The central focus of Poor Clare life is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Clare was utterly devoted to the Eucharist, as was St. Francis in his incarnational spirituality, each of us becoming one with the Body of Christ, present for each other. With nothing more than the Blessed Sacrament, St. Clare famously held the monastery of San Damiano against the invading Saracens – showing them Jesus in the monstrance. Now that’s power!
The power of the Eucharist is more than we can imagine or ever write about. Jesus has given us the gift of Himself in this Blessed Sacrament; He is a living presence in the Eucharist. “Take and eat; this is my body, which is broken for you” (1 Cor. 11:24), and, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt. 26:28). When we receive Communion, we are being transformed bit by bit into the living presence (incarnation) of Christ in the world. And when we sit with Him in the Blessed Sacrament, we are communing with Him in ways our conscious, rational mind can’t even conceive.
To adore means to rest in His presence. Our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament can be like sliding into a warm bath of love, healing, and refreshment – silent, wordless, pure encounter. It is an intimate encounter, since we are totally present to Him, as He is to us. We bring him our joys, our sorrows, our desires, our hopes, our pain. He gives us his healing love, and His assurance that he is with us always, just as he promised.
But our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is also very much a prayer of intercession. This is a kind of co-redeeming stance, where we join ourselves to Jesus in His constant intercession with the Father – have mercy on us! We can pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and we can offer up our own portion of Christ’s cross, our daily sufferings, in union with His, to the Father. Uniting ourselves to Him, we abide in Him, as He abides in us. There is no higher commitment we can make as living, human beings than to share in His cross, offer our suffering that simply comes with living life, and then resting in Him.
This is His gift to us, and yet how often do people take the time to adore Jesus? Even if our daily responsibilities keep us from adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament, sitting before the tabernacle even for a few minutes a day will change our lives. Whether we face a decision, some kind of sorrow or crisis, or we are bored with our lives – whatever our circumstance, Jesus longs for us to come to Him and share our intimate selves with Him.
What is the “real Presence?”
As Catholics, we know that Jesus is really and truly present in the consecrated host. It is not a symbol of his body – it is His Body, broken for us, given to us, present to us. Whether we believe or not, He is there!
What is “making a Holy Hour?”
Making a Holy Hour is spending an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. This is inspired by Jesus’s plea with his apostles to stay awake and pray with him in the garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. Can you keep Him company for even one hour?
What is a “monstrance?”
The monstrance is the transparent receptacle where the Consecrated Host is exposed for veneration. Usually it is of brass or gold, and can vary from traditional designs to more modern ones like this one:
No matter the design of the monstrance, our Lord is present for us to adore, coming before Him with our hearts open, as His Sacred Heart is always open to us.
For further reading:
St. Clare and the Saracens: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/Assisi.pdf
Eucharistic Devotion (with Holy Hours):
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/eucharistic-devotion/
Saints and the Eucharist:
http://www.acfp2000.com/Saints/Saints.html
History of Eucharistic Adoration in the Church:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01152a.htm
No matter the design of the monstrance, our Lord is present for us to adore, coming before Him with our hearts open, as His Sacred Heart is always open to us.
For further reading:
St. Clare and the Saracens: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/Assisi.pdf
Eucharistic Devotion (with Holy Hours):
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/eucharistic-devotion/
Saints and the Eucharist:
http://www.acfp2000.com/Saints/Saints.html
History of Eucharistic Adoration in the Church:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01152a.htm