Looking For God In All the Right Places

Today marks the end of the 1st whole week in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. For the Eastern Catholic Churches we are in day 2 of the 2nd week. Hopefully you have already begun your Lenten practices.

However if you are still looking for something, may I suggest you find the nearest Eucharistic Adoration Chapel & spend at least an hour a week there. During that time you will be able to talk to God, spend time adoring Him, let Him speak to you & definitely grow in your faith. I won't go into all the details about what you can do. The Real Presence has an excellent site here that will provide you with everything you need.

As for those who may have stumbled across this post because you are trying to find God, I can think of no better place to go then where God is waiting for you to find Him.

Yes, that is right, God is there, even though it appears that all you are seeing is a piece of bread behind a window in a gold holder (monstrance).

As Catholics we take Jesus at His word when He said over the bread at the Last Supper "This is My Body." We do so because in John 6 He said that we must eat of the flesh of the Son of Man. The technical term is transubstantiation. What it means is that the substance of the bread is changed while the accidentals, color, taste, look remain the same. It is no longer bread, but the body, blood, soul & divinity of Christ hidden under the appearance of bread. & where Jesus is, the Father & Holy Spirit are, so God is physically present wherever the Eucharist is. You can get a much better & more in depth explanation here.

Note, this is not to downplay visiting Christ in the tabernacle. That is important as well. Additionally, while many parishes do not have perpetual adoration, they do regularly offer exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

In the DBQ area we are blessed with 2 Perpetual Adoration Chapels. 

One is in DBQ @ 1860 St. Ambrose St. This chapel is operated by Power of Prayer, Inc. with the aprobation of the Archbishop of DBQ. 

In addition, there is a 2nd chapel  in the building where Mass is offered every Wednesday at 2:15 pm & is followed by Divine Mercy Devotions.

The other one is the St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer Adoration Chapel at 190 Montgomery St. in E DBQ.

You can find a list of perpetual adoration chapels as well as many places that offer Eucharistic Adoration here.  If you cannot find one near you, call your diocesan chancery to see if they know of one nearby. If not, & you can still visit Jesus in the tabernacle. Better yet, why not get together with other like minded members of your parish to get your pastor to at least offer a regular time each month or week for Eucharistic Adoration. & if he says no, don't be afraid to ask him why. If he tries to blow it off as pre-Vatican II then point out that not only did Vatican II approve of & encourage it, Pope Paul, Pope John Paul II & Papa Benedetto did as well. Also, Canon law recommends & encourages it as well. Do so in a gentle, non-confrontational manner.  If he still refuses, then submit yourself to his authority, but pray for his heart to be changed.

So, if you are looking for something extra to do this Lent, something that should become a permanent part of your life, or just looking for God, the nearest adoration chapel is the ideal place to start. 

I guarentee you that God is there, waiting patiently for you to come & see Him.

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Note: The Eastern Catholic Churches do not have a tradition of Eucharistic Adoration. But they do have a tabernacle where the Eucharist is reserved. During the weekdays of Lent they have a Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts that includes a Communion service where the Eucharist from the Sunday Divine Liturgy is distributed.