WE ADORE YOU, CHRIST: ADORATION QUESTION FOR REFLECTION

We've invited a few of our regular adorers to share their experiences with Eucharistic Adoration with us. If you've never been to Adoration or aren't sure what you would do if you went, this series will hopefully inspire you!

St. Michael's has Eucharistic Adoration every Friday from 9 am to 6 pm. Learn more and become a volunteer adorer at stmichaelcary.org/Adoration.

Regular adorer Andrea Mueller shares some questions for reflection to prompt your prayer during Adoration:

"Here are some questions for reflection that you can use during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. These ideas can be found in the book, The Examen Prayer by Timothy M. Gallagher OMV.

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the grace to believe in the love the Lord has for you and to believe that he is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament before you. He loves you and has been waiting to spend this time with you.

2. Thank the Lord for the gift of your life. Realize that everything you have is a gift from God. (For example: The air that you breathe right now is a gift from God.)

3. Try to list all the things for which you are grateful. Think about all God's blessings and graces he has given you during your life.

4. Ask God for what you need right now. Try to express to him the desires of your heart. What would bring you happiness? The Lord knows your heart but he wants to hear from you in your own words exactly what you long for.

5. Go over the things that are happening in your life and share them with the Lord. Are the choices you are making leading you closer or further away from God? Ask the Holy Spirit for the Grace to tell the difference.

6. Ask the Lord for Forgiveness for whatever you feel has offended him. Ask him to remove any hardness from your heart. Is there anything that has caused you to not forgive yourself or to not forgive anyone else? The Lord wants to relieve your burdens. He says, “Come to me all those who are heavily laden and I will give you rest.” Give whatever unforgiveness you have in your heart to the Lord. Rest in his love and mercy.

7. Thank the Lord for the time you have spent with him, for all the Graces and Blessings he has given to you during this time before him.

8. Ask him for the desire to return to him often to sit in his presence and feel his love for you.

9. Sit in silence with the Lord. Listen to him gently speaking to your heart. You do not have to say a word. Just rest in his great love for you.

Another book that is helpful in becoming aware of God's great love for you is He and I by Gabrielle Bossis. Just by reading a few short entries of this powerful book, you will experience God's great love for you and his great desire for you to be with him and love him in return.

Scripture especially the Gospel reading for the day is a great way to talk to the Lord about how his words speak to you in your life. Select a word or a phrase that strikes you and think about it asking the Lord to clarify its meaning and relevance to you and your circumstances. The Lord speaks to our hearts through Scripture. He may be calling you to do something but do not be afraid. The Lord knows how weak we are. Trust in him and his great love for you. He will do the rest.

Praying the Rosary and thinking about the Mysteries of the Rosary is a beautiful way to imagine how Jesus and Mary lived and to try to imitate them. In the First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, Mary said “Yes” to God's Messenger asking her to become the Mother of Jesus. How quick am I to say “Yes” to God when he invites me to do something that seems too difficult at the time? How can I be more open like Mary to accepting God's will in my life?

The most important thing to remember during a Holy Hour is that this is your precious time to be with Jesus. You have come to visit him. Enjoy just being with him as you would with one of your very best friends. He has been waiting for you to come. Tell him how happy you are to be with him and how much you love him. The words Jesus spoke to his apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, he speaks to us now, “Won't you spend one hour with me?”