This Sunday, we celebrate the Epiphany. The Holy Family is visited by three wise men from foreign lands. They traveled hundreds of miles to offer gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Each gift represents a piece of Christ’s ministry: His kingship, His priesthood, and His death. Like the wise men, we are on a journey to find relationship with God. Where are you on this journey? What gifts are you bringing to lay at the base of Jesus’ manger? All He wants is you – the gift of yourself, the gift of relationship with you.
Recently like the wise men, I began visiting Jesus in the adoration chapel with a friend from the parish which has brought us closer together. Just a few months ago, we were strangers, but a simple invitation to sit in the chapel together has formed a friendship blessed by Christ. In the adoration chapel, we have shared our love for Jesus in the Eucharist, our hurt and struggles, our joy and laughter. We enter the chapel with no end time in mind. Sometimes we are there for 40 mins and other times we end up staying for hours – sitting in silence with Jesus and talking about what we need prayer for and how life has been going. This friendship has brought accountability to my prayer life. We are there for each other on those days when we may not feel like leaving the house or seem to be too busy to fit in visiting Jesus in the Adoration Chapel.
I like to visit the chapel because it is dedicated time that I know will be set aside for prayer. It is more difficult for me to sit in silence at home with a multitude of distractions. I work hard to carve out a consistent prayer life day-to-day, but it is difficult to compete with work, evening meetings, and social events. God, however, is by far the most important thing. As Dan Tarrant, a Catholic speaker, shared at a recent parish event, “If you believe that there’s a God, the biggest thing in your life is Him. Even if you have not let Him into your life yet, the biggest thing is Him… the most important thing that you can do in your life, if there’s a God, is have relationship with Him… Jesus says that if you seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, everything else will be given to you in time… How do you want to live now?”
Where do you place him in your daily list of priorities? In my personal prayer with the Blessed Sacrament, I offer over myself with the full belief that if I do my prayers will be answered. Trusting in that is hard and I am constantly in a battle of fully surrendering that His plan is way better than any I could formulate and try to craft for myself. I do, however, personally struggle a lot with placing him at the top of my list. He is high up there, but something seemingly more pressing ends up at the top of my list on regular occasion. I have noticed looking back at the weeks that I miss sitting with Jesus in the chapel are harder and longer. I slip up more in sin and lose focus on what is most important, what should be placed front and center in my life – especially if I miss multiple weeks in a row. Entering into the beautiful Sacrament of the Eucharist at Mass becomes more difficult because I have not spent time one-on-one with my friend in the Blessed Sacrament – Jesus.
More often than not, I need to listen to the advice I have given my friends — Go sit in the chapel. Have you talked to Him about it yet? I don’t know that I can help you, but I know that he will. — and listen to what God is saying to me in the silence. There I can find the answers I need, the comfort I am seeking, and the peace in all my anxiety. I invite you to visit the chapel and share your joys, worries, and sorrows with Jesus. I invite you to enter into conversation with Him not just by talking about the things you need and want, but by listening to what he wants to share with you, patiently listening for the answers that you seek. He gifted to you His life. Please, gift Him some of your time.
In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church’s supreme act of adoration. ~Pope Benedict XVI
Come, Let Us Adore Him!
Eucharistic Adoration in our chapel:
Monday & Wednesday 7 AM – 7 PM
Friday 7 AM – 5 PM
Can you find an hour to sit with Jesus in Adoration? It will be the best appointment of your entire week. If you can sign up for a Holy Hour, please contact Paula Warnalis 215-715-6911.