Eucharistic Adoration is a private devotion where the faithful adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or the Eucharist. Because we believe Jesus is truly present in the Host, we enter the chapel in silence and reverence as we genuflect and pray prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Some people remain on their knees, others sit, and some prostrate themselves before the Lord (lay flat on the ground with their face down). But no matter the posture, all are seeking Jesus, making space within themselves for the One who fills the depths of the soul. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that Eucharistic Adoration is an “Encounter between God and man.” CCC 2626 This “encounter” draws the soul into a deeper relationship with Christ, creating an intimacy between them and the “Thrice Holy God.” CCC 2628 It takes time to build this relationship, so frequent visits to Jesus in adoration bring the person closer to Him, thus advancing their spiritual life. Outside of the Mass, this is the best time anyone can spend.
“The daily adoration or visit to the Blessed Sacrament is the practice which is the fountainhead of all devotional works.”
Saint Pope Pius X
Jesus waits for us to come to Him so that He can “meet us in our souls,” as one of our priests reminds us. Adoration is an escape from the world. A place where we can let go of the mundane tasks that dominate our days and rest on the Heart of our Savior. Jesus yearns for us, for our love and presence. He wants our attention so that He can build a friendship with us. We have to spend time with Jesus if we are going to get to know Him, just as we would any friend. Because a connection exists between us and God, adoration is the perfect place to build an intimate, loving relationship with the Lord. You love Jesus and are ultimately transformed by His love for you. It is truly beautiful and changes the way we see everything.
“There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
Luke 10:42
Everyone will have a different experience of adoration since we all have different relationships with Jesus. Some people will be in the early stages of getting to know the Lord, while others will have spent years adoring Him. But no matter where you are, God always plants something of Himself within you. Sometimes, you may feel nothing, and that is okay because we know through faith that Jesus is truly present and touching the deepest parts of us. At other times, adoration produces a calmness that stills the body, the mind, and the spirit. Everything melts away as you inhale the sweetness of the Lord, and peace washes over you like a soft breeze. It is so intoxicating that it carries you to places deep within that you’ve never been or even knew existed. I want to share one of these places or communications with you.
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”
Saint Alphonsus liguori
While I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament one day, I imagined myself in a place the Lord had shown me years earlier when I was under demonic oppression. I have been to this place many times. I described it in my book, Attacked By Witchcraft, so I will not go into great detail about it here, but I need to set the scene. In this place, there is a cliff overlooking the ocean. It is illuminated by the moonlight. A bench sits off to the side of the cliff where I can sit quietly and listen to the waves crash against the shore. It is such a peaceful place. I feel safe there and very calm. The last time I visited this place, Jesus came. He wanted me to go with Him, but I didn’t want to leave. It was my safe place, and I loved it there. But Jesus was persistent and encouraged me to go with Him. He stretched His hand out toward me and said, “Come.” The moment I took Jesus’s hand we entered into a new place. It was sunny and bright. As I looked around, I saw that we stood in the middle of a wide grassy path surrounded by wheat fields as far as I could see. I was instantly captivated by this place. It was so different from the fields we have here on earth. Every blade of wheat was exactly the same. They were all the same shade of golden brown, the same height, and the same width apart, and the individual stalks were all the same thickness. The heads of grain consisted of the same number of kernels, but they were tighter and clung a bit closer to the stalk, and each kernel was perfectly the same size. I couldn’t comprehend how all of this was possible. They were so perfect.
“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!”
Saint Therese of Lisieux
Suddenly, the wind began to blow quite powerfully. I watched in awe as the vast wheat fields moved as if they were one, all falling over at the same time and angle. I stood there for, I am not sure how long, just captivated by the incredible landscape. Suddenly, I was no longer on the path with Jesus but standing in the middle of the wheat. It felt to me as if the wheat was alive. I don’t mean living; I mean alive. It was like the fields were aware of me, putting on a show for me. Then I looked beyond the fields and saw two mountains far off in the distance. One overlapped the other, and there was a deep gap between them. It was vee-shaped. I knew that heaven was just on the other side of those mountains, but I knew I couldn’t go there. I suddenly appeared back on the grassy path and realized Jesus wasn’t with me. I looked up and saw Jesus far ahead of me. The wind blew so fiercely that it blew His hair and vibrant red robe to one side. Then Jesus looked back at me with a huge smile, and I understood that He was happy He brought me there. I wanted to catch up with Him. But I knew I wasn’t supposed to. My eyes opened, and I was back in the chapel.
“We should consider those moments spent before the Blessed Sacrament as the happiest of our lives.”
St. John Vianney The Cure of Ars
This was a beautiful meditation. Jesus loves it when we spend time with Him. He loves to communicate with us and fill us with His peace. It is a peace that calms our inner being in a way the world never can. This practice of silent love propels us forward on our journey toward God. It secretly instills a longing within us for our Beloved Jesus. And that longing penetrates the soul, constantly calling it back to this place where heaven meets earth. My husband spent just a few minutes in adoration with me on Christmas. When we left, he said, “That was so peaceful and calming.” Yes. Because it is only in the Lord that we find true peace. What a treasure we have in the Eucharist. What a gift we have in the adoration chapel. Jesus waits for us to visit Him so He can love and bless us beyond measure.
Prayer to The Blessed Sacrament
(300 days indulgence granted each time any are recited).
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
I adore Thee, O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, furnace of divine charity, give peace to the world.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, increase in us faith, hope, and charity.
Blessed and praised be the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, model of the priestly heart, have mercy on us.
O Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us.
May the Most Holy Sacrament be forever praised and adored.
O Jesus, Lamb of God, continuously offered in sacrifice on the altars of the world, I unite myself to Thee.
Thou are Christ the Son of the living God.
(Indulgence granted when said before the Blessed Sacrament).
Visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
O Sacrament most Holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment Thine!
O my beloved Jesus, O God, Who hast loved men with such exceeding love, what more canst Thou do to make Thyself loved by these ungrateful men? Oh, if men loved Thee, all the churches would be continuously filled with people prostrate on the ground, adoring and thanking Thee, and burning with love for Theeat seeing Thee with the eyes of faith hidden in the Tabernacle. But no, men, forgetful of Thee and of Thy love, are ready enough to court a man from whom they hope to gain some miserable advantage, whilst Thou, O my Lord, Thou remainest alone and abandoned by all. Oh, that I could by my devotion make reparation for such ingratitude! I am sorry that I also have hitherto been like them, careless and ungrateful. But for the future, I will not be so any longer. If at one time I have despised Thee, I now desire nothing but to love Thee. O my Jesus, Thou are my love and my only Good, “my God and my all!”
To obtain a copy of these prayers: Our Lady of the Rosary Library