What is Eucharistic adoration?
The short answer
Eucharistic adoration is prayer before Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament — either in the tabernacle or exposed in a monstrance. Because the consecrated host is Christ, Catholics worship him there, often for a "holy hour."
Worship that follows from belief
If the consecrated host is Jesus himself, then the natural response is worship. The Catechism says, "In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ… by genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord" (CCC 1378). Adoration simply extends that worship beyond Mass.
Two forms
- Before the tabernacle. Any time a church is open, Christ is present in the tabernacle, usually marked by a burning red sanctuary lamp.
- Exposition. The host is placed in a monstrance (from Latin monstrare, "to show") on the altar. Many parishes offer weekly exposition; some have perpetual adoration chapels where someone is always present.
What do you do there?
There is no required script. People:
- sit in silence and simply remain with the Lord;
- pray the Rosary or the Liturgy of the Hours;
- read the Gospel of the day;
- bring specific needs, thanks, or sorrow.
Jesus asked the apostles in Gethsemane, "could not keep watch with me for one hour?" (Matthew 26:40). This is the origin of the custom of the holy hour.
Benediction
Adoration often ends with Benediction: the priest or deacon blesses the people with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance, after hymns such as Tantum Ergo and the Divine Praises.