Understood simply, Eucharistic Adoration is adoring or honouring the Eucharistic Presence of Christ. In a deeper sense, it involves “the contemplation of the Mystery of Christ truly present before us”. During Eucharistic Adoration, we “watch and wait”, we remain “silent” in His Presence and open ourselves to His Graces which flow from the Eucharist … By worshiping the Eucharistic Jesus, we become what God wants us to be! Like a magnet, The Lord draws us to Himself and gently transforms us. In its fullest essence … Eucharistic Adoration is “God and Man reaching out for each other, at the same time!”

At the moment of Consecration, during the Mass, the “gifts” of bread and wine are transformed (transubstantiated) into the actual Body and Blood of Christ, at the Altar. This means that they are not only spiritually transformed, but rather are actually (substantially) transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. The elements retain the appearance of bread and wine, but are indeed the actual Body and Blood of Christ. This is what is meant by Real Presence: the actual, physical presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Christ instituted this Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist in order to remain with mankind until the end of time (Jn. 14:18).

The Bible. After Christ instituted the Eucharist and celebrated the first Mass at the Last Supper, He took his disciples to the Mount of Olives and invited them to stay awake with him, praying there in vigil for what was to come. Christ gave to the disciples, and to all Christians, this pattern of prayer. Jesus’ question to his disciples, “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” Could you not keep watch with me? (Mark 14:37) is the same question he asks us today.

Whether it is homework, service work, faith, athletics, a relationship, friendships, or fun, everything you do can be rooted in Christ through spending time with him in Eucharistic Adoration. Pope John Paul II reiterated Vatican II’s proclamation, that the Eucharist is “the Source and Summit of the Christian life.” Eucharistic Adoration nourishes us, inspires us, and gives us the strength and grace to make Christ relevant, whether in our school work, our leisure time, our relationships, or our service to those who are in need. By spending time with Jesus in Adoration, we are made more mindful of Him and His presence with us throughout our day.

Prayer can be done at anytime, anywhere, by anyone, and can take on a myriad of forms. You can always find and make time for prayer. Mass is the perfect prayer. When we gather as a community at Mass, we celebrate God’s gift to the Church in giving us his Son. By the words of the priest and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine offered at the altar become Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Jesus’ Real Presence remains in the Eucharist, which is reserved in the tabernacle following Mass. Outside of Mass, people are always welcome at any time to pray in our churches and chapels in the presence of Christ. Eucharistic Adoration is that time set aside when the Eucharist is “exposed” (placed in a monstrance on the altar) so that the faithful may see, pray, and adore our Risen Lord, present under the appearance of simple bread. Jesus is just as present in the tabernacle as in the monstrance, but many believers find comfort and peace when they are able to pray while looking upon Jesus exposed in the monstrance.