Adoration
Saturday the 5th, after Mass (with a lady who really wants to be Joan Baez leading us on her crap-tastic gee-tar) we stayed for the prayer service to end The Culture of Death -- abortion in particular.
Having been to many a Pentecostal prayer service, I expected loads of people; lots of quiet mumblings and praying in tongues (well, maybe not); a definitive beginning, middle and end; and clear protocol. My expectations were, er, not "met"... exactly.
The Deacon (hurriedly) scrambled and ran around with one of the altar kids doing various behind-the-scenes altar stuff as almost everyone else emptied out the back door to go (presumably) grab some post-Mass Saturday evening grub.
We waited.
With about 15 other people.
dee-de-dee... dum-de-dummm
Should we start praying? What's happening? Oh, uh, is there a posture we should be taking right now? Did they forget about the rosary? We are in the right place, right? Why are there so few people here? Geez, it's quiet in here.
Then, some more shuffling, preparation and finally this little thingie came out:
Let me first say that I love, Love, LOVE this thingie. It reminds me very much of a drawing I used to do constantly when I was in middle school. I have pages and pages of sketchbook doodlings devoted to just this kind of shape and devolution, embellished and frilled to oblivion with adornments that look like stars and galaxies (which is interesting, since I'd never seen one of these until about a year ago). LOVE. IT. So I was happy to see it appear. Although I had NO IDEA what it was for, just that it looked pretty. And when the censer came out? Even better. Yummy smells AND a Pretty to look at? YA. HOO.
Then Deacon walked up and placed a wafer (aka the Real Presence) into the glassed circle in the center.
Oh.
Okay.
Suddenly, I was alone with it. It was looking at me, staring deep into my soul.
My Pentecostal brain butted in: This feels weird. It's boring into my brain... Is this idolatry? We just sit here, right? Am I going to hell for this?
But then it occurred to me: If, as a Catholic, I am to believe the Eucharist is the Actual, Real Presence made manifest in bread (yeah, it doesn't walk and talk, but it has the power of Christ on Earth to heal and cleanse and purify) why wouldn't I contemplate it in this way? Just sit with it and think about Christ and His Sacrifice; what He came to do; how He works in my life and the lives of others; how I can work in His life, the life of His Church. Suddenly, the silent contemplation was uncomfortable in a very different way... I was gobsmacked.
We said the Rosary interspersed with prayers for the unborn. We kneeled in quiet contemplation. We inhaled the smells and sounds of the Adoration.
Wow.
We crept out in the silence, changed.
Having been to many a Pentecostal prayer service, I expected loads of people; lots of quiet mumblings and praying in tongues (well, maybe not); a definitive beginning, middle and end; and clear protocol. My expectations were, er, not "met"... exactly.
The Deacon (hurriedly) scrambled and ran around with one of the altar kids doing various behind-the-scenes altar stuff as almost everyone else emptied out the back door to go (presumably) grab some post-Mass Saturday evening grub.
We waited.
With about 15 other people.
dee-de-dee... dum-de-dummm
Should we start praying? What's happening? Oh, uh, is there a posture we should be taking right now? Did they forget about the rosary? We are in the right place, right? Why are there so few people here? Geez, it's quiet in here.
Then, some more shuffling, preparation and finally this little thingie came out:
Let me first say that I love, Love, LOVE this thingie. It reminds me very much of a drawing I used to do constantly when I was in middle school. I have pages and pages of sketchbook doodlings devoted to just this kind of shape and devolution, embellished and frilled to oblivion with adornments that look like stars and galaxies (which is interesting, since I'd never seen one of these until about a year ago). LOVE. IT. So I was happy to see it appear. Although I had NO IDEA what it was for, just that it looked pretty. And when the censer came out? Even better. Yummy smells AND a Pretty to look at? YA. HOO.
Then Deacon walked up and placed a wafer (aka the Real Presence) into the glassed circle in the center.
Oh.
Okay.
Suddenly, I was alone with it. It was looking at me, staring deep into my soul.
My Pentecostal brain butted in: This feels weird. It's boring into my brain... Is this idolatry? We just sit here, right? Am I going to hell for this?
But then it occurred to me: If, as a Catholic, I am to believe the Eucharist is the Actual, Real Presence made manifest in bread (yeah, it doesn't walk and talk, but it has the power of Christ on Earth to heal and cleanse and purify) why wouldn't I contemplate it in this way? Just sit with it and think about Christ and His Sacrifice; what He came to do; how He works in my life and the lives of others; how I can work in His life, the life of His Church. Suddenly, the silent contemplation was uncomfortable in a very different way... I was gobsmacked.
We said the Rosary interspersed with prayers for the unborn. We kneeled in quiet contemplation. We inhaled the smells and sounds of the Adoration.
Wow.
We crept out in the silence, changed.
posted by WordGirl at 12:23 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
You got a Son-tan in the rays of the Blessed Sacrament. :^)
Your impressions are very similar to mine the first time I went to a similar prayer service at our parish. I didn't know what they heck to do. Some time after that, our parish started a Perpetual Adoration chapel ... and I've been going there weekly for over 5 years now. You might consider that yourself if it's available.
LOL, Martin!
We apparently have a monthly Adoration/Rosary for the unborn once per month now.
I'm not sure about the Adoration on its own. I'm looking closer at the calendar of events since we started RCIA this week.
Thanks and be blessed!
WG
Gobsmacked, eh?? Good for you!!
My oldest has gone to Steubenville East, a three day Retreat held in MA every year for teens. Saturday night a Mass is held, w/procession of the Thingie(Monstrance) and after Adoration, a Christian concert.
Both years my daughter has frozen in limb and passed out- so intense a reaction to the Presence she has... both times!!! She's then taken to the med tent where other kids w/all kinds of strange reactions are recuperating- some laughing hysterically, some crying uncontrollably, some w/muscle spasms, Autumn w/her ~rigimortis~ of limbs.
Fortunately, she remembers this physical touch of our Lord upon her body/soul.
Unfortunately, she misses the concert.
So, when do you join the choir?????
LOL! Sounds awfully "Pentecostal" to me... Funny how I always thought "my church" had cornered the market on that one. But nope, Catholics "get it" too (like it's a virus or something...). Very interesting, Karen.
And as far as the choir goes... I'm more of an "assitant to the Priest" type girl. I'd take over the choir and run the director out of town -- something I'm ill prepared to do.
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