Adoration: Growing in relationship with Jesus

ADORATION

You don't bring me flowers

You don't sing me love songs

You don't say you love me.

 
You hardly talk to me anymore

When I come through the door

at the end of the day.........

 
Barbara Streisand sings a sad song about a dying relationship. Sometimes when I hear popular love songs, I consider my own relationships but especially my relationship with Jesus. Yes and sometimes He says to me, “You hardly talk to me any more!”

 
This is why Adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist on a regular basis is important. We can approach Our Lord in a quiet place, surrounded by candlelight, peace and no interruptions. It's something like a date night. We can talk to Him, cry, yell or complain and He patiently listens without judgement. Then sit in silence, listen, be accepted, loved and comforted.In Matthew 11, Jesus says, “Come to me , all you who labor and are heavily burdened and I will give you rest.” Why wouldn't He?

 
In Isiah 43; 1-7 God says, “I have called you by name and paid a ransom for you. YOU ARE MINE, you are precious in my eyes, honored and dI LOVE YOU.  ”I am HIS? I'm precious? Honored? Loved? Really? Me? When Jesus ransomed us He made no distinctions between peoples. He ransomed all of us and why? Because His love for us is far greater than we can ask or imagine.

      
Coming to adoration is about building a relationship with Jesus. St. Augustine said that our hearts are restless until we rest in Him. If you're restless, agitated, hurt, angry, frightened or wounded, there is no better place to find peace (unless it's in confession). And if you fall asleep, it will be in His arms and you will awake refreshed!

I recently read this on facebook, “Once a man was asked, “What did you gain by regularly praying to God?” The man replied, “Nothing.....but let me tell you what I lost: anger, ego, greed, depression, insecurity, and fear of death.” Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not gaining but losing; which ultimately you gain.” (MindfulChristianityToday.com)

This man obviously spent a lot of time in God's presence. Christ heals only if we ask Him to take our addictions, self-centeredness, negativity or whatever separates us from Him and from becoming our best selves. He invites us to come sit with Him in adoration. Allow Him to look deeply into your heart and flood it with His healing love. Come for 10 minutes, come for an hour.

 
The nuns used to tell us to stop into Church to visit Jesus on our way home from school just to say hello and tell Him about our day or what we needed. Once she told us a story of a man who came every day at 5:00 to visit the Lord for he had a sickly wife and several children.When I was much older, I learned that the man was my own Dad! We all turned out well. If love means being willing to invest time and sacrifice in a relationship, then how much more so in our relationship with Jesus. Is He not worth more than one hour at Sunday Mass? Would a marriage survive on one hour of communication a week? We pray not to change God's mind but to change ourselves. Adoration, prayer, changes things.

Mothers always advise children to choose friends wisely because they will become like those they associate with. So who do you most want to be like, to spend time with? Some parishioners have shared their experience of regularly spending time with Jesus..

 Testimonials:
 

I am adoring the Lord with silence and peace.

I read and pray for His healing and guidance.

All I know is the He loves me and

I love Him. Thank you, Lord.

For roughly 8 months, I've been attending Eucharistic Adoration, regularly. Having this committed time allows me to deepen my relationship with Jesus through spending this holy hour in focused prayer and much needed silence. It is often understood that God speaks to us in the still and silence of our hearts. Dedicating this time and avoiding being in a rush or being easily distracted, I'm able to have that needed peace and calmness to adore our risen Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. I've found this committed time frame, not as much another obligation to keep each week, but being obliged through focused time with Him that I look forward to having during the week. Upon leaving His presence, I always say “Thank You for allowing me to spend this time with you Lord” not because it's polite but because I mean it. 

When the Parish started the Wednesday adoration, I was thinking about doing it but wasn't sure if I wanted to make that commitment to be there every week at the same time. I didn't really have a good excuse not to do it, except that like most people, I work full time and have a busy schedule. But what is more important than making a commitment to spend some time with our Lord. I don't always make . that time when I'm home. But going every Wednesday just before work gives me one hour a week of quiet time to spend with Jesus. Adoring him, praising him, praying to him and thanking him. Something I don't do enough of.I now look forward to my time. It is the one hour of true peace and quiet in my week. Time to reflect, time to wind down, time to rest, time to pray. It has done wonders for me and my relationship with God and myself.