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Many adorers have commented about how beautiful it is to see the students of
our school file in on Thursdays during Eucharistic Adoration to spend time with
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Although school is out, we owe it to our children
to keep this good habit going even though their parents may not be attending
adoration. The concept of parents as "primary educators" has been supported
and advocated by the Church. "Parents have the first responsibility for the
education of their children," says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2223). In
his 1994 Letter to Families, Pope John Paul II wrote, "Parents are the first and most important educators
of their own children, and they also possess a fundamental competence in this area; they are
educators, because they are parents." However, that while parents are the primary educators, their
interpretation of doctrine can never supersede the legitimate teaching authority set over them in the
Church.
What is Eucharistic adoration? We spend time with Jesus in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. A
consecrated host is displayed in a gold receptacle called a monstrance, which was initially designed
by King Louis XIV to resemble a sunburst. The sunburst symbolizes the love of Christ, which radiates to
everyone. The Body of Christ was first held in reserve after Mass for the sick and the dying. Christians
soon realized that there was no better place to pray than before the Blessed Sacrament – in the real
presence of Jesus. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he promised his disciples that he would be with
them always. Indeed, the Eucharist is one of the ways he remains present with us. Eucharistic
adoration is a special time and opportunity to pray. When we come in front of the Blessed Sacrament,
we bless ourselves with holy water and genuflect as a sign of reverence and profound respect.
Why do we have Eucharistic adoration? We grow in faith and in appreciation of the Eucharist (Mass).
As Catholics, we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus is present in the
consecrated bread, just as really as Jesus was present at the Last Supper. At the Last Supper, after
blessing the bread, Jesus declared, ‘Take. Eat. This is my body’ (Matt. 26: 26). This is a mystery to us. As
human beings, with our limited understanding, we cannot comprehend this. However, we choose to
believe that the God who created this beautiful and complex world, who performed miracles such as
parting the Red Sea, and who raised Jesus from the dead can also change bread into the Body of
Christ. The consecrated host has the appearance of bread and tastes like bread, but we believe it is
the Body of Christ because Jesus told us so. The Three Wise Men came to adore Jesus and give Him
praise. We do the same in Eucharistic adoration. We praise Jesus who is really present in the Body of
Christ. We praise him and thank him for his sacrifice on the cross for our salvation. We give him the gift
of our love and our lives. Jesus calls us to prayer. The night before he died, he went to the Garden of
Gethsemane to pray to His Father. At that time, he asked the disciples to stay awake and pray with
him for one hour (Matt. 26: 40). When we gather for Eucharistic adoration, we are accompanying
Jesus in prayer.
What can you do as a parent? If you are not familiar with Eucharistic adoration, consider praying as a
family before the Blessed Sacrament. God will certainly bless us abundantly for the time we spend in
adoration. He will give us a peace that surpasses understanding, a lasting joy, and strength and grace
for the journey to heaven.
Come spend time before the Blessed Sacrament this week and pray for our school. Pray for the
students, the faculty and the families within our school. Pray for the needs, unity and peace, and for
increased spirituality among the families.
For more inform ation about Eucharistic Adoration or to sign up for a specific hour, please contact Kathy Fister
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