Sunday night, I had a date with my husband on what has been declared by the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement as World Marriage Day. We made good use of an Applebee’s gift certificate and enjoyed dinner for just a few bucks when all was said and done. It was a nice end to a weekend busy with obligations.
After dinner, I headed down south to our church, where I attended a training session for new “adorers” on the responsibilities involved in being part of the Adoration team.
I’ve been taking part in Adoration for several years now on a “come as needed” basis. Whenever I’ve felt an urging to visit God in the Blessed Sacrament, and when I wasn’t otherwise obligated, I made it my occasional trek.
Not once did I regret it. Not once did I feel like I was wasting my time, even though there is more just being than doing at Adoration. Instead, I left feeling more at peace, more whole, more equipped to face the rest of the night and the day that followed.
Sometimes, I’d even just sneak into the Adoration chapel during a busy day, on the way to here from there. I cannot express adequately the solace that has come from these visits with the Lord.
Recently, our priest sent out a challenge to us to discern whether now was our time to step things up and become a regular part of the Adoration schedule, which would mean a weekly, hourly commitment. I wasn’t sure if I was feeling a tap or not. I told myself I’d look at the list of hours that needed filling, and if one seemed a match and wouldn’t unfairly inconvenience my family, I would consider it. One did and I signed up.
Which means starting this week, I have a certain day when I’ll be there, committed, for an hour (plus the time it’ll take me to get there and back) to just hang out with God.
I didn’t want to be intrusive with my camera during our tour tonight so just grabbed this visual of the interior of our chapel from a card in the entryway. This is the place.
The idea with Adoration is that since it really is God himself there in the center of the monstrance (the golden vessel in the middle of the red candles in front), it wouldn’t be right to leave Him alone. Oh, I’m sure God could handle it, but when He’s exposed in the monstrance, He deserves our constant attention.
It’s not an obligation so much as an honor to be one of those who makes sure the Lord is attended to in this fashion. The picture doesn’t adequately show how peaceful it is to sit in this chapel, but I’ve been here many times before and believe me when I say it’s a place to which you want to return.
Date night with my husband was enjoyable, but I have a feeling date nights with God will be divine.
Q4U: When did you last experience the divine?
Hi Roxane from a very wet n soggy UK .
Very bad floods with people’s homes wrecked !
On this subject of Adoration !
I have all my life been a fan of this kind of devotional prayer, last 60 years , but recently I have taken more to the idea of God dwelling within me. The kingdom of God is within etc..I feel more attracted to the mystical notion of an abiding sense of the living God within my being. So I have largely given up going to a place, church , tabernacle , as that seems to be boxing this very active , loving God ….in .
I wonder if it is just a different way of loving God in a different way? It’s most for me anyway , seems restricting God into a church building ..My thoughts anyway on a Monday morning !
Good morning, Denis! Good thoughts here that open up to a whole new discussion. I agree that God is everywhere, and especially, dwelling within us. I have been aware of this from a very early age and I have other stories I could tell about that. My experience of God dwelling within me is that He is always with me, and I can access the divine presence, feel it, let it guide me, comfort me, etc. For me, Adoration is something a little different. It’s the same God who dwells inside, but instead of just being aware of His presence as I move throughout my life, in this instance, I am actually worshiping God, adoring God, and being in God’s presence even more fully because God is present not just spiritually but in actuality, in presence – body, blood, soul and divinity. God deserves my admiration and adoration but I receive something from this too — a peace that I cannot explain and would never have experienced had I not taken the chance. I think there is something within us that yearns to fall at the feet of our Lord and rest there for a while. Maybe we don’t even know it, but when we do it, it’s a gift. So I guess I am just accepting the gift. I think there are different seasons in our relationship with God, though, and perhaps you are in a different season. I hope that I will never outgrow the need to worship God with others, though. The community aspect is also important. Where does community fit into your new inclination to be with God? Is there still a place for that, too?