, the feast of Corpus Christi was also known as the “Day of Wreaths.” Buildings and homes were adorned with flowers, wreaths, flags, and banners as the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament was held in procession through the streets of the towns and villages.
Over the next few hundred years, Eucharistic devotional practices developed which combined the public exposition of the Blessed Sacrament along with extended prayer vigils. Partly in response to the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent, Pope Clement VIII in 1592 gave formal recognition to the practice of the “Forty Hours Devotion”. His intent was to use this continuous forty-hour vigil to pray for God’s aid in protecting the Church from both internal and external danger. The Pope’s historic document, Quarant’ Ore (Forty Hours), may well have laid the framework for an uninterrupted practice of devotion that would soon take hold. In his proclamation, the Pope proposed that during the Forty Hours Devotion, the city of Rome was to hold a continuous course of prayer such that “every day and night, the incense of prayer shall ascend before the face of the Lord.”
Perpetual Adoration As early as the fourth century, there are some instances of localized Eucharistic devotional practices that exposed the Blessed Sacrament for extended periods of time. However, it was not until the latter half of the sixteenth century that uninterrupted Eucharistic devotions developed on a worldwide scale. Throughout the western world, various religious and lay organizations were founded to promote the practice of perpetual adoration among the faithful. Cloistered Religious Institutes, Apostolic Religious Institutes, and Perpetual Eucharistic Associations stressed the importance of worshiping Christ in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. By the time Vatican II convened in 1962, Perpetual Adoration beyond the popular Forty Hour Devotions had become customary in many places.
In 1967, the Vatican Congregation of Rites issued the document Eucharisticum Mysterium in order to provide guidelines and encourage continuous exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Additionally, the papal teachings of Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis remind us that all men and women are called to seek, to know, and to love the God of Truth. God invites each and every person to enter into his active and divine presence through his Son, Jesus Christ. Far from being distant with humanity, Pope Francis tells us that God’s gift of Jesus enables us to “grasp reality’s deepest meaning and to see how much God loves this world and is constantly guiding it towards itself.” In contemplating Christ in the devotional practice of Eucharistic Adoration, we do not merely gaze at Jesus; we see things as Jesus sees them. Not only are we drawn into a deeper participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery, but we are also invited to perceive reality in a new way—an approach that allows us to witness the presence of God in all of creation.
Our Current Holy Hour Schedule is:
- Sunday 11am-7pm
- Monday 1pm-9pm
- Tuesday 6am-12pm
- Thursday 1pm-9pm (8-9pm in St. John's)
- Friday 6am-12pm (11am-12pm in St. John's)
To find out what our current open hours are contact: [email protected]. However, feel free to commit to any Holy Hour as you are able!