Eucharistic Adoration enables the faithful to have a greater engagement of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and in the building up of the body of Christ, which is the responsibility and mission of all who are baptized. Eucharistic Adoration is a participatory activity that connects those who share in it with the Eucharistic liturgy.
Sharing in the presence of the body of Christ through Communion helps us recognize a oneness we share in Christ and in turn, with all of humanity. By renewing our commitment to the body of Christ, we also actively unite both to Christ and to our neighbor. To focus on Christ in the reserved sacrament is to focus upon what it means to participate in the reality of Christ in our lives, and in Christ’s greatest command, to “love one another.”
Eucharistic Adoration affords us a time where, in the silence and prayer of the moment, we may ask ourselves, “What does it mean to share in the Mass?” “Who are we at Mass?” “What are we doing at Mass?” and to realize further, as Saint Augustine reveals:
“If you, therefore, are Christ’s body and members, it is your own mystery that is placed on the Lord’s table… Be a member of Christ’s body, then, so that your “Amen” may ring true… Be what you see; receive what you are.” — St. Augustine, Sermon 272
Eucharistic Adoration is meant to instill in each of us a spirit of adoration at all times. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in all cases must include adoration, but adoration doesn’t always include exposition and should never stop once we depart from the church building.
Adoration in the Diocese of Raleigh - Find Adoration times and locations in parishes across the diocese
What do we do in Adoration? (VIDEO)
Reading recommendations for Adoration
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