"If we really loved the good God, we should make it our joy and happiness to come and spend a few moments to adore Him, and ask Him for the grace of forgiveness; and we should regard those moments as the happiest of our lives"
- St. John Vianney
Part 1
Eucharistic Adoration is an ancient practice which has evolved over the centuries. One could say the Apostles had the first opportunity to adore when Christ declared at the Last Supper, “This is my body.” However if we look to the Old Testament, Eucharistic Adoration can be seen prefigured in the account of the exodus.
After the flight from Egypt the Israelites complain to Moses about starving in the desert. The Lord sends manna saying, “I am going to rain down bread from heaven for you (Ex 16:4).” The Lord further commands Moses to keep the manna so that the Israelites and their future generations may see the food they were given to eat in the wilderness (Ex 16:32). Jesus, our Bread from Heaven, is placed within the Tabernacle and exposed in the monstrance so we might see.
Part 2
In the first years of the Church the belief that Christ is present in the Eucharist is furthered by the teachings of the Evangelists and St. Paul.
In Luke Chapter 24 the two disciples who encounter the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus ultimately come to recognize him in the breaking of the bread. In Acts Chapter 2:42-47 we read that early Christian communal life includes the breaking of the bread along with sharing of possessions and meeting in the temple. Paul rebukes the community at Corinth for the manner in which they gather for the Lord’s supper and reminds them of what they are truly receiving in the bread and the cup (1 Corinthians 11:23-35).
As the Church grew, the Eucharist became a sign of unity. In recognition of its sacred nature, religious communities began to preserve the Eucharist in special places within their monasteries and convents.
Part 3
The practice of Adoration as we know it today first appeared in the early Middle Ages. In the 11th century, Berengarius, a French archdeacon, publicly denied the physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist which prompted Pope Gregory VII to counter with a definitive credo.
The Pope’s teachings ignited a heightened devotion to the Eucharist, especially in monasteries and convents. Eucharistic processions were instituted, visits before the tabernacle encouraged, and religious orders wholly devoted to Adoration were formed.
In the 13th century Pope Urban IV instituted Corpus Christi and commissioned Thomas Aquinas to write the Liturgy of the Hours for the feast. We still sing Aquinas’ three familiar Eucharistic hymns, O Salutaris Hostia, Tantum Ergo Sacramentum, and Panis Angelicus.
Part 4
Challenges to the doctrine of the Real Presence in the Eucharist served to strengthen it. In the sixteenth century the Council of Trent, in response to those who denied transubstantiation, declared “the Church of God has always believed that immediately after the consecration the true Body and Blood of our Lord, together with His soul and divinity, exist under the species of bread and wine.” The Council further encouraged that the Eucharist be honored with celebrations, processions and public exposition for the purpose of Adoration.
Later in the century Pope Clement VIII introduced the practice of Forty Hours, “an uninterrupted course of prayer...pious and salutary devotion” before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. As Adoration became more widespread, lay persons began to form societies and congregations devoted to the Eucharist. It was about this time that Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration began.
Part 5
The modern day church has continued to clarify and to deepen its teachings on the Eucharist, increasing awareness of the divine grace communicated through the reception and Adoration of the Sacrament. The Popes of the twentieth century encouraged frequent Communion, promoted the practice of a Holy Hour spent in Eucharistic Adoration and emphasized the efficacy of prayers offered while in the Real Presence.
Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Mysterium Fidei reminds us that “as long as the Eucharist is kept in our churches and oratories, Christ is truly the Emmanuel, that is ‘God is with us.’ Day and night he is in our midst. He dwells with us, full of grace and truth. He restores morality, nourishes virtue, consoles the afflicted and strengthens the weak” (VI).