"the Eucharist is like a beating heart giving life to the mystical Body of the Church”

The above image may be familiar to many of you: the Holy Father holding aloft the Blessed Sacrament during the Hyde Park Prayer Vigil last year. I was among the pilgrims present that evening, and no sound has ever stunned me quite like the total and utter silence of all those many tens of thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder at the end of a beautiful day in the heart of one of the busiest cities in the world.

Pope Benedict’s predecessor taught that through adoration, “the Christian mysteriously contributes to the radical transformation of the world and to the sowing of the Gospel. Anyone who prays to the Saviour draws the whole world with him and raises it to God. Those who stand before the Lord are therefore fulfilling an eminent service. They are presenting to Christ all those who do not know him or are far from him; they keep watch in his presence on their behalf.” (Blessed John Paul II, 1996)

We are fortunate at Newman House to have the Blessed Sacrament permanently reserved, but even more fortunate to have adoration every Tuesday evening. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth mentioning again.

The Sacrament is exposed from 6pm until 9pm, and while individuals can of course come and go as they see fit, residents and non-residents alike are invited to commit to specific time slots, so that constant prayer before the host is maintained. The three hours include evening prayer, the rosary, the reading of the Gospel and benediction; there is also talk of including different forms of prayer and worship, as well as of a longer period of adoration, stretching through the night.

There is a sign-up sheet on the notice board near Chris’s office, which can also be found outside of the chapel on a Sunday morning; alternatively, if you’d like to talk to Paula Muldoon who organises adoration here to discuss signing up, prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, new ideas or maybe trying adoration for the first time, contact her at: pmuldoon@umich.edu

(NB: For this week only, due to masses for All Saints’ Day, adoration will last from 1830 to 2045, beginning with evening prayer but without the rosary, Gospel readings and benediction. Go sign up now!)

Title quote: Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 26th June 2011
Picture credit: Mazur /www.thepapalvisit.org.uk
Blessed John Paul quote: “Letter” (26th June 1996), quoted Adoratio 2011 (http://www.adoratio2011.com/Quotations-from-our-Popes.html )