Adoration ABC's

They knelt down and worshiped him. – Matthew 2:11 (GNT)

Marie was one of several homeschooling mothers who helped light my way into the Catholic church. She initiated a small gathering for youth and, despite not being Catholic, my twelve-year-old son and I joined in.

We assembled in the empty parking lot outside a towering church. Tucked behind the building was a tiny chapel – a sunroom-turned-worship-space attached to the rectory. Walking up the small path from the parking lot, we passed a red sign with gold letters and an arrow pointing the way. “Adoration Chapel,” it read.

Marie held the door for us as we filed into the narrow space, completely quiet, where several rows of chairs faced a small altar. The left wall held floor-to-ceiling windows hung with stained glass panels. On the altar between two lighted candles stood a golden vessel, about eighteen inches high. Its base was round with an upward stem that held a large gold medallion resembling a sun. The center of the sun was ivory in color and the medallion’s golden rays radiated out. Behind the altar hung a painting of Jesus on the cross. His mother was shown to the left, weeping, and the Apostle John to the right, full of sadness.

I looked to Marie for guidance. “Kneel on both knees,” she whispered, “and make the sign of the cross.” I followed her lead, as did the handful of teens that accompanied us and then we all took a seat. In front of each chair was a kneeler and some knelt in silence, gazing forward. Others just sat. After about 20 minutes, Marie stood up, performed the same motions as she had upon entering, and exited the chapel. The rest of us followed suit.

Marie called this experience "adoration." For me, it was something entirely new and different.

Amazing.
Beautiful.
Compelling. 

Prayer: Thank you, Holy God, for faithful friends who point us to You in the Blessed Sacrament.

Quote: Of all the 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. //St. Alphonsus Liguori

© Lisa Livezey 2025

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