Dear Parishioners,
Continuing our discussion of Adoration, today I’d like to talk about what adoration is.
If you walk into St. Mary’s on a Friday you will see the lights turned down low, a few people staggered throughout the church praying quietly, and on the altar an elaborately decorated stand called a monstrance. I’ve heard some people describe the monstrance as a big trophy. To be honest, that’s not a bad description for someone who has never seen one before.
The monstrance is the focal point of the church during adoration. The people praying in the church are frequently staring at the monstrance, genuflecting to it, and generally directing their prayers in its direction. Why? What’s so special about the monstrance?
The word monstrance in Latin means to show. In adoration what makes the monstrance special is what is shows. In the center of the monstrance is a glass window. In that window is the Eucharistic Host. The same host we service at communion during Mass is placed in the center of the monstrance for everyone to see and because this host is Jesus himself, we can pray to it and adore it.
This is adoration. It is praying to Jesus who is present in front of us in the Eucharistic host placed in the monstrance.
Next week, I’d like to discuss what is means for Jesus to be present in the Eucharistic Host.
God Bless,
Fr. David