Friend of the Chicks (FOC) Kim Schulman recently wrote a fabulous article on Eucharistic Adoration, and what better time to post her thoughts than the week culminating in the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).  Kim, a “cradle” Southern Catholic Chick, is a parishoner at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Atlanta.  From now on, she has a new identity – Chick “K” – as a guest blogger with us!

Hanging With Jesus:  A Guide for the Faint of Heart

In spite of my cradle Catholic upbringing and having attended Christ the King school for six years, it wasn’t until about five years ago that I learned about Eucharistic Adoration. Not only did I not understand what the words meant – other than the obvious “adoring the Eucharist,” but I had no idea “how” or “why.” When I stopped to think about it, actually, the whole idea of Eucharistic Adoration seemed a bit odd to me. Yes, I believed in the Real Presence of Christ in the consecrated Host, but what did that really mean for me in terms of a chapel visit, a monstrance and being a guardian? And if I did go to Adoration, what on earth would I do for a whole hour?

Unlike many “firsts” in my life, I don’t have a specific memory of the first time I made my way into the “old” St. Mary’s Chapel – just for a visit. I am sure it was on a First Friday after my mother’s Bible Study; one of the moms must have mentioned that she was going and asked if I wanted to come too. I feel certain I was very nervous and aware of the profound silence, the bright candles and dimmed overhead light. While those details might be a little blurry,  I distinctly remember the first time that I gazed at the beautiful monstrance (the receptacle in which the consecrated Host is exposed for Adoration). I had only one overwhelming thought:  it looked to me like the Host actually embodied what would be the “heart” of the Cross. Could that be Jesus’ heart on the Cross?

My visits to the chapel on the First Friday of the month slowly became more frequent. I would arrange for a sitter to come watch my (then) young children so I could scoot off to St. Mary’s Chapel for a visit, a brief one at first, working my way up to more time. I would pray for a few minutes and then look around to see what others were doing. I might try to pray part of a rosary, but I was new at that too, so I was self conscious of how I looked fumbling around with my guidebook. I was very fidgety a lot of the time. Other times I would fight back one distraction after another, as though I were swatting at mosquitoes on a summer evening:  grocery lists, Christmas gift ideas, dinner plans, birthday party ideas, random things I needed to get my husband to take care of around the house – you name it, and I thought of it. Anything and everything popped into my mind except for a prayer. Sometimes I would even nod off. And then guiltily I would think back to an exasperated Jesus’ words when he said to Peter in Gethsemane, “So, could you not keep watch with me for one hour?” (Mt. 26:40). Everything just seemed wrong, and the hour seemed like an eternity.

Friends offered suggestions to help guide me when I was in Adoration. One friend suggested that I view my distractions as logs floating on a swiftly moving river. When I was trying to pray if a distraction came along, I could just envision the distraction as a log and watch it float down the river. Another friend shared that her favorite place to pray in the chapel was in the back on the floor sitting up against the wall. I found changing positions to be extremely helpful, and the more comfortable I became, the easier it was to focus on the Lord. Other friends encouraged me to write down my thoughts, as though I were actually engaged in a conversation with Jesus. An extroverted, perpetual talker, I found being able to record a stream random thoughts to be invaluable in sharing my inner most fears and desires with the One who loves me so completely.

Over time I came to understand that there is no formula for a “perfect” Adoration experience – no guarantee that what worked for me one week will work again another week. Just like sometimes I might have lunch with a friend and find there’s hardly a pause in the conversation because we both have so much to say.  And other times, I have lunch with that same friend, and we both just sort of enjoy each other’s company without saying much at all. One experience may seem more meaningful than the other, but both are equally important because I know I gave of myself to be with my friend.

Eucharistic Adoration is a bit like that. Sometimes the experience is so incredibly beautiful – I’m able to spend quality time in prayer, fit in some spiritual reading and/or write in my journal. I might have so much to share with Jesus – or have the patience to sit and hear Him talk with me. It just clicks. There are other times, however, when the experience is just not working for me– all I am is there, sitting in the chapel, waiting for my hour to end. That’s okay, too, because I know that Jesus wants to be with me, even if I am tired or grumpy or too distracted to concentrate. I know that He loves me and wants me to take that time out of my day – even if all I “think” I am getting out of it is some “down time.”

A priest helped me understand that while I could talk with Jesus anytime and anywhere, there was something different about Adoration which made that time with Jesus extra special. A prayer to Jesus in the car or at home, for example, could be likened to talking with a friend on the phone. A visit to a church or the chapel might be little like visiting with your next door neighbor in the backyard, talking across the fence. You can see each other, but there is still a barrier. But when you are able to prayerfully sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament, you’ve hit the jackpot:  it’s like sitting right next to your best friend. It’s just you and Jesus, hanging out together; you just can’t get much closer than that.

I was recently forwarded an e-mail sent out to staff at the Catholic Center by Monsignor Joe Corbett who said:  “Why Eucharistic Adoration? Why should we consider spending time visiting with Jesus in the Chapel? Because Jesus himself, our best friend, invites us. He said it so warmly, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. Come to me and I will refresh you.’ Who could refuse such an invitation from our very best friend?” Take the time – an hour or whatever you can spare– to visit with Jesus. Just show up to hang with Him; he’ll take care of the rest.

Chick “K”