21st Sunday - "A Hard Saying" - Eucharistic Adoration

In the Gospel today, many of the disciples of Jesus said, “This is a hard saying; who can accept it?”. What was the hard saying difficult to accept? Jesus had said, “I am the bread of life, He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever.” They took His words literally and so could not understand “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” They thought He was talking about eating His flesh after His death (cannibalism) but He was talking about eating the flesh of a live person, Himself. Our Lord had not yet established the Mass or the Eucharist, so it would have been confusing to the disciples, but Jesus demanded faith. He meant these words literally because if He meant it symbolically, He would have had an obligation to prevent them from leaving believing something about Him was not true. Jesus allowed them to no longer follow Him because He expected faith from His disciples and to believe He really wanted them to eat His flesh and drink His Blood.

 You have faith and believe you will eat His flesh and drink His blood otherwise you would not be here today. What would you do if Jesus walked in our church today, grabbed a chair and sat in front of the altar? And anyone could come to ask Him any question and get the perfect answer. Or the sick could come, ask for a healing and be healed. I just read a news article about a couple who carried their sick baby to church and knelt down before Jesus in adoration asking Our Lord to heal their child. What wonderful faith!

During Eucharistic Adoration, Jesus is not in a chair, but in a gold object called a monstrance. When we adore Him in adoration, we should speak to Him from the Heart and especially thanking Him. We can ask for healing, for graces to help us carry our cross, to change the hearts of loved one and pray for enemies too. When in adoration, we can talk to Jesus and tell Him what's going on in our life. Look at Jesus and tell Him our problems. To tell Him about what causes us to be sad and our life difficulties. If we are depressed, He gives us hope. If we are lonely, He give us companionship. We grow rapidly in holiness and virtue. We grow in greater love of God and neighbor. We receive inspirations to help us make decisions. We commit less sins. Spending time with Jesus in adoration, we become more thankful. We learn everything we have comes from God and accept our sufferings. We don’t have to do much, we just need to be present to Jesus and just by being in His presence we are blessed.

Here are some true stories about how Jesus in adoration chapels changed the lives of ordinary people.

A grandmother by the name of Kimberly and her three grandchildren went through RCIA. Two months after the children became Catholic, as they were praying in the Adoration Chapel, the 12 yr. old boy saw Jesus come out of the Host and stand in front of the altar. Jesus was wearing a white garment, a gold sash, a golden crown on His head and had a scepter in His hand. Jesus told the boy, “Remove your shoes and tell the others to do the same. Tell the priest, to tell the people to remove their shoes before they come into the Adoration Chapel. It is their choice if the want to remove their shoes. This ground is Holy because I am standing on it before you.” When he told his grandmother and sisters to remove their shoes, they did as he requested because they noticed he was seeing something.

In Hays, Kansas, a non-Catholic man needed a new heart. One of his Catholic friends went to the Adoration Chapel to pray for him. Just as he finished his Holy Hour, he received a phone call and was asked to take his friend to a hospital, because waiting for him was a new heart.

Also in Hays, a grandmother was in the adoration chapel praying for her 10 year old grandson, so he would not get hurt because he was helping with the wheat harvest. During her Holy Hour, the boy was accidentally ran over by a wheat truck. The family feared the worse because the truck ran over the boy’s body. Taken by ambulance to the emergency room, he had CT scans, Xrays and other tests, all of which indicated he was completely fine except for a few scrapes. All believed it was a miracle attributed to his grandmother asking Jesus in the Eucharist, to protect her grandson.

Several years ago, woman’s teenage son was going to commit suicide, but in the middle of the night, he went to an adoration chapel to pray and never went through with it. Jesus in the Eucharist inspired him to tell his mother and so because of Adoration, his life was saved.

Kathy signed up for a weekly Holy Hour. Every week, she prayed her husband Gary would become Catholic and her adult son, Cody would grow in his faith. Gary and Cody, on their own—without her saying anything--joined RCIA classes. Gary became Catholic and Cody was confirmed at the Easter Vigil. Today, they pray a Holy Hour every week together.

In San Antonio, Texas a teenage girl was going to have an abortion. Her Catholic friend tried to talk her out of it, but to no avail. She went to an adoration chapel at night and prayed for her pregnant friend begging Jesus to spare the life of the baby. The next day at the abortion clinic, just before the procedure, the girl changed her mind and kept the baby.

John had drinking problem and rarely came to Mass. But, during Sign-up weekend, he happened to come to Mass and signed up for a Holy Hour. Over a period of a few months, he began to attend Mass regularly. He became an usher and helped make pancakes at the parish. He attended AA meetings and stopped drinking. Adoration changed his life.

In Wichita, Patrick was about 30 years old, when he was walking down an alley late at night, he was shot to death by a robber. His mother had difficulty forgiving the killer, until she came to Jesus in the adoration chapel. Because of adoration, she forgave the killer and because she forgave him, a flood of graces caused her whole family to forgive.

Patty from St. Michael’s in Mulvane, Kansas was pregnant with her 7th child. She was fearful of the delivery and sent a letter to me while I was at seminary asking me to pray for her, so she would have a quick and easy delivery. I made a Holy Hour at the seminary chapel for her intention and sent her a note with the date and hour it was made. A few weeks later, she wrote back saying, she gave birth to her son, Andrew, during the exact time I prayed the Holy Hour saying, “I couldn’t believe it. I barely made it to the hospital and gave birth within 15 minutes. There was hardly any pain and it was a quick delivery.”

Neal, a boy who was a sophomore in High School at Council Grove signed up for a Holy Hour. His parents were skeptical as to whether or not he would keep his hour. But he did. He was faithful to his weekly holy hour before school and rode his bike whether it was raining or snowing.

All these stories and many more help us to know Jesus is really and truly in the Eucharist and wants us to come to Him and with all the problems in the world and in the Church, Jesus wants everyone to make a weekly Holy Hour with Him. He wants families to come together to adore Him.

For example, at Church of the Resurrection in Wichita, the George family comes to the adoration chapel every night at 9pm with their 6 children-- ages 4 years old to 16 to pray their night prayers together. Some read the bible, others pray the rosary, some do spiritual reading, others pray quietly the entire time. How beautiful to see a family come to Jesus every night before they go to bed. 

In addition to bringing our families to Jesus in adoration, Our Lord also gives each of us the opportunity to be alone with Him. I am sure at times parents would love to have their individual quiet time, away from the family, away from work. Everyone needs quiet time.

Won’t you-- “Come away by yourself to a lonely place and rest awhile.” Why not spend that lonely place with Jesus in adoration? And rest with Him. Sign up-weekend is just a few weeks away. Pray about it.

Let us pray, “O Jesus, give us the grace to come to you in adoration and spend an hour with you every week. O Mary, help us to pray to Jesus, Your Son, and to love Him, as you loved Him. Amen.”