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“This worship, given therefore to the Trinity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . . must fill our churches also outside the timetable of Masses . . . this worship must be prominent in all our encounters with the Blessed Sacrament . . . Adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love must also find expression in various forms of eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, Hours of Adoration, periods of exposition—short, prolonged and annual (Forty Hours)—eucharistic benediction, eucharistic processions, eucharistic congresses . . .The Church and the world have a great need of eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease” (Pope John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae, Ch 1, Sec 2, Art 3).
Preparation: Display a banner or poster near the entrance of your Church, school, etc. Setup a table with prayers, pamphlets and materials on the Real Presence of Jesus, importance of the Mass, and Eucharistic Adoration. (See the Catalog section of our website at www.ACFP2000.com for items, including pamphlets, prayer cards, posters, books and other resources on the Eucharist.)
Week 1 “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist” (Art 1). Ask your pastor to talk about the Holy Eucharist and lead a prayer to promote belief in the Real Presence after Communion at the weekend Masses, so all may come to truly believe, love and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus.
Week 2 “Do this in memory of Me” (Lk 22:19). “The Upper Room was where this most holy Sacrament was instituted” (Art 2). Print a weekly bulletin announcement, with a quote about Jesus in the Eucharist, and an invitation to sign-up for a weekly Holy Hour. Include contact information. Our Bread of Life book contains a daily Eucharistic quote. Eucharistic quotes are also available through us via email or on our Facebook page
Week 3 “We know that she was present among the Apostles who prayed ‘with one accord’ (cf. Acts 1:14), “Mary can guide us towards this most holy sacrament, . . . she herself has a profound relationship with it” (Art 53). Pray a 54 day Rosary novena for the start or renewal of Adoration in your parish. Invite others to join you in praying for this intention.
Week 4 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “The Eucharist . . . stands at the centre of the Church’s life” (Art 3). Put up posters of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, Our Lady, St. Joseph and other Saints who loved the Eucharist in your Church and school with quotes and stories about their devotion. (We have posters available in our Catalog and on our website.)
Week 5 “Could you not watch one hour with Me?” (Mt 26:40). “The holy hour, [is] the hour of the redemption of the world” (Art 4). Jesus asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him. Offer a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration for the conversion and redemption of the world.
Week 6 “I Myself am the living bread come down from heaven” (Jn 6:51). The Holy Eucharist is “Mysterium fidei!—The Mystery of Faith!” (Art 5). Host a parish dessert hour at which a reflection on the Real Presence of Jesus will be given. (DVDs are also available through us.)
Week 7 Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19:16). Thank God by “Halting before the ‘Eucharistic face’ of Christ and pointing out with new force to the Church the centrality of the Eucharist” (Art 7). Plan a parish Holy Hour of Adoration, beginning with a Eucharistic procession and ending with Benediction.
Week 8 “Their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Lk 24:31). “To contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize him . . . above all in the living sacrament of his body and his blood” (Art 6). Share the good news that Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist with parish groups and classes, by giving presentations and sharing appropriate materials.
Week 9 “The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel” (Is 7:14). “The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise . . . to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. Truly this is the mysterium fidei which is accomplished in the Eucharist” (Art 8). Share about the Real Presence of Jesus with others. Invite them to experience the peace and love of Jesus in the Eucharist during a weekly Holy Hour.
Week 10 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory; the glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love” (Jn 1:14). “The Eucharist, as Christ’s saving presence in the community of the faithful and its spiritual food, is the most precious possession which the Church can have in her journey through history” (Art 9). Encourage parishioners to offer Holy Hours for all (increased vocations, loved ones, the sick, poor, depressed, peace, unity, health care workers and our troops).
Week 11 “Going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him” (Matt 2:11). “Is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of the newborn Christ and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us?” (Art 55). “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is also an important daily practice and becomes an inexhaustible source of holiness” (Art 10). Give Jesus the gift of starting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in your parish and community!
Week 12 “I wish once more to recall this truth and to join you, my dear brothers and sisters, in adoration before this mystery: a great mystery, a mystery of mercy. What more could Jesus have done for us? Truly, in the Eucharist, he shows us a love which goes ‘to the end’ (cf. Jn 13:1), a love which knows no measure.” The Eucharist is “the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself [Jesus]” (Art 11). Begin a study group or book club in which books on the Holy Eucharist are read and discussed. (Books are available through us).
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