We used to hear the objection from people about coming to Mass: I don’t get anything out of it. And
this may be very true for some of us. I also remember learning in theology class, however, that when
we attend Mass, we receive benefits even if we think we do not. When we remember that the Mass is
about worshipping God in spirit and truth, we can realize that we do not look to obtaining a good feeling
from going to Mass, although this might also happen. We are actually present at Calvary; we are
attending a re-presentation of Jesus’ death on the Cross.
It is recognized that we cannot simply arrive at Mass without any previous preparation and be truly able
to participate in its mystery. Preparation, in addition to the way we attempt to live by keeping God’s
Commandments, includes the development of a private prayer life and an appreciation of what the
Mass is really all about.
Lent can be a perfect time to ask God’s help in deepening our Christian life, and part of this effort can
include a special treasure of our parish’s life: Eucharistic Adoration.
Reasons to come to Nocturnal Adoration:
We have in our parish the excellent practice of Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays, where, after the
noon Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in a monstrance on the altar until 8:30 pm. From the
noon Mass until 7:30 pm people can come and pray before the Real Presence of Christ on the altar.
Then, at 7:30 pm the members of the Nocturnal Adoration Society gather to spend a Holy Hour in His
Presence.
This Holy Hour is a combination of common prayer and private prayer, ending with Benediction. The
common prayer, for the most part, is the Liturgy of the Hours, the formal prayer of the Church that is
prayed each day throughout the world. The common prayer also includes a few other prayers, such as
the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sometimes the members of the parish Youth Group come and
lead us in saying the Rosary. There is a silence between the times of common prayer that allows us to
enter into personal prayer and meditation.
John Paul II on Eucharistic Adoration
Pope John Paul II devoted a special section to this type of Eucharistic worship in his recent encyclical
on the Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia—“The Church from the Eucharist”). “The worship of the
Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church,” says the Holy Father.
“This worship is strictly linked to the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. …It is pleasant to spend
time with him, to lie close to his breast like the Beloved Disciple (cf. JN 13:25) and to feel the infinite
love present in his heart. If in our time Christians must be distinguished by the “art of prayer”, how can
we not feel a renewed need to spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love
before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament?” He also says that this type of Eucharistic worship
“prolongs and increases the fruits of our communion in the body and blood of the Lord.” (Section 25)
The saints and Eucharistic Adoration
The Holy Father quotes Saint Alphonsus Liguori that after the sacraments themselves, the adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest of all devotions. Saint Alphonsus was a marvelous confessor who
understood the laity as I think few spiritual writers do. The Nocturnal Adoration Society monthly
Recent Eventsletter often refers to his thoughts about the Eucharist. One issue (August 2002) mentions how
Saint Alphonsus offered the thoughts of another holy person, Saint Paulinus, about the Eucharist.
Paulinus says that pilgrims to the Holy Land are thrilled to bring back a little dust from the crib, or from
the site of Jesus’ tomb, and then remarks how much more we should prize the Most Blessed Sacrament,
“where the same Jesus is in person, and where we can go without encountering so much fatigue and so
many dangers!” Another issue (November 2004) names several of the many saints who frequently
stopped by a church to visit the Blessed Sacrament.
The experience of Nocturnal Adoration
Still another issue (September 2004) quotes Pope Pius XII: “Those especially who in the silent hours of
the night are united to the adoration of the Angels and offer to the Lamb Who was slain (Apoc. V, 12)
the praise and thanksgiving that are due to Him, draw abundantly for themselves and for the whole
Church waters from the fountain of the Lord. (Isaiah, XII, 3)” In the quiet times of Nocturnal
Adoration we can learn another thing—an appreciation of the importance to us of the church building.
Why is this important? Because our churches buildings are designed to inspire us to acknowledge the
sacred, the actual presence of God. The main body of the building (called the “nave”), where we
assemble and attend Mass or kneel or sit in prayer and meditation, represents the earth itself. The
sanctuary, with the altar and the tabernacle, represent the heaven in which God dwells. When we are at
Mass we can be very intent on what is happening in the sanctuary, but when we are just quiet, left to
ourselves, so to speak, we can become more aware of this religious drama and meaning of our
architecture.
The hour of Nocturnal Adoration helps us to grow in the faith, to be able to give something more to
our attending Mass, and to practice for heaven. This last item is especially important. C.S. Lewis, one
of the most effective Christian writers of the 20th century, once said that he thought that heaven doesn’
t reject us, but that we reject heaven. This can be because it is not what we think we want for
ourselves. He felt that if we do not truly value what heaven offers during our lifetime, we cannot
expect that we will suddenly change our desire from it when we die. We learn what heaven is by the
experience that comes to us during our lives, and it is during prayer, especially before the Blessed
Sacrament, that this experience deepens and becomes our own.
For those of us who are not members of the Nocturnal Adoration group, perhaps this Lent is the time
to allow ourselves the experience.
Frank Drollinger, Reporter Editor, February 2005
Someone close to me once said, “When I die, don’t leave me in Purgatory.” The Church teaches that those who die in the
state of grace but who are not yet perfect must be purged of the effects of their sinfulness. God willing, that will be all of us.
As another person, a holy priest, once said to me, “Thank God for Purgatory. I’d never make it without Purgatory.” This is
something we need to remember when we hear people say of someone who has died, “He went straight to Heaven. He’s
looking down on us now.” As much as we might love and honor the person, and respect his or her goodness, I think that we
do them an injustice when we do not pray for them because we have decided that they do not need prayers.
Our weekly bulletin has announced that there are special indulgences to be gained during this Year of the Eucharist. It might
be helpful to review the Church’s teaching about indulgences, which are an important part of what we can do for those who
have died, as well as for one another. The following information is taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The
numbers in parentheses refer to paragraph numbers in the catechism.
The basis of an indulgence is the fact that when we commit a sin, there are no one but two results. One is that we need the
forgiveness of God. The other is that even after we have obtained sacramental forgiveness in Confession, there is still the
matter of punishment. A grave or mortal sin makes us subject to eternal punishment, since by it charity is destroyed in our
soul, and we lose our communion with God. The need for this punishment is removed by the forgiveness of sin and the
restoring of this communion with God. But whether the sin is grave or it is venial (which weakens but does not destroy charity
in our soul), there is still what is called a temporal punishment that is required to be satisfied. This punishment is not a sort of
revenge by God, but comes from the very nature of a sin. In order to enter heaven we must be purified so that no temporal
punishment remains due. The catechism notes that “ A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the
complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain (1472).” The repentant sinner can bear
the trials and sufferings of life with patience, and accept this punishment as a grace from God. He or she also needs to
practice interior conversion through charitable works, works of mercy, prayer and acts of penance. As of this can work
toward the remitting of the punishment due to sins. (1473)
Indulgences also deal with this temporal punishment. A partial indulgence removes a part of the temporal punishment due to
sin, for either a living person or one who has died. A plenary indulgence applies to the removal of all of this punishment.
(1471)
To understand indulgences, the catechism explains that the life of each of us, the children of God, is linked to Christ Himself
and, through Him, to all of the other members of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. This is the communion of saints,
which is the unity in charity of those who are in Heaven, those who are suffering in Purgatory, and those of us still on the
road, in our lives on earth. (1475) There is a sharing of spiritual goods among these persons. Their prayers and good works,
together with those of the Blessed Virgin Mary, form a “treasury of the Church”, because they are included in the infinite
value of the merits of Christ Himself. By following Christ in holiness we not only achieve our own salvation, but we also help
other members of the Mystical Body of Christ. (1476, 1477)
It is this treasury of the Church from which the Church grants indulgences. The Church can do this because of its power to
bind and release which was given to her by Christ. In granting an indulgence, the Church is actually intervening in our favor,
opening this treasury of merit to remit our temporal punishment due to our sins. In doing so, the Church wants us to
participate ourselves in this work with acts of devotion, penance and charity. (1478)
EWTN recently had an interview with Peter Kreeft, who has written what is probably a fine book called Prayer for Beginners.
Kreeft teaches philosophy at Boston College and in his spare time writes very readable and helpful books on various aspects of
Christian life. At least I find them helpful, and I recommend them. In the interview he quoted the 19th century Scottish
minister and novelist George MacDonald, that “God is easy to please but hard to satisfy.” He meant that God will look with
favor on the smallest things we do to get closer to Him, but that He demands perfection of us before we may enter His
presence in eternity. Indulgences help us to satisfy the Divine justice. They can be gained by us to help those in Purgatory
with the remission of their temporal punishment and thus their release from Purgatory. And we must be thankful for the
opportunity for indulgences that the Church offers to us, and make active use of them.
The Church tells us the conditions under which we may gain an indulgence for someone else, including someone who may be
in Purgatory. These conditions were spelled out in the April 10, 2005 issue of the Saint Thomas weekly bulletin, and are
reproduced below. To gain a more complete understanding of indulgences and the reasons for them, it is recommended that
you look up the relevant paragraphs in the catechism (paragraphs 1471 to 1479).
Frank Drollinger, Reporter Editor, June 2005