I'm writing today because I cannot help but tell those around me why it is so crucially important that we encounter Christ in Eucharistic adoration on a regular basis. First of all, in country like America we have nearly no excuse to spend sometime per week in front of the Eucharist building our relationship with God, speaking with him and listening, pondering his life and sharing with him our own - these prayers go with and are an extension of our time in the most beautiful prayer, Mass.
Let me give you a scenario. You've always had loving parents who have given you everything, you've been given rules and guidelines to form you well and teach you how to love yourself and those around you. You're also being wildly pursued by the most incredible man who has totally unconditional love for you and would sacrifice even his life for you but does it all in such a humble and confident way. Or if you're a guy, you have an incredible friend who simply epitomizes what it means to be a man and he's everything you wish you could be and he is the greatest friend you could ever ask for. Sounds like a super great situation right? Imagine this - despite the "happies" and the "crappies" in your life.
Now imagine this. You've never been able to realize how much your parents loved you, and how many sacrifices they've made and make for you. You wouldn't consider you're ungrateful - certainly you do your chores, say "I love you", please them to keep the peace and you don't really do anything terribly. You realize they pay for a lot of your stuff but oh the rules, they're so restricting and you don't understand or frankly want to understand them. We've all been this kid, right? We kind of get stuck in our own situations and forget how wildly loved we are by our parents. We kind of go through the motions loving them, loving them more when we get what we want and its easy. Now the man of our dreams, and the best friend. You never really notice him. You know hes loving and sweet and masculine but hes hardcore and his fun isnt the same as the fun all your friends like to have therefore hes not really cool. In the meantime you fail to recognize how incredible of a friend he is and how much of an adventure your life would be falling madly in love with him.
so who cares? we do this all the time and we know best. even if we dont admit that we still feel it - i'd argue.
we're human - we yearn for love more than anything else. Sometimes we have it so good - we're fed well, we have friends, we have guys or girls lined up out the door who'd love to date us, we have so much fun in our life - that we dont even realize how hungry we are to just be fed love, true, genuine, understanding and unconditional love that will challenges us and help us grow into the person we didnt even know we were capable of being and that will constantly seek to satisfy us more and more.
Our creator loves us like this. Our savor, Jesus Christ, loves us like this. God created us to be wildly and madly loved and he loves us with every breath we take and in between. Every moment, every second and less that we exist our creator is willing us into creation. He wills, he desires, for us to be here. Why? because he created you to have all the fun experiences of life you've had, to be loved by all those who have loved you, to be the talented and smart person you are and because he wants to love you and be with you for eternity.
Then why is life so hard? Because God will never force you to love him.
I know the rules of the Catholic Church can be really hard for us to understand and to follow. I know what its like to make excuses not to follow the rules. But God, like the incredibly loving and generous father that he is, gives us these laws because he wants us to love and be loved in the greatest way possible. He calls us to die to ourselves in the very way he created humanity, male and female. We are literally, physically made to be a total self-gift to another person, procreate another human being to love and care for. We were made to be loved and love others so God's way isnt the easy way - but i guarantee its the best.
So why Adoration? If we dont have that experience with our parents, allowing them to be in a relationship with us, loving and guiding us on our way we can't begin to see the sacrifices they're making for us - its not easy just being told and having love being thrown at you. we have to be there to love back and to receive it. And we cant have a friendship with the greatest friend we could ever have if we dont talk to him on a regular basis. Our closest friends arent the ones we talk to once a week - theyre the ones we go to for everything and that we desire to spend all our time with and learn from. We dont date someone for an hour on sunday - even if we're apart, and i know :), we date them at every moment and we cant wait to see them again.
Im not saying if you dont have the same type of feelings of love you experience in a romantic relationship you're doing something wrong - because a lot of times we dont feel like going to the chapel or Mass and it can be the hardest thing in the entire world to pray. But thats because God gives us the choice to love him and does saturate us with gooshy feelings for him - all the time, those come and they go.
But we must encounter Christ in the Eucharist because he is who we were made for and he has so much love that he wants to pour upon us and so many blessings he wants to unveil for us. He wants to satisfy in your heart that burning desire to be deeply and unconditionally loved and to be understood and guided to peace and joy. He wants you to be known by him and he wants you to know him. Spend time with the Lord in adoration, meditating on his life, speaking with him about your joys and your suffering, asking him to take your burdens, ask the holy spirit to guide you in your confusion.
Know God and be known by Him.
I know the chapel on my campus is where I find the Lord intimately. Its where he speaks to me, when i am patient and i am silent and i set aside my time and my will to be with the one who loves me most. Through regularly going to Eucharistic Adoration I have to admit i learn over and over and over again how much the Lord loves me and how well he knows me and is guiding me and planning by life best. I realize more and more how much i truly need him. Because im human, i constantly think i know best and i constantly am ungrateful; i worry about things that dont matter, despite the family, boyfriend, friends and what not that i have around me who love me unconditionally. Its because i desire Christ's love and i'd go as far to say i woudn't be able to see or receive the love my parents, boyfriend, and friends have for me if i didn't first seek the love of the Lord constantly.
So go to adoration on a regular basis. Find an hour out of your week to simply sit with him for an hour. And dont give up on your relationship with the one who loves you most.
Just a tip - God makes everything possible and multiplies your time if you give him yours ;) its true, you can only know if you try.
