What Happens During Eucharistic Adoration?

Have you ever wondered what happens during Eucharistic adoration? Many people have heard about this form of worship but they don’t really understand it. We worship Jesus in Eucharistic adoration because we know that Jesus is really present to us in a real and substantial way in the Eucharist.

Why We Worship Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

The Church teaches us that Jesus is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the Holy Eucharist. We know this because Jesus taught us in the Gospel that His Body will sanctify us and give us life: In the Book of John, chapter 6, verses 48 through 57 Jesus says: “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.”

Our Catechism teaches us that, “”At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages 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 consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us'” (CCC 1323).

The Last Supper and the Institution of the Eucharist

On Holy Thursday we remember the Last Supper. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus gathered all his disciples together for the Last Supper. This was the night He instituted the Last Supper and the Church also teaches that on this night He also started the priesthood! These disciples were his closest friends on Earth. They spent 3 years with Jesus, learning all about the Kingdom of God from Him. Jesus taught His disciples, the Church’s very first priests, how to remember Him always though partaking of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

How the Bread and Wine become the Eucharist at Mass

We are able to receive Jesus through the priest who consecrates the bread and wine at Mass. The priest acts in the person of Christ at the moment of consecration. Listen in the Mass for the moment when he says, “This is My Body” and then “This is My Blood.” When the priest says these words he is acting in the person of Christ. This is called In Persona Christi! It is an amazing gift to be called to the priesthood and to give us Jesus in the Eucharist. Even though the bread looks like bread, and the wine tastes like wine, when the priest consecrates it in the Mass it becomes Jesus. It is a Divine Mystery and a beautiful gift. We should always receive Jesus with great reverence and deep love.

What Happens During Holy Communion at Mass?

During Holy Communion at Mass you consume Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Do you know what is happening at this moment? The Church teaches that Jesus will physically remain within you for about 10 to 15 minutes. This is why you ought to really give all of your attention to Jesus immediately after receiving Holy Communion. During these precious minutes the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus is physically inside your body and you are a physical tabernacle for our Lord. At this time you ought to pray to Him in an intimate way and really give your heart to Him in gratitude. Receive with love and gratitude. Jesus comes to us in a hidden way. We must receive Him with humble, contrite, and grateful hearts filled with adoration. The Church says that when your body has digested the Eucharist, after about 10 to 15 minutes, the physical presence of the Lord is no longer present:

Our catechism teaches us that, “The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist” (CCC 1377).

What Happens During Eucharistic Adoration?

When you visit Jesus in Eucharistic adoration you are coming before the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, and because He is enclosed and exposed for you in the chapel, you get more time to be with Him. Bless yourself with holy water, bow or genuflect when you arrive, and greet Him immediately by saying, “I love you, Jesus.” You will see a very beautiful sunburst on a stand called a monstrance. A monstrance is an ornate vessel used to expose Jesus, who is present in the consecrated Host.  Jesus is visible in the center of the golden monstrance container. His Eucharist is kept inside a lunette. A lunette has a small round glass window so that the Blessed Sacrament can be seen and holds the host securely in place in the monstrance. The Host inside the monstrance has been consecrated by the priest. A consecrated Host means that the bread has become Jesus and He is physically present in the Eucharist through transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is when the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ and only the appearances of bread and wine remain.

Helpful Tips for Eucharistic Adoration Beginners

Some Catholics like to come right after Mass ends to sit or kneel before Him in the adoration chapel for 15 minutes. Some people like to come to see Jesus in adoration before school or work, or when they become ill, or have a suffering, or are worried about a friend or family member. People committed to worshipping Jesus in Eucharistic adoration are called adorers. Adorers are people who dedicate time for habitual prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Adorers will often sign up to come on a certain day of the week for an hour, and they will come to be with Jesus regularly at that time, and stay until the next adorer arrives to be with Him. These adorers commit to Jesus and they make a habit of coming to see Him regularly to pray for souls. Jesus gives many special graces to His adorers, and if you ever meet one, be prepared for many beautiful stories about miracles they have witnessed and the many “God” appointments that they were assigned.  Adorers will tell you how so many lives they know have been changed in beautiful ways, all because of Jesus!

What do I do in Eucharistic Adoration?

If you are a first-time adorer, we want to encourage you not to be afraid. Every soul that comes to see Jesus in Eucharistic adoration will feel His presence. All people who come will be touched by Him because Jesus radiates peace, and it can be felt when you simply open your heart to love. When you come, spend the first couple of minutes to really focus on Jesus and not be distracted in any way. This can be very hard, especially if you may have problems that overwhelm you. If you find your mind wandering or thinking about other things, just tell Jesus you are sorry and ask Him to give you the grace to stop thinking about these other things. Ask Him to take away the thoughts that distract your mind from loving Him. It helps to have a meditation book and prayers that you can pray, but sometimes we also find our minds wandering when doing these things too. You must understand that the goal of Eucharistic adoration is to to open your heart to loving God. If you think you have a cold heart and can’t do this, do not worry. Many saints wrote from time to time about having this problem, too. God gives us the grace to love Him. So all you have to do is ask Him to help you love Him and to teach you how to pray to Him. He will guide you every step of the way! And always remember to ask the Virgin Mary to pray for you, too.

In Summary

Jesus waits for you to visit Him in Eucharistic adoration. He gives very special graces to all those who visit Him in adoration and show Him love. When you come to see Him, bow or genuflect just like you do in the Mass. Silently greet Him with love and respect. Acknowledge you have entered a holy place. Pray to Him with the resources we offer from the Sacred Heart’s Club. Once you have decided to make a habit of visiting Jesus in Eucharistic adoration, you will come to know Him better and grow to love Him very much.