“Could You Not Watch One Hour with Me?”

        “Could You Not Watch One Hour with Me?”

    Our world is a very hectic place and there are numerous media working to gain our attention. Continuously distracted, there never seems to be enough time.  Worldly demands have a propensity to prevent us from staying focused on what is most important in our life, especially our relationship with God.

     The Catholic Church offers us an opportunity to cultivate our relationship with God, and it is called the Holy Hour. What is a Holy Hour? The Holy Hour is a sustained, uninterrupted hour of prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Because we sit or kneel in silence for an hour, this may seem counter to our culture. However, with no distractions, our attention becomes focused solely on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Many times in the Gospels, Jesus would look for a place where he could pray to his Father in private. 

      The Holy Hour begins with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The priest or deacon removes the Blessed Sacrament, a consecrated host, from the tabernacle and places it in the monstrance, a gold or silver vessel used to house the consecrated host where Jesus’ presence dwells, and places it on the altar. The transfer from the tabernacle to the monstrance is accompanied by a sung hymn and incense is used to bless and worship our Lord. 

     Next, during the period of Adoration, all those in attendance pray to, and worship the Real Presence of Christ. The priest or deacon may begin the adoration period with a reading from scripture and a brief homily.

     In the Holy Hour, the adoration period is one hour, however as long as there are adorers available, an adoration period can last for many hours. Some churches have adoration for a daytime period, twenty-four hours, and even perpetually. In these situations, the Blessed Sacrament would be returned to the tabernacle whenever mass is celebrated, and then placed back into the monstrance after mass. 

     When the period of Adoration is coming to an end, there is a special blessing called Benediction which is given to all present. The priest or deacon will begin with a few short prayers and the Blessed Sacrament will be incensed. There is also a hymn sung at this time. Next, the priest or deacon will put on a garment called a Humeral Veil. This allows the minister to hold sacred objects like the monstrance without touching them with bare hands. This symbolizes reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. By covering their hands, it is emphasized that the blessing is coming from Christ, not the priest or deacon. 

     After the blessing, the Divine Praises will be prayed, and then the priest or deacon will approach the monstrance and return the Blessed Sacrament to the tabernacle. This is called Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament. At this time, there will also be sung a closing hymn.

      Many wonder how we should pray during the Holy Hour. Once when asked what one is supposed to do exactly in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, Bishop Fulton Sheen replied , “in a way, anything you want!” There is no approved, formal way to spend a Holy Hour. 

You can pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and /or the Rosary; other options are to read Scripture, prepare for teaching or preaching, or start a journal to write down any ideas or inspirations that may come. As you pray, you can thank God for all the blessings you have received in your life, ask him for guidance or forgiveness, or you can offer to God the petitions of those who have asked for prayers. Bishop Sheen suggests that “one can simply sit in front of Blessed Sacrament and do nothing at all, simply basking in his presence and undergoing a kind of radiation therapy.” 

        Why should Catholics go to adoration?  The purpose of the Holy Hour is to encourage a deep personal encounter with Christ. Our God is constantly inviting us to come to him, to converse with him, to ask for what we need, and to experience what a blessing there is in fellowship with him. Spending time in prayer with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is a way to more clearly listen to the voice of God, reflect on his goodness, and take a necessary—and enriching—break away from our busy lives. The more time that we spend with him, the more we can become like him. 

     When Jesus asked his Apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane if they could stay awake with him for one hour, he was asking for their companionship.   Bishop Robert Baron suggests that the best image for prayer is a conversation between friends. Like any friendship, the most important thing is to take the time. Like any close friend, speak honestly to God. Let him know what is wrong, what may be bothering you. There is no need to tell him what we think he wants to hear. 

     Prayer isn’t just talking to God, but also listening to him. God may speak to us indirectly, through scripture, a hymn, Eucharistic Adoration, or during the Mass. He also may speak to us through other people. 

     One of the most important features of prayer is silence. In this quiet period, God may speak to us. St. Mother Teresa spoke of silence in the following way: “The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace.”

     To improve your prayer life, take the time to pray, speak honestly with God as you would a friend, listen with full attention, and enter into silence. The Holy Hour provides a perfect opportunity for us to strengthen our relationship with Jesus, and become closer to him.