Year of Eucharistic Renewal
This year in the United States, all Catholics are being asked to take steps to rediscover the incredible gift that we have been given: we are able to spend time with Jesus Himself, present in the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacles of our parishes, and can share with Him there our hopes, desires, disappointments, and joys.
Whether it is stopping in to pray for 5 minutes once a week before the tabernacle, or committing to an hour each month when we offer all-night adoration, please think about and commit to one year-long resolution that involves spending time with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
But what am I supposed to do when I’m there?
If this is something new, you’re trying, you might walk into church, genuflect, sit down, and wonder, “ok… now what?” You may even feel foolish at first, until you get used to the idea that God, your Creator, does in fact want to hear from you about what’s on your day. Here are some things from our pamphlet stand that might help…
1) Formal Prayers:
These are the most structured prayers and maybe the best for beginners. A Handbook of Prayers will have a selection of prayers for different occasions. You might find some of them – like those for after Mass, for stations of the cross, and for Eucharistic adoration – especially helpful to speak to Jesus about during adoration. There are a lot of options: the goal is not to pray all the prayers in the book, but to discover a few that work well for you.
2) Guided Meditations:
These are prompts to help you to get personal prayer started. The idea is that you read slowly until a line inspires you to have a conversation with Jesus about it. St. Alphonsus’ “Visits to the Blessed Sacrament” are a bit more on the guided prayer side, while “A Quarter Hour Before the Blessed Sacrament” is meant to lead to more of a personal conversation about your life and day.
3) Praying with Scripture:
The power of reading the Gospels before the tabernacle is that the very same Jesus who you are reading about in the Gospels – who came down from heaven, became man, and spent time with and taught the disciples – that same Jesus is spending time with you now and teaching you how to be his disciple today. One way to pray with the Bible is use Lectio Divina, which forces us to slow down and really process the words we are reading. Another way is to mediate again on the passages from the last week’s Sunday Mass that are found in the Worship Aid Bulletin.
When can I do this?
Personal Adoration: Any time the church is open, you can spend time before Christ present in the tabernacle. Our church is currently open for private prayer:
- Sunday, 7am to 1pm
- Monday & Friday, 7am to 4pm
- Tuesday to Thursday, 7am to 8pm
- Saturday 3 to 6pm
Public Adoration: These are times when the Eucharist is placed in a monstrance for adoration. This allows us to come before and worship Jesus together as a community of faith.
Weekly Opportunities for Public Adoration at St. John Vianney:
- Every Thursday night, 7-8pm
- Every Friday morning, 9-10am
Monthly Opportunities for Public Adoration at St. John Vianney:
- Before the First Friday: 5:30pm Thursday to 10am Friday.