Testimonies & Reflections
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HOW TO BEWITH JESUS
St. Laurence is blessed with perpetual adoration
offered in our Chapel of Divine Mercy, adjacent to St. Laurence Catholic School. Some people stop by the chapel as their schedules allow. Others commit to be at the chapel during a specific hour each week, so that the Blessed Sacrament is never left alone. Following is a bit of practical advice for those who have never tried Adoration from a regular adorer.
How do you go?
With reverence. The procedure is to walk through the double doors into the chapel. Some people genuflect, some kneel. I often find it sufficient to quietly say “hello” to Jesus. I know that He is present in the host but it is somehow easier for me to imagine Him sitting in the presider’s chair.How long do you go for?
St. Faustina talks of hopping into the chapel for a few minutes. Your visit isn’t an indefinite commitment. Scheduled adorers have one hour blocks because it would get weird scheduling the kind of impromptu visits that the saints describe. But if you are dropping in for a visit, the duration is entirely up to you. Again, imagine this as walking past a friend’s office/cube. Sometimes the chat is 2 minutes and sometimes it extends longer.
How do you leave?
It is a lot like coming, but in reverse. You leave when you are ready to go. I leave, saying “goodnight” to Jesus.
What do you do while there?
I journal as one form of prayer. Sometimes I read. It helped me a lot when I read that St. John Paul II moved his correspondence desk in front of the monstrance to allow Jesus to be present in his work. When alone, I often sit on the steps of the altar, imaging that I am sitting near Jesus listening to him (ala Mary and Martha). When other people come into the chapel, I move back to the pew so that people are not stuck adoring me.
Kevin Lavery
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Just Do It! A Lenten ReflectionOur season of Lent has begun with a call to repentance. Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation yet it is one of the most attended services of our Liturgical Year. It was truly odd to not be able to attend a service this year because of the winter storms which closed so much of our community and our church. Nevertheless we enter the season with firm resolutions to make this Lent the best one ever. You know the drill : fast, pray, and give alms. I will give up chocolate, I will give up Facebook, I will increase my weekly offering to the church, every day I will say a rosary. Sometimes it seems like there is a tendency to treat Lenten resolutions like New Year’s resolutions. The season wears on and so does my resolve.
The reality is that fasting is required only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. And one can give alms just once and it is accomplished. Prayer however is not like that. It is not accomplished by a couple of concrete actions if it is to be efficacious.
Saint Paul told us to pray without ceasing and to pray always. Jesus told us ”when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. He taught them and us The Lord’s Prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer Himself. He would go off by Himself for hours at a time to pray to the Father. Why do we pray? How are we to pray? How long do we pray? How often do we pray?
Relationships become intimate when people spend time together, learning about each other by talking and listening. Prayer is relationship with God. The purpose of spending more time in prayer during Lent is to deepen our relationship with God. That is the why.
Prayer is a conversation with God. It can take many forms. It can be formal oral prayer such as the rosary or divine mercy chaplet. It can be lectio divina where we focus on one small passage of scripture reading, meditating, and listening for what the Holy Spirit wants to give us. It can be time spent in Adoration looking at Jesus with a gaze of love. It can be more frequent attendance at Mass. It can include words of gratitude, thanksgiving, or petition. How we are to pray is however God is calling you right now.
In prayer we begin by sitting in silence to remind ourselves that we are in the Holy Presence of the Lord. He is always with us. I place myself in recollection by thinking of Him, reminding myself that He sees me wherever I happen to be and is interested in me because He loves me. I let the world disappear as I focus on Him. Then I begin with oral prayer or scripture or gazing at Him. The length of time that I spend is not to be measured by a clock. God is timeless. I continue until I have told Him all I need to tell Him at this time. I sit after I have finished to listen with my heart to the Lord until I am filled with His peace and feel like He wants me to return to my duties. How long is however long it takes during this particular prayer period. It may be five minutes. It may be two hours.
In Lent we are striving to pray more often. Consider the normal pattern of prayer you follow during ordinary time. It is desirable to pray more often during Lent. Can you add more prayer opportunities without neglecting your responsibilities? The best way to decide how often to pray, how much more to pray during Lent, is to pray about it! Ask the Holy Spirit what more you should do. A busy working parent may have to be content with praying while folding laundry or driving a carpool. A retired person may be able to go to the chapel for Adoration twice as much each week or attend Mass twice as often weekly.
So pray during Lent, just do it. Fran Magelssen, Adoration Coordinator February, 2021 -
Adoration Witness - My JoyGood morning, my name is Bill Keyser and I am here to talk to you about the joy of Perpetual Adoration, but first let me tell you about my own faith journey and why Eucharistic Adoration is so special to me.I am not a cradle Catholic but I knew the love of Jesus early in my life. As a child I was raised in the Mormon church. As a teenager in the rebellious 60's, I grew my hair long and was a "Jesus Freak" attending churches in parks. Then I became a "closet" Christian - I believed in God & Jesus, but I didn't belong to or attend any churches.
I had made many bad decisions as a young adult, but it was when I was living in Florida that I began to make good decisions. It was there that I met my wife Gail whom I have been married to for 40 years. She was a "cradle Catholic," strong in her faith. We got married in the Catholic Church and I promised to raise our future children Catholic. She never pushed her faith on me but led by quiet strong example.
God blessed us with two beautiful daughters Laura and Anastasia. Both of them were baptized and raised in the Catholic Church.My job required us to move frequently, and it was in Richmond, TX that I decided to learn more about the Catholic Faith. The late Father Madden of Sacred Heart invited me to attend an Inquiry Course. This was before RCIA, and after 3 months of questions, prayer, and reflection I was ready to become part of the Faithful. I wanted my children to benefit from being raised in a truly Catholic environment, but more importantly I needed Jesus to fill the void in my soul.
I quickly became involved in many church activities such as teaching CCE, Bible Study, Knights of Columbus, Marriage Encounter and Cursillo. It was in Midland, TX at St. Stephen's Church when I was asked to participate in Perpetual Adoration. I had just finished reading a book by Larry Lea called "Can You Not Tarry with Me an Hour?" Inspired by the need to be with Jesus, I signed up and to make it a greater sacrifice I made sure it was in the Wee Hours. I even invited my daughter Laura to come with me. Recently she told me how my simple act of devotion back in Midland had inspired her. I had no idea and was taken aback that I had had such a positive impact on her life.
I wasn't sure what I would do during that hour, so I would begin each hour with the Rosary. I then would read either the Bible or a religious book or spend time praying. The hour would go by so quickly that I was sad when it ended.Through spending time in Adoration at the Divine Mercy Chapel here at St. Laurence, I have come to know the Meditation of Divine Mercy and truly have learned to Trust in Jesus. When my daughter Laura Stephens became so sick last year I felt so hopeless. I turned to prayer and God's Divine Mercy. My time in Adoration was spent praying for her. God's Grace sustained me; and by that Grace, Laura has been restored to health.
Adoration has been such a blessing to me, and since I am now retired I am able to dedicate more hours to the Lord through Adoration. At times I feel guilty because I volunteer for up to 3 hours at a time. Quiet contemplation and prayer fills my heart with joy and thanksgiving for God's Love and Mercy. I want all of you to be able to feel this; to pray to God in His Temple and through the power of the Exposed Host be with our Lord. Talk to Him, tell Him your troubles, and feel His calm descend over you.So I ask you the question that Jesus asked me: Can You Not Tarry with Me an Hour?Thank you for listening and may God Bless you with this special gift. -
Adoration Witness- Why We Go for Adoration Every Week
Good Afternoon! We are Basil & Leju Palakapilly- married for 21 years. We have had a wonderful life full of blessings; Now most of these blessings have been happy occasions in our life but some of them, when they happened, were devastating events.Almost 14 years ago, our 1-wk old baby Thomas turned blue & lifeless in our hands because he choked on milk due to a reflux disorder; then, 3 months later, I had a massive heart attack. Those traumatic events changed who we were; today, we view them with a deep sense of gratitude because they were our greatest blessings!
They brought us closer to God and as part of our new relationship, we would go to Adoration every now and then - for 5 or 10 minutes until about 6 years ago, I was talking to a (spiritually rich) friend of mine and he mentioned going to Adoration for an hour or two. I asked him "what do you do for a whole hour at Adoration?" What he told me changed my life; he said " I just go sit there and open up my heart to Jesus . and then sit in silence and listen".You see, till then, I would go in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, adore Him for a few minutes, then ask for a few favors and leave. I did not spend time with Him, just sit there and 'pour out my heart and then - LISTEN' . Then I started to do just that and ever since, I have found TRUE peace and an incredible lightness of heart.Today, we find that amongst the busy and stressful lives we lead, this one hour helps us to calm & re-center ourselves . Our priorities become clear and before we leave, each time, we are truly able to say " Jesus, I trust in You". We will sincerely try to do Your will. Then, whatever comes our way, we trust in You!
Besides our scheduled hours, we go whenever we can to help keep our compasses true. Sometimes, we may read a religious book or an article.. "Try it if you haven't already!!". When we read and ponder in the presence of the All-Knowing God, we will get simple yet deep insights! These days, Leju & I are often able to brush off the inevitable frustations of life, by simply saying"It is all part of God's plan". You know what helps us to be that way? Regular Adoration followed by "Jesus, I Trust in You!" .
In conclusion, we want to leave you with this: An incredible sense of peace is waiting for you in the special presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament !
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The Light of the Holy Spirit
A couple of years ago , I had a flare up of depression and anxiety… and my wonderful therapist suggested that I spend time in church or chapel on my own terms, because weekend Masses’ structure caused me anxiety. After sitting in church for a few times, it was very pleasant, but something was missing. A friend suggested going to the chapel. I started going to chapel during the weekday for 10 minutes. I started embracing the peace, tranquility and intimate time of the chapel and then stayed for 15 minutes. Then I would stay for 20-30 minutes, and now I sub for Adoration. One of my first experiences was illuminating, literally! I was kneeling and praying in the chapel one morning and looked up at the Eucharist and it had lights dancing around the monstrance. I took a double take and thought it was the candles flickering, but I truly believe the Holy Spirit was reassuring me that all would be well! It may have been the sunlight reflecting through the stained glass, but timing was miraculous. I remember calling my mom upon returning home and she reassured me that it was the Holy Spirit. I will always cherish my time in chapel… Anytime I have a particular need for family, myself or friends, I retreat to the chapel. It’s such a pleasant experience for me, without any pressures!
Paula Duhon -
I Offer My Day to GodI look forward each Wednesday for Adoration from 5am to 6am. Unless it’s raining, I walk the one-mile trip and use that time to pray my daily Rosary on the way to the chapel and then pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet on the way home. When I arrive, many times I just sit and listen and offer my work day in gratitude for all God endows me with. Without fail, a young nurse arrives around 5:20 and kneels at the altar for a short prayer and then she is gone. I don’t know if she is going to or coming from work at that hour, but I know she is praying for her patients and for the strength to do her job taking care of God’s children. I truly admire her for taking those few minutes to reflect before the Lord.
Patricio (Daniel) Alvarez
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Time for God
After the Divine Mercy Chapel was built at St Laurence many years ago, I used to visit now and then, but never for more than a half hour or so. With work, family and other commitments, that was the limit. But then I retired about a year ago, and the limit went away. The time filled in pretty fast, though, but before it all disappeared I decided to make a commitment to Adoration. And now, all week long I look forward to that hour on Sunday evening – the quiet, the prayer, the peacefulness in that Chapel. And the memories – my wife, Esperanza, and I were married there. It’s just an hour, but it has really helped my prayer life (which always needs help!). And no matter how many problems I carry in with me, I manage to leave most of them there when I leave. My Catholicism has been the one constant in my life, and I’m grateful to have a place like the Divine Mercy Chapel to spend some time with Jesus one-onone, just talking.
Joe Curiale
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Pressing the Pause Button
I must confess, until I was 40-something, I didn’t really know what Eucharistic Adoration was. It wasn’t something I experienced or witnessed growing up. However, Catholic radio AM 1430 has opened my eyes to the many treasures of our Catholic faith, including Adoration. For me, going to Adoration is like pressing the “pause button”. For that hour, all the noise, distractions, commitments and relationships of this world, take a backseat while I visit with Jesus. While Sunday or even daily Mass are about worshipping as a community of faith, Adoration is more personal. How do I spend my time during Adoration? You know all those times, when you hear about a prayer request or know someone in your life that needs prayer? For me, this is a good time to bring those right to the Lord, along with anything else weighing on my heart. Then, I patiently listen, to hear what He needs from me. When my mind wanders, and it does from time to time, I simply apologize for my lack of focus and I imagine Jesus simply saying, “No problem, I’m still glad you came.”
Glen Guidry