Forty Hours Devotion and the Need to be with Our Lord before the Blessed Sacrament This is a special period of continuous prayer during which the Eucharist is exposed in a monstrance for adoration. The devotion begins with a Mass followed by continuous adoration over a 40-hour period, and it ends with a Mass and benediction. In the Bible the number 40 is associated with a sacred period of time: the rain at the time of the flood of Noah lasted 40 days and nights, and the Hebrews wandered in the desert for 40 years on the way to the Promised Land. Jesus fasted for 40 days before beginning his public ministry. The devotion was promoted by both Saint Philip Neri and Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the 1500s. In the United States, Saint John Neumann (1811-1860), bishop of Philadelphia, helped spread the devotion. The Importance of Eucharistic Devotions Although the Mass is central to Catholic life, devotions to the Eucharist are also important. Through them we can adore Jesus, pray in his presence, express our sorrow for sin, and experience a oneness with him that leads us to participate in the Mass. HOW TO MAKE A HOLY HOUR The essence of our call to conversion continues to be reflected in the words which God spoke to his people of old through Moses: “Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy” (Lev 19:2). And in his encyclical letter on the Eucharist issued in 1965 and entitled, Mystery of Faith, Paul VI said that “The most efficacious way of growing in holiness is time spent with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.” The fruit of this belief has been attested to by many in recent times through the practice of opening chapels of adoration in parishes so that ordinary, common folks can spend at least an hour a week (a “holy hour”) before the Eucharist presence of Our Lord reposed in a tabernacle or exposed on an altar. Prayer: Saint John Neumann, you helped organize Catholic education in the United States. Please watch over all Catholic schools and help them be a model of Christianity in their actions as well as their words. Teach us to renew the zeal and filial relationship with our Lord in the Most Holy Sacrament; that we may walk in the light of his love and holiness. Amen
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 10:04:54 +0000