Friday, August 3, 2012

7 Quick Takes

It's First Friday and Adoration is on my mind so let's make that the theme!

1.  A video from Fr. Robert Barron

2.  Part of my talk on why you should go and pray: 
 A few years ago I was the director of religious education and one day we had the children scheduled to go to adoration.  One of the third grade boys came up to me and told me it had been a terrible day in school and he didn't want to go to class and just wanted to sit with me.  I told him that he was going to adoration and could talk to Jesus and that would make him feel much better than hanging out with me.  He was not convinced, but since he knew I wouldn't let him stay with me he grudgingly agreed.  When he came back he was all smiles!  He said : you were right, I talked to Jesus and now I feel much better.  Can we go to Adoration every week? 
3.  "When we go before the Blessed Sacrament, let us open our heart; our good God will open His. We shall go to Him; He will come to us; the one to ask, the other to receive. It will be like a breath from one to the other,"     - St. John Vianney

4.  Favorite Adoration images

5.  When I go to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, I have a little pattern I usually follow.  I pray the rosary or chaplet,  sit quietly, then I listen to a song by Fr. Stan Fortuna, "The Humility of God." 
These are the words:
Look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
pour out yourself before Him
pour out yourself before Him
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
He who gave Himself completely waits for all of you
He who gave Himself completely waits for all of you
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
look at the humility of God
 At this point I am usually settled and can sit in silence, offering my prayers and listening.  It takes me a bit of time to really quiet my mind.  The most important thing I take away is peace.  Sometimes I don't accept the peace thought I believe that Jesus always offers it to me.

6.  #5 brings up a question, music or not in Adoration?  I bring my iPod and listen to very meditative type music, usually with words.  Other people like chant music which I'd like to try.  I know I don't like music the whole time I am there, so personal music, rather than piped in is my preference.  What works for you?

7.  I am also a big proponent of teaching children the beauty of Eucharistic Adoration.  I learned much of what I did from this site, Children of Hope  founded by Fr. Antoine Thomas.

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1 comment:

Kathleen Basi said...

Music would destroy any semblance of peace for me. We have so little--almost no--opportunities for silence in modern life. I've been readin gHenri Nouwen lately, and he talks about finding God at the center of your being, which you can only do if you fight the "tree full of monkeys" in your head and find your way to silence.