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Angela
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| Joined: | Wed Feb 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 4 |
| First Name: | Angie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | No religious upbringing, baptized Southern Baptist as adult, Evangelical Free, ... |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 09:55 pm |
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Hello. I am new to this forum and to forums in general. 
We have a local parish that has "Eucharistic Exposition" after Mass on Thursdays. I would like to pray at the church during this time, but I'm not certain what to expect or what to "do". (I am an Evangelical Christian and a frequent EWTN viewer.) I have found/read information on the Eucharistic Adoration and having a "Holy Hour", but I'm a bit nervous about actually doing it. I will be attending on my own, and I wish to pray for a grandmother who is very ill and near death. I have been praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet recently. Is this something I can do during "Eucharistic Exposition"? I would like to be respectful and I do not wish to offend anyone else praying. Is there a specific practice for prayer during Eucharistic Exposition?
Any suggestions and information would be appreciated.
Thank you!
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 11:03 pm |
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Hello, Angie. Welcome to the forum.
Catholics believe that the Eucharist is truly the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ, not just a symbol. As a result, it can be adored, as at Mass and in the Eucharistic Adoration devotion. In many parishes throughout the world, this adoration (then called Perpetual Adoration) takes place around the clock, all year long, involving many people taking turns, usually an hour at a time. Silent prayer and meditation are the order of the day here.
A Holy Hour, on the other hand, is a communal celebration of the Eucharistic presence. It includes hymns and congregational prayers, scripture readings and a short homily (sermon). EWTN broadcasts a live Holy Hour every Sunday afternoon.
Eucharistic Exposition often precedes a Holy Hour, typically for several hours. This is something that my parish does once a week. Ours is a day-long version of the Perpetual Adoration I mentioned above. So it is also oriented toward silent prayer, meditation and contemplation of the Lord.
Being an Evangelical Christian, you probably know little about the prayerful use of silence, or how to meditate, since this approach is not emphasized. There are many books available which can show you how to do this and even provide some ready-made texts to help you along. (You can check the EWTN Religious Catalogue for these.) But the emphasis should always be on scripture. Pondering and praying the written Word of God in the presence of the living Word of God is a powerful experience.
Yes, either the Rosary or the Divine Mercy prayer would be appropriate in the chapel during Eucharistic Exposition or Perpetual Adoration, but one must do it silently so as not to interfere with others who may be there. Only if there is an organized prayer group reciting these prayers aloud would I recommend you join in vocally. Of course, you may do as you please when you are alone.
Praying for others, such as you propose to do for your grandmother, is heartily recommended by the Catholic Church. This is a work of mercy, something anyone can do for the good of all mankind. Any method you choose to do this would be quite acceptable.
David
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 11:20 pm |
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Angela wrote: Hello. I am new to this forum and to forums in general.
We have a local parish that has "Eucharistic Exposition" after Mass on Thursdays. I would like to pray at the church during this time, but I'm not certain what to expect or what to "do". (I am an Evangelical Christian and a frequent EWTN viewer.) I have found/read information on the Eucharistic Adoration and having a "Holy Hour", but I'm a bit nervous about actually doing it. I will be attending on my own, and I wish to pray for a grandmother who is very ill and near death. I have been praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet recently. Is this something I can do during "Eucharistic Exposition"? I would like to be respectful and I do not wish to offend anyone else praying. Is there a specific practice for prayer during Eucharistic Exposition?
Angela, welcome to CHN. We're glad to have you here with us.
Just to add to what David said, "Adoration" and "Exposition" are the same thing. The Eucharist is exposed so that we may adore it.
It is customary to spend one hour with the Lord. While Jesus prayed in the garden before his Passion, his apostles could not wait with him one hour without falling asleep, so typically we spend one hour in adoration. During that time you may pray the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet, read scripture, pray, or meditate, all in peaceful silence. You should spend at least some of that time in quiet meditation so that you may listen to the Lord.
When you begin your hour, begin with your intention. All your prayers and actions for that hour will then be offered for her. It would be good in this case to spend some time thinking of your grandmother and your memories of her, especially those times that she spent teaching you about faith and being an example of faithful witness.
It is also customary that the Eucharist never be left alone, even for a moment, while it is exposed. My parish has a sign-up sheet asking people to commit to an hour in which they are expected to be with the Lord without even leaving to go to the bathroom. First, this honors Jesus by keeping respectful company while he is exposed, and second, it prevents anyone from coming into church and desecrating the Blessed Sacrament. But the primary reason is to honor his admonition "Could you not wait with me one hour?"
It is a joyful experience for me to be alone with Jesus in the Eucharist. I often open and close my church, so I am the first to arrive and the last to leave. The Eucharist is not exposed, but I know I am alone in the presence of my Lord, and it always brings me tremendous peace.
One other thing. That thing that the Eucharist is exposed in is caled a "Monstrance". It is round with a design that looks like rays of the sun because Jesus is the Light of the World. The rays indicate the Light that came into the world, and the grace that flows from the Eucharist.
We will be praying with you for your grandmother's healing of mind, body, and spirit, according to God's plan for her.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Angela
Member
| Joined: | Wed Feb 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 4 |
| First Name: | Angie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | No religious upbringing, baptized Southern Baptist as adult, Evangelical Free, ... |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 11:49 pm |
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David,
Thank you for the helpful information and clarification! Now I understand why the bulletin reads as it does concerning the "Eucharistic Exposition" and "Holy Hour". Since folks were asked to sign up for one hour of time during the Exposition, I thought their individual time would be their "Holy Hour".:?
I have felt a need to pray inside of this church for several weeks, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. Thank you for such a quick reply!
Angela
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Angela
Member
| Joined: | Wed Feb 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 4 |
| First Name: | Angie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | No religious upbringing, baptized Southern Baptist as adult, Evangelical Free, ... |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 11:56 pm |
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Rick,
Thank you so much for the information. I'm truly thankful for receiving such helpful replies so quickly!!!
Angela
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Ruthie
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| Joined: | Mon Nov 13th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houston, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 99 |
| First Name: | Ruthie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | nominal Presbyterian, aetheist, evangelical Christian/Episcopalian, Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Mar 1st, 2007 12:15 am |
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A few questions:
When people sign for an hour of adoration before the Exposed Host (is that the right word?), do they expect to be alone? May others go at any time as well?
What do you think about someone (a woman) going alone in the wee hours of the night? Sometimes, this is when there is a special need for someone to sign up because no one is willing to go at that hour.
Just wondering.
Ruthie
____________________
Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. (NRSV, Luke 18:17)
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Thu Mar 1st, 2007 12:38 am |
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Ruthie wrote: A few questions:
When people sign for an hour of adoration before the Exposed Host (is that the right word?),
It's generally called the Blessed Sacrament, or time spent in Eucharistic Adoration.
do they expect to be alone? May others go at any time as well?
Our parish asks two people to commit to a certain time, to make sure that the Blessed Sacrament will not be left alone. We have adoration once a month, and we ask one person to be there from 8:30-9:30, the next from 9-10, the next from 9:30 to 10:30, etc. The first and last hour there are always several other people present, so it is the middle of the day when people are working that is sometimes a problem.
Other people will come and go as their schedule allows, but they may not always be able to give a commitment to a certain time.
What do you think about someone (a woman) going alone in the wee hours of the night? Sometimes, this is when there is a special need for someone to sign up because no one is willing to go at that hour.
Frankly, I would not want my wife to do that. If there were a small group of women who would go together, that would be different.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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Posted: Thu Mar 1st, 2007 02:51 am |
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Ruthie, just so you know how it is with me and the Perpetual Adoration group that I participate in, my time is 5 a.m. The hour previous to mine has had a lot of turnover, and the current person taking it is the organizer of the adoration group. She is often, but not always, accompanied by a friend. I, on the other hand, am mostly alone in my hour. There are some irregulars, well known to me over the years, who come in on occasion but are not a regular part of the group.
On rare occasions I have had people accost me outside or even enter the chapel. Invariably they are either gamblers begging a few dollars for the all-night arcades (usually with incredible “stories”) or poor souls who are “not all there” and babble about inconsequential things to anyone who will listen. Sometimes they make a nuisance of themselves by hanging around or using the church as a rest station, but otherwise they have been harmless. I pray for them briefly, then go about my business.
David
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Angela
Member
| Joined: | Wed Feb 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 4 |
| First Name: | Angie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | No religious upbringing, baptized Southern Baptist as adult, Evangelical Free, ... |
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Posted: Thu Mar 1st, 2007 02:41 pm |
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I was able to go to the church for prayer today during the Eucharistic Exposition. Just being able to get to the church turned today turned into a major ordeal (sleepless preschooler, everyone running late this morning, construction trucks blocking our road... ). I finally got there! While I knew the church would be silent, I was very surprised by the "sound" of the silence, if that makes any sense. I read some scripture and prayed, but mostly it seemed like a good idea to just sit still.
I just wanted to thank you again for your help!
Angela
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2112 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Mar 1st, 2007 03:09 pm |
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Yes, Angela, the “sound” of silence. It is a whole new world, isn’t it? Sitting still, just listening to God, is a huge step for most people, and some can’t take it. But for those with ears to hear, He does speak interiorly words of light and peace.
Feel free to drop by anytime and discuss whatever is on your mind.
David
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