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Eucharistic
Adoration / The Eucharist Reserved in the Tabernacle
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"We
should consider those moments spent before the Blessed Sacrament
as the happiest of our lives." (St. John Vianney)
"[E]ucharistic
worship constitutes the soul of all Christian life" (Pope John Paul II)
"The
Blessed Sacrament is the first and supreme object of our
worship." (St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier)
"Do
you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit Him often. Do you
want Him to give you few graces? Visit Him seldom." (St. John
Bosco)
"We
beseech you to foster devotion to the Eucharist, which should be
the focal point and goal of all other forms of devotion."
(Pope Paul VI, 1965 A.D.)
"A
thousand years of glory in palaces of men cannot be worth the
sweetness of one hour spent before the tabernacle." (St.
Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother)
"When
tempted to despair, I have only one recourse: to throw myself at
the foot of the Tabernacle like a little dog at the feet of his
master." (St. John Vianney)
"Never
forget that Jesus Christ is no less powerful, no less generous in
the Blessed Sacrament than He was during His mortal life on
earth." (St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier)
"Could
one find a greater honor than to be allowed to make reparation to
Jesus Christ for the outrages which he receives in the Sacrament
of his love?" (St. John Vianney)
"There
can be no danger of excess in our care for this mystery, for 'in
this sacrament is recapitulated the whole mystery of our
salvation'" (Pope John Paul II, 2003 A.D.)
"When
our Lord sees pure souls coming eagerly to visit him in the
Blessed Sacrament, he smiles upon them. They come with great
simplicity which pleases him so much." (St. John Vianney)
"For
it is quite true, and history is rich in bearing testimony to the
fact, 'that an age is more or less glorious, according to its
devotion towards the adorable Eucharist.'" (Liturgical Year)
"Of all 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, Doctor of the Church)
"Happier
than those who lived during his mortal life, when he was only in
one place, we find Jesus Christ today in every corner of the
world, in the Blessed Sacrament." (St. John Vianney)
"To
what outrages does our Lord expose himself in the Blessed
Sacrament that he may remain in the midst of us! He is there to
console us, and therefore we ought often to visit him." (St.
John Vianney)
"When
you visit Him, He forgets your sins and speaks only of His joy,
His tenderness, and His Love. By the reception He gives to you,
one would think He has need of you to make Him happy." (St.
Peter Julian Eymard)
"What
induced Jesus Christ to condescend to be present in our churches
by day and night? It was that we might be able to come to Him
whenever we wanted to. What an immense privilege we Christians
enjoy." (St. John Vianney)
"Man
has time for everything except for visits to his Lord and God, who
is waiting and longing for him in His tabernacle. The streets and
houses of amusements are filled with people. The house of God is
deserted." (St. Peter Julian Eymard)
"The
worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable
value for the life of the Church... This practice, repeatedly
praised and recommended by the Magisterium, is supported by the
example of many saints." (Pope John Paul II)
"Our
love for the Blessed Sacrament should be carried to the highest
degree; the highest degree of love and adoration is the silence
which prays and pours itself out in adoration before the grandeur
of a hidden God." (St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier)
"Can.
937 Unless there is a grave reason to the contrary, the church in
which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved is to be open to the
faithful for at least some hours every day so that they can pray
before the Most Blessed Sacrament." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Ah!
How sweet and full of comfort are the moments spent before the
Blessed Sacrament! Are you in any trouble? Come and throw yourself
at his feet... Do people speak badly of you? Come to him and you
will find a good friend who will never fail you." (St. John
Vianney)
"If
any one saith that it is not lawful for the sacred Eucharist to be
reserved in the [Tabernacle], but that immediately after consecration
it must necessarily be distributed amongst those present; or that
it is not lawful that it be carried with honor to the sick; let
him be anathema." (Council of Trent)
"In
the course of the day the faithful should not omit visiting the
Blessed Sacrament, which in accordance with liturgical law must be
reserved in churches with great reverence in a prominent place.
Such visits are a sign of gratitude, an expression of love and an
acknowledgment of the Lord's presence" (Pope Paul VI, 1965
A.D.)
"If
He came down on our altars on certain days only, some sinner, on
being moved to repentance, might have to look for Him, and not
finding Him, have to wait. Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for
the sinner for years rather than keep him waiting one instant. How
few reflect that Jesus loves them that much in the Most Blessed
Sacrament." (St. Peter Julian Eymard)
"Can.
1273 Those to whom the religious instruction of the faithful falls
shall omit nothing that would excite piety for the most holy
Eucharist in their spirits and shall especially encourage them
that, not only on [Sundays] and feasts of precept, but also on
regular days during the week, they assist at the sacrifice of the
Mass and visit the most Holy Sacrament frequently insofar as this
is possible." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"You
also realize, Venerable Brothers, that the Eucharist is reserved
in churches or oratories to serve as the spiritual center of a
religious community or a parish community, indeed of the whole
Church and the whole of mankind, since it contains, beneath the
veil of the species, Christ the invisible Head of the Church, the
Redeemer of the world, the center of all hearts, 'by whom all
things are and by whom we exist.'" (Pope Paul VI, 1965 A.D.)
"If
any one saith that in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God, is not to be adored with the
worship, even external, of latria [the
highest worship, given to God alone]; and is consequently neither to
be venerated with a special festive solemnity nor to be solemnly
borne about in processions, according to the laudable and
universal rite and custom of holy Church; or is not to be proposed
publicly to the people to be adored, and that the adorers thereof
are idolaters; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)
"Can.
934 §1 The blessed Eucharist: 1° must be reserved in the
cathedral church or its equivalent, in every parish church, and in
the church or oratory attached to the house of a religious
institute or society of apostolic life 2° may be reserved in a
Bishop's chapel and, by permission of the local Ordinary, in other
churches, oratories and chapels. §2 In sacred places where the
blessed Eucharist is reserved there must always be someone who is
responsible for it, and as far as possible a priest is to
celebrate Mass there at least twice a month." (1983 Code of
Canon Law)
"The
custom of reserving the holy Eucharist in the sacrarium is so
ancient, that even the [period] of the Council of Nicaea recognized
that usage. Moreover, as to carrying the sacred Eucharist itself
to the sick, and carefully reserving it for this purpose in
churches, besides that it is exceedingly conformable to equity and
reason, it is also found enjoined in numerous councils, and is a
very ancient observance of the Catholic Church. Wherefore, this
holy Synod ordains, that this salutary and necessary custom is to
be by all means retained." (Council of Trent, 1551 A.D.)
"Above
all, do not allow - as some do, who are deceived under the pretext
of restoring the liturgy or who idly claim that only liturgical
rites are of any real value and dignity - that churches be closed
during the hours not appointed for public functions, as has
already happened in some places: where the adoration of the august
Sacrament and visits to our Lord in the tabernacles are neglected;
where confession of devotion is discouraged; and devotion to the
Virgin Mother of God, a sign of 'predestination' according to the
opinion of holy men, is so neglected, especially among the young,
as to fade away and gradually vanish. Such conduct most harmful to
Christian piety is like poisonous fruit, growing on the infected
branches of a healthy tree, which must be cut off so that the
life-giving sap of the tree may bring forth only the best
fruit." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.)
"O
my beloved Jesus, O God, who has loved me with love exceeding!
What more can you do to make yourself loved by ungrateful people?
If we loved you, all the churches would be continually filled with
people prostrate on the ground adoring and thanking you, burning
with love for you, and seeing you with the eyes of faith, hidden
in a tabernacle. But no, we are forgetful of you and your love. We
are ready enough to try to win the favor of a person from whom we
hope for some miserable advantage, while we leave you, Lord,
abandoned and alone. If only by my devotion I could make
reparation for such ingratitude! I am sorry that I also have been
careless and ungrateful. In the future I will change my ways, I
will devote myself to your service as much as possible. Inflame me
with your holy love, so that from this day forward I may live only
to love and to please you. You deserve the love of all hearts. If
at one time I have despised you, I now desire nothing but to love
you. O my Jesus, you are my love and my only good, 'my God and my
All." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
"No
one can fail to see that the divine Eucharist bestows an
incomparable dignity upon the Christian people. For it is not just
while the Sacrifice is being offered and the Sacrament is being
confected, but also after the Sacrifice has been offered and the
Sacrament confected - while the Eucharist is reserved in churches
or oratories - that Christ is truly Emmanuel, which means 'God
with us.' For He is in the midst of us day and night; He dwells in
us with the fullness of grace and of truth. He raises the level of
morals, fosters virtue, comforts the sorrowful, strengthens the
weak and stirs up all those who draw near to Him to imitate Him,
so that they may learn from his example to be meek and humble of
heart, and to seek not their own interests but those of God.
Anyone who has a special devotion to the sacred Eucharist and who
tries to repay Christ's infinite love for us with an eager and
unselfish love of his own, will experience and fully understand -
and this will bring great delight and benefit to his soul - just
how precious is a life hidden with Christ in God and just how
worthwhile it is to carry on a conversation with Christ, for there
is nothing more consoling here on earth, nothing more efficacious
for progress along the paths of holiness." (Pope Paul VI,
1965 A.D.)
"Wherefore, there is no room left for doubt, that all the faithful of Christ may, according to the custom ever received in the Catholic Church, render in veneration the worship of latria, which is due to the true God, to this most holy sacrament. For not therefore is it the less to be adored on this account, that it was instituted by Christ, the Lord, in order to be received: for we believe that same God to be present therein, of whom the eternal Father, when introducing him into the world, says; And let all the angels of God adore him; whom the Magi falling down, adored; who, in fine, as the Scripture testifies, was adored by the apostles in Galilee. The holy Synod
declares, moreover, that this custom was piously and religiously
introduced into the Church of God, so that this sublime and
venerable sacrament was celebrated every year on a special feast
day with extraordinary veneration and solemnity, and was borne
reverently and with honor in processions through the streets and
public places. For it is most proper that some holy days be
established when all Christians may testify, with an extraordinary
and unusual expression, that their minds are grateful to and
mindful of their common Lord and Redeemer for such an ineffable
and truly divine a favor whereby the victory and triumph of His
death is represented. And thus, indeed, ought victorious truth to
celebrate a triumph over falsehood and heresy, that her
adversaries, placed in view of so much splendor and amid such deep
joy of the universal Church, may either vanish weakened and
broken, or overcome and confounded by shame may some day recover
their senses." (Council of Trent, 1551 A.D.)
"The
Eucharistic Food contains, as all are aware, 'truly, really and
substantially the Body and Blood together with soul and divinity
of our Lord Jesus Christ.' It is no wonder, then, that the Church,
even from the beginning, adored the body of Christ under the
appearance of bread; this is evident from the very rites of the
august [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, which prescribe that the sacred
ministers should adore the most Holy Sacrament by genuflecting or
by profoundly bowing their heads. The Sacred Councils teach that
it is the Church's tradition right from the beginning, to worship
'with the same adoration the Word Incarnate as well as His own
flesh,' and St. Augustine asserts that, 'No one eats that flesh,
without first adoring it,' while he adds that 'not only do we not
commit a sin by adoring it, but that we do sin by not adoring it.'
It is on this doctrinal basis that the cult* of adoring the
Eucharist was founded and gradually developed as something
distinct from the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Mass. The
reservation of the sacred species for the sick and those in danger
of death introduced the praiseworthy custom of adoring the Blessed
Sacrament which is reserved in our churches. This practice of
adoration, in fact, is based on strong and solid reasons. For the
Eucharist is at once a Sacrifice and a Sacrament; but it differs
from the other sacraments in this that it not only produces grace,
but contains in a permanent manner the Author of grace Himself.
When, therefore, the Church bids us adore Christ hidden behind the
Eucharistic veils and pray to Him for spiritual and temporal
favors, of which we ever stand in need, she manifests living faith
in her divine Spouse who is present beneath these veils, she
professes her gratitude to Him and she enjoys the intimacy of His
friendship." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947
A.D.) [*Note: Although the term 'cult' - in modern times -
often has negative connotations, the term may be inoffensively
used simply to refer to a 'system of religious beliefs or
practices'.]
Also
See: The
Holy Eucharist (Gen'l. Info.)
| Holy
Eucharist (Catechism of the Council of Trent)
| Holy
Eucharist / Mass (Basics / Misc.) | The
Real Presence / Transubstantiation | Forty
Hours Devotion | Praise
/ Benefits of the Holy Eucharist & Mass | The
Holy Eucharist & The Goodness and Love of God | Reverence
/ Proper Behavior (Mass / Holy Eucharist) | The
Holy Eucharist Should Be Handled Only By Priests | Mass /
Holy Eucharist Prayers | Church
Talk Reflections
| The
Holy Eucharist (Our Father's Love Reflections)
| The
Holy Eucharist (Classic Encyclicals) | Proper
Behavior in Church | Resources (Incl. Fliers)
| Reverence
/ Honor to God (Topical Scripture)
| House
of God / House of the Lord (Topical Scripture)
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