The Gospels are full of stories about people flocking to Jesus. As Jesus went about His public ministry, crowds of people sat with Him to listen to His preaching, and people ran to Him desperate for healing. In all three of the synoptic Gospels, in fact, we hear about the friends of a paralyzed man who couldn’t get to Jesus because the crowd was so large. Desperate for the healing hands of Christ, the man’s friends lowered him through a hole they cut into the roof! That is some passionate conviction! And Jesus rewarded their faith by miraculously healing the man!
Today, Jesus Christ is still here with us — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity! Do we flock to Him? Do we sit with Him, listening to Him and asking Him for help? His Eucharistic presence is just as real as His presence was as He walked the streets of Galilee, and every week here at St. Patrick we have multiple opportunities to sit with Him in Eucharistic Adoration.
“I know that this is our Lord under the appearance of bread, and adoration is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality quiet time with Him,” says Paul Sartori, coordinator of Eucharistic Adoration.
Paul says he began regularly attending Eucharistic Adoration many years ago, and the more he has spent time sitting with the Lord, the more His love for the Lord has grown and the more his conviction about Christ’s true presence in the Blessed Sacrament has strengthened.
“It has been a gradual growth,” Paul says. “Sometimes I feel as though the Lord gradually works on our heart, but over the years as I have given Him time, He has continued to work in me. My love for Christ has grown exponentially because of my time in adoration. I cannot overstate how powerful I believe time in adoration is! It is just simply wonderful!”
The Lord is here! And He is waiting for you!
“If you haven’t made time to come to adoration, I encourage you to come!” Paul says. “See what it’s all about. If you are looking for peace and tranquility and direction and love, you will find it in adoration.”
Paul’s conviction in the power of adoration emanates from his words. For him, adoration has been truly life-giving, and he is sure that will be true for you too!
“We live in a crazy, busy world,” Paul says. “We need the peace that only Christ can give. He will help you with all of your problems. He will give you a peace that nothing in this world can offer you. Set time aside to talk with the Lord, to adore Him in His true presence. He will change your life!”
There are multiple opportunities to participate in adoration throughout the week — every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m.; every Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. followed by benediction; every Friday from 9 to 10 a.m.; the first Sunday of each month from 2 to 7 p.m.; and the third Sunday of every month from 2 to 6 p.m. In addition, every quarter, we have 40 full hours of adoration, which typically runs from a Friday evening into Sunday.
Set time aside this week to adore the Lord, even if you can only be with Him for 10 minutes! You will surely walk away changed for the better.
