Appointment With Jesus at Adoration

FAMILY MATTERS: CATHOLIC LIVING

(photo: Unsplash)

“As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Nearly each time I go to adoration, I am reminded of these words of St. Paul — for as St. John Paul II announced the Year of the Eucharist June 10, 2004, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, he quoted that verse. Shortly after the special year began, I got in the habit of weekly visits before the Blessed Sacrament.

On Thursdays, I have an appointment with Jesus. It is one I’ve had for the last 13 years. I can’t think of my week without this special time with Jesus.

Most times, I bring the prayer intentions of family and friends. For those whose intentions are unknown to me, I simply pray, “Jesus, give them what they need today.” And who among us doesn’t have family members or friends who have left the Church? These souls need our prayers, so I pray for them, too.

Christ wants to meet us in our brokenness. It is at that point he can touch, at the core of our being, the depth of our souls — the point at which Christ can heal our emotional and spiritual wounds. Those emotional scars may come from a hurt we can’t let go of from the past. While sitting, standing or kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, we can give such hurts to Jesus.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, so when I sit before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, I am spending time with my closest friend.

Adoration also reminds me that human agendas are different from God’s.

He tells us that in sacred Scripture. Isaiah 55:8-9 reads: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways — oracle of the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

So often we think of decisions and plans without truly seeking God’s will. Spending time with Jesus before the Blessed Sacrament allows us the time to see his will for our lives.

I come prepared to sit before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, attempting to do his holy will. More than a few times, I have been surprised by what that is! Seeking Christ is an ongoing adventure — far beyond an appointment.

And, as Catholics, we have “a great cloud of witnesses” to help us on our journey of faith. They can intercede for us and for our loved ones. This is one of the realities of the awesome treasure of the Communion of Saints triumphant. They have served God well. Do you not think they have the ear of God?

There are times, as I sit before the Blessed Sacrament, that God prompts me to seek their intercession.

Sts. Paul and Maximilian Kolbe are among my favorites.

These martyrs’ writings have inspired me. I took Paul as my confirmation name, and his letters in Scripture have been a wonderful source to build my faith.

Paul’s letters are often used for one of the readings of the day that I may meditate on at adoration. And Maximilian said perpetual adoration is “the most important activity.”

When I make my weekly visit, I pour out my heart to Christ the King.

As he emptied himself for us, I attempt to do the same.

Through my weekly “visits,” Christ has become the center of my life.

O Sacrament most holy,

O Sacrament divine.

All praise and

All thanksgiving,

Be every moment thine!

Bill Zalot writes from

Levittown, Pennsylvania.