EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
PRAYERS, MEDITATIONS AND DEVOTIONS
All booklets are published thanks to the generosity of the supporters of the Catholic Truth Society
1.
2.The
3.The
4.The Eucharist:
5.The
6.The
THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Could you not watch with me one hour? (Matt 26:40)
Jesus asked his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane to watch one hour with him. Eucharistic Adoration is an opportunity to respond to Jesus’ request. The devotion of the ‘holy hour’ before the Blessed Sacrament has through the centuries been a privileged time for Christians to pray and meditate in the very presence of our Lord. Even if we are unable to find one whole hour, we can still devote what is today called ‘quality time’ to our relationship with Jesus. There is no set formula for Eucharistic Adoration. An act of Adoration (e.g. page 28) is a good way of acknowledging that we are in the presence of God himself. Then, like at Mass, we can say sorry for the sins which have disrupted our relationship with God and neighbour. During prayer, our minds often become distracted, perhaps we even feel bored. If so, it is helpful to divide the time into reading scripture (pages 15-22), meditation (pages 23-27) and prayer (e.g. the Rosary pages 59-82).
Above all, remember that “the Spirit too comes to our help in our weakness, for, when we do not know how to pray properly, then the Spirit personally makes our petitions for us in sighs that cannot be put into words.” (Rom 8:26)
❧ PRAYERS AND LITANIES
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament
O God, because you have said it, I believe that you are present in the Blessed Sacrament. My God, I believe this with all my heart. My God, I confess that I am a poor sinner; I am not worthy to be in your presence, on account of my sins; only say the word, and my soul will be healed. My God, I detest all the sins of my life. I am sorry for them, because they have offended you, my God, you who are so good. I resolve never to commit sin any more. My good God, pity me, have mercy on me, forgive me. Jesus, I love you. I desire with all my heart to be with you and follow you. Jesus, come into my poor soul, and give me your spirit of humility, forgiveness and love. Give me your whole self, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, that I may live for ever with you. O God, help me as I adore you in the Blessed Sacrament. Mary, my dearest mother, pray to Jesus for me. My dear Guardian Angel, lead me to the altar of God. O Jesus, great God, present on the altar, I bow down before you. I adore you.
Act of Adoration
O Jesus, my God, my Creator, I adore you, because from your hands I came and with you I am to be happy for ever. O Jesus, I am not worthy to receive you, and yet
P RAYERSAND L ITANIES
you have come to me that my poor heart may learn of you to be meek and humble. Jesus, I love you; I love you with all my heart. You know that I love you, and wish to love you daily more and more. My good Jesus, I thank you with all my heart. How good, how kind you are to me. Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Act of Offering
O Jesus, receive my poor offering. Jesus, you have given yourself to me, and now let me give myself to you: I give you my body, that I may be chaste and pure. I give you my soul, that I may be free from sin. I give you my heart, that I may always love you. I give you my every breath that I shall breathe, and especially my last. I give you myself in life and in death, that I may be yours for ever and ever.
Prayer for Life
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life. Look down, O Mother, on the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
❧ PRAYING WITH THE SAINTS
St Alphonsus Liguori
My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as being already there, and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you.
My Lord Jesus Christ who, for the love you have for mankind, remain night and day in this Sacrament, full of pity and love, awaiting, calling, and receiving all who come to visit you; I believe that you are present in the Sacrament of the Altar; I adore you from the depths of my own nothingness; I thank you for the many graces you have given me, and especially for having given me yourself in this Sacrament; for having given me Mary your Mother as my Advocate, and for having called me to visit you in this church.
My Jesus, I love you with my whole heart. I am sorry that I have so often in the past offended your infinite
The priest or deacon now puts on the humeral veil and blesses the congregation with the Blessed Sacrament.
The Divine Praises (page 34) formerly said at this point may more properly be included within the period of adoration.
REPOSITION
Immediately after the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the tabernacle, the following may be sung:
Ant. Adorémus in ætérnum sanctíssimum Sacraméntum.
Ps. Laudáte Dóminum, omnes gentes; laudáte eum omnes pópuli.Quóniam confirmáta est super nos misericórdia ejus; et véritas Dómini manet in ætérnum.
Glória Patri, et Filio, et Spirítui Sancto. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sáecula sæculórum. Amen.
Ant. Adorémus in ætérnum sanctíssimum Sacraméntum.
Ant. Let us adore for ever the most holy Sacrament.
Ps. O praise the Lord, all you nations / Acclaim him, all you peoples / For his mercy is confirmed upon us / and the truth of the Lord remains for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son / and to the Holy Spirit / As it was in the beginning, is now / and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Ant. Let us adore for ever the most holy Sacrament.
An alternative acclamation:
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine! All praise, and all thanksgiving, Be every moment thine!
THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Contemplate the beauty of Christ with Mary
With Mary, we will understand better the transforming power of the Eucharist. By listening to her, we will find in the Eucharistic mystery the courage and energy to follow Christ, the Good Shepherd, and to serve him in the brethren.
The Rosary, while Marian in character, is a prayer with Christ at its centre. It contains all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety. With the rosary we sit at the school of Mary and are led to contemplate the beauty of Christ and experience the depth of his love. To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ. Our faith tells us that Christ is as really present today as he was to his mother and his disciples. What better way to pray the Rosary than when gazing on Christ, veiled in the form of Bread.
The Mysteries of the Rosary
Traditionally, different Mysteries of the Rosary are said on different days of the week.
The Joyful Mysteries - Mondays, Saturdays
The Luminous Mysteries - Thursdays
The Sorrowful Mysteries - Tuesdays, Fridays
The Glorious Mysteries- Wednesdays, Sundays
R OSARY M
The Prayers of the Rosary
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
At the end of the Rosary we say: Hail, holy Queen , mother of mercy; hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us; and after this o u r e x i l e , s h o w t o
w
b , Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R . T h a t
Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, whose only-begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal l i f e ; g r a n t , w
,
Mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain
. Amen.
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
The First Joyful Mystery
The Annunciation and the Holy Eucharist
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: let it be done to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)
The Holy Eucharist is the extension of the Mystery of the Incarnation. When Mary said “let it be done to me according to your word”, then the Incarnation took place. When the priest says in Mass “this is my Body” and “this i s m y B l o o d ” , J e s u s h i m s e l f i s m a d e p r e s e n t i n t h e
Eucharistic elements.
In the Incarnation God unites himself to human nature. In Holy Communion, God unites himself mystically to the person of each communicant.
The Incarnation is the humility of God, “who emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.” ( P h i l 2:7) and of Mary, who through complete obedience to the Word, was chosen to be the Mother of God.
Intention: That we may always make a worthy communion.
Lord Jesus, May we receive the Holy Sacrament as Mary received your Word, And like her, be always ready to do your will. Amen.
YMNS AND POEMS
Be Still
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here. Come bow before him now with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground. Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here.
Be still for the glory of the Lord is shining all around; He burns with holy fire, with splendour he is crowned. How awesome is the sight, our radiant King of light.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place. He comes to cleanse and heal, to minister his grace. No work too hard for him, in faith receive from him. Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.
(David J Evans)
Sweet Sacrament Divine
Sweet Sacrament divine, Hid in thine earthly home; Lo! round thy lowly shrine, With suppliant hearts we come; Jesus, to thee our voice we raise In songs of love and heartfelt praise Sweet Sacrament divine.
Sweet Sacrament of peace, Dear home of every heart, Where restless yearnings cease, And sorrows all depart. There in thine ear, all trustfully, We tell our tale of misery, Sweet Sacrament of peace.
Sweet Sacrament of rest, Ark from the ocean’s roar, Within thy shelter blest Soon may we reach the shore; Save us, for still the tempest raves, Save, lest we sink beneath the waves: Sweet Sacrament of rest.