Adoration Companion

HISTORY AND FORMS OF EUCHARISTIC ADORATION The Eucharist is a priceless treasure: by not only celebrating it but also by praying before it outside of Mass, we are enabled to make contact with the very wellspring of grace.. It is pleasant to spend time with [Jesus], to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple (cf. Jn 13:25) and to feel the infinite love present in his heart. - Saint John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 25 Historical Background The practice of reserving the Eucharist is an ancient observance which has its origins in the earliest centuries of the Church's history. The first extant description of reserving the Eucharist in order to bring Holy Communion to the sick is found in Saint Justin Martyr's First Apology (c. 155-157). During the following century, Saint Cyprian of Carthage described how Christians would bring the Eucharist to their homes to receive it during the week, since the celebration of the Eucharist usually took place only on Sundays at this point in Christian history. In a tradition beginning in the city of Rome, the Eucharist was sometimes reserved and then added to the Precious Blood during a later Mass celebrated in another location as a way of symbolically expressing the communion between parishes and their bishop or between various bishops. At other times, the reserved Sacrament from one Mass was added to the Precious Blood at a later Mass to signify the unity of all Eucharistic celebrations in Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. In order to make the Eucharist available for these various purposes, the Blessed Sacrament was regularly reserved in tabernacles from the fourth century onward. The common practice of praying before the reserved Eucharist began roughly in the eleventh and twelfth centuries as a consequence of the writings of certain Scholastic theologians on the subject of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. During this period, the dogma of transubstantiation, which is listed among the articles of faith, was first articulated. Transubstantiation is the term used by the Church to describe "the way in which Christ becomes present in [the Holy Eucharist] through the conversion of the whole substance of the bread into his Body and of the whole substance of the wine into his Blood." This teaching was formally defined by the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) and confirmed by the Council of Trent in 1551. At the time, the Council Fathers of Trent also reiterated the teaching of the Council of Constance (1415) concerning the doctrine of concomitance, which states that "Christ is present whole and entire in each of the [Eucharistic] species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ." As the faithful during the late Middle Ages meditated on the nature of Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist, practices such as gazing upon the Eucharist at the time of the elevation of the host and chalice after the consecration at Mass, adoring the exposed Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance outside of Mass, and carrying the Eucharist in procession began to develop. At this time and during the centuries which followed, these rites were considered to be primarily devotional in nature, meaning that they were regarded as extensions of the Church's liturgical celebration of the Mass. More recently, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the traditional teaching of the Church concerning the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. They taught: At the Last Supper, on the night when he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the Sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his Death and Resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. During the Council, Saint Paul VI expressed his hope that the reform and restoration of the Mass called for by the Conciliar Fathers would "produce abundant fruits in the form of Eucharistic devotion, so that the Holy Church may, with this salvific sign of piety raised on high, make daily progress toward the full achievement of unity." In 1967, the Sacred Congregation of Rites similarly emphasized the relationship between adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the celebration of the Mass, indicating that "when the faithful adore Christ present in the sacrament, they should remember that this presence derives from the sacrifice and is directed toward both sacramental and spiritual Communion." The intimate connection between Eucharistic adoration and the celebration of Mass was more fully articulated and developed in Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass (1973). This document presents the worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass within the context of the official liturgical rites of the Church, noting that the Eucharist is "reserved after Mass to extend the grace of the sacrifice" of the Eucharistic celebration. This ritual book continues to guide the Church in her liturgical celebrations of offering worship to the Eucharist outside of Mass. Purposes of Eucharistic Worship Outside of Mass The popes of our time have consistently encouraged the practice of worshiping the Eucharist outside of Mass. For example, in his annual Holy Thursday letter to priests in 1980, Saint John Paul II wrote that "the Church and the world have great need of Eucharistic adoration. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and contemplation full of faith. And let us be ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease." In his 2005 Christmas address to the Roman Curia, Pope Benedict XVI similarly noted the value of adoring the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass, saying, "only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another." More recently, Pope Francis has also reflected on how "one cannot know the Lord without the habit of adoring, of adoring in silence." These papal statements and the historical development of Eucharistic adoration indicate that there are three purposes for the worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass: "to acknowledge Christ's marvelous presence in the sacrament"; to lead to a fuller participation in the celebration of the Mass, culminating in the reception of Holy Communion; and to encourage and foster "worship which is due to Christ in spirit and truth." Eucharistic Adoration and Exposition The worship and adoration of the Eucharist outside of Mass most often takes place when the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle. These times of private adoration and prayer offer the faithful a privileged opportunity to "easily, fruitfully, and constantly honor the Lord, present in the sacrament, through personal worship." In addition to the private adoration of the Eucharist in the tabernacle, the Blessed Sacrament may be exposed in a monstrance or ciborium for display to the faithful. The exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is a public liturgical rite which is celebrated by the church community. Thus, the times of exposition should be scheduled when a sufficient number of the faithful can be present to pray before the exposed Eucharist. At no time should the Blessed Sacrament be exposed without anyone present. Many parishes arrange at least annually for the solemn exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This may take place within the context of a "Forty Hours" devotion or for some shorter period. Parishes may also schedule briefer periods of exposition more often throughout the year. Some religious communities and other groups, such as pious associations of the laity, have the practice of adoring the exposed Blessed Sacrament perpetually or for extended periods of time. When permission has been given for perpetual exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to take place in a parish church, this normally occurs in a chapel that is set apart and distinct from the body of the church so that liturgical services and other daily activities may take place in the church without interruption. The Liturgy of the Hours may be celebrated in the presence of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. And the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments has stated that the rosary, as "a prayer inspired by the Gospel and centered on the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption, 'should be considered a prayer of deep Christological orientation,' and may rightly be counted among the prayers designed to 'direct the attention of the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord'" within the context of adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament. Finally, the tradition of...