St. Basil's/St. Francis of Assisi Parish at 101 Churchill Street, Dushore, PA 18614 US - Eucharistic Adoration - What is it?
| Eucharistic Adoration - What is it? |
Eucharistic adoration as we know it today began in the 13th century. At this time participation in communion by the laity was primarily visual; that is, seeing the elevated host was the high point of the Mass. They rarely received communion. Among the reasons for this was a general feeling of unworthiness, the use of Latin which was foreign to them, a failure to appreciate the Eucharist as a shared meal, the assuming of the laity's roles by the clergy, and a lost connection to the Church's roots. By the 14th century various forms of Eucharistic devotions outside of Mass developed for the laity's participation, such as pilgrimages, processions and Forty Hours. The focus of the Eucharist theology codified by the Council of Trent in reation to the Reformation was mainly on the bread and wine becoming the body and blood of Christ. Private and silent adoration of the Lord truly present in the tabernacle or on the altar was for all practical purposes the laity's understanding of and participation in Eucharistic worship. Vatican II recovered the Church's liturgical roots. It stated that the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed. At the same time it is the fount from which all the Church's grace flows. It also recovered the early Church's understanding of the multiple presence of Christ in the liturgy; in the minister, the word proclaimed, the eucharist and other sacraments, and in the participation of the faithful. Eucharistic worship consists in our active participation in the Mass, culminated in Holy Communion and our public and private adoration of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Both are distinct forms of worship. Visiting the Blessed Sarament should draw the faithful deeper into the Paschal Mystery and thus enable them to have the right dispositions that enable them to celebrate the Mass and frequently receive Holy Communion. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is private prayer and privileged time. Important as private prayer is, it should always lead the individual back to the Lord who is present in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the midst of his people. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament refers to the public display to the Blessed Sacrament. It is part of a liturgical rite and the directives for exposition are explicit and outlined in the Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass. According to the norms, "there should always be a sufficient number of people present for Eucharistic adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. Every effort should be made to ensure that there should be at least 2 people present. There must never be periods when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed and there is no one present for adoration." (HCWEOM#88) Our parish celebrates its Eucharistic Day on the first Friday of each month, beginning with morning Mass at 9:00 AM. Exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament follows immediately after the mass and continues until Evensong and Benediction at 7:00 PM. Come and rest in the Lord.