Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Last week, I related that when dining at an Italian restaurant in Rome, plan on spending two or three hours, most of it in conversation. Rather than eat and run, we sit back and relax. We talk about the day, matters important and trivial, with no agenda other than to enjoy each other’s company. The “Italian pause” after eating nourishes our friendships even as the carefully prepared food has nourished our bodies.

In the Mass, the moment after communion is like that Italian Pause after dinner conversation. We sit and visit not with each other but with the Lord. Although we pause for a brief silent minute during Mass, the real chance to enjoy the after communion Italian pause with the Lord is Eucharistic Adoration.

Pope Benedict XVI stated, “Whoever wants to be a friend of Jesus and become his authentic disciple must cultivate an intimate friendship with him in meditation and prayer.” Besides faithful participation in Mass and confession, a life of prayer is essential.

Eucharistic Adoration is a prayer practice that cultivates an intimate friendship with the Lord. It is an extension of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which occurs in every Mass: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb."

The church teaches that Eucharistic Adoration is a time for readings of the word of God, songs, prayers, and silent prayer. We pray with our bodies when we genuflect on one knee before the tabernacle and kneel in the pews for a period of prayer.

For Eucharistic Adoration, I settle down with a few minutes of quiet, simply noticing my breathing and the sounds, smells, and presence of my physical surroundings. I leisurely read something inspiring such as a hymn complete with the music in my head, the prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours, the Scripture readings for the Sunday Mass, or a spiritual book, all the while pausing when something strikes me and noticing it together with the Lord. My mind might wander into the days’ activities or into memories, but the reading on my lap helps bring me gently back to the moment with the Lord.

When I come with an agenda, such as solving a problem or sorting out a homily, the prayer time becomes less settled and more like a power lunch than an Italian pause after dinner. When I put such concerns before the Lord and then attend to my spiritual reading and noticing, I usually finish with more peace and perspective that helps me deal with the concerns. The holy hour may lead me to an inspiring thought or consolation. Or it may not. Regardless, the rest of the day somehow has more lightness to it that makes me want to say, “It’s great to be alive.”

Traditionally, we spend an hour in such prayer before the tabernacle or the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance. The holy hour is like that hour after a meal when we take time to digest and enjoy each other. From it, as Pope Benedict noted, an intimate friendship grows. We know that we have to spend a lot of time for any relationship to develop. Twenty minutes is a good beginning. 

Give it a try this week.

The church is open from 7 a.m. in the morning until 4 p.m. in the afternoon. Other than Morning Mass from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m., the church is usually quiet and the tabernacle candle is always lit.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is a special form of Eucharistic Adoration. On Friday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the monstrance on the altar. In the presence of the Lord, we spend the time mostly in quiet, with some brief periods of communal prayer, hymns, and scriptures. 

Then enjoy dinner with someone, socially distant of course. Turn off cell phones. Tell them about your day. Listen. Practice how the Lord wants to be with you.

In Christ,

Father David