The following 12 Biblical reasons and 12 reasons from the teachings of the church will help us understand the value, the importance and the need of spending one hour each week with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
This hour Jesus wants you to spend with Him is spent any way you want. You may bring your own prayer books, use the books in the chapel, read the Bible, pray the Rosary, or just sit, relax and enjoy the sweet peace that comes from simply being in the Presence of God. You may feel you canât pray well. Donât let this discourage you. The mere fact that you take time out at a specific time each week to spend an hour with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament pleases Him very much, and is in itself a prayer of great faith.
Please remember that perpetual adoration in a parish is not just for a day, a week, a month or a year. Rather, it is for always. It is not temporary, but ongoing, lasting, permanent. Pope John Paul II says that: âOur essential commitment in life is to grow spiritually in the climate of the Holy Eucharist.â
If anyone should ask you, therefore, how long perpetual adoration lasts in a parish, please tell him that perpetual adoration lasts as long as Our Lordâs love for us in the Blessed Sacrament lasts, which is forever. As long as Jesus loves us enough to want to be with us day and night, then we want to love Him enough to be with Him day and night.
*Pope John Paul II, DOMINICAE CENAE
**Pope John Paul II, REDEEMER OF MAN
***Pope Paul VI, MYSTERIUM FIDEI
****Pope Paul VI, CREDO OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
In order to have a constant vigil of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, we must make sure that each hour is covered.
Therefore, it is necessary for each person to commit himself or herself to a specific hour once a week, for example, Tuesday at 4 p.m.
In this way, we can organize all of the 168 hours of the week in such a way that someone is with Jesus all the time.
Is Jesus important enough to you to set aside one special hour each week to be with Him? Just one hour once a week is all that He is asking.
This is a simple matter of putting first things first. âIn everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.â (Prov.3:6)
Imagine the President, the Cardinal or the Pope wanting you to set aside one specific hour each week to be with them. You would feel like the most important person in the world.
You would be overjoyed. You would tell all of your friends about it. You would be faithful every week in keeping your appointed time. You would let nothing interfere with your meeting with someone so important as the President, the Cardinal or the Pope.
Should you treat Our Blessed Lord with any less dignity?
Because people canât see Jesus, they take His love and Presence in the Blessed Sacrament for granted. People are hesitant in making a commitment for a specific hour because they let everything else come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Your faith will make this commitment easy! âFaith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.â (Hb 11:11)
Your faith will help you realize this with conviction: The most important thing that you will do this week is spend an hour with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Think of the words of the Pope: âJesus waits for us in this Sacrament of Love.â
Your willingness to choose an assigned hour is a precious expression of your faith that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is welcomed, loved, and adored by you.
Donât be afraid to take a fixed hour for fear that there may be times that you canât make it. We will have a substitute system to take care of emergencies. Just think of the words from Scripture: âYou have nothing whatsoever to fear from Him. Get up. He is calling you!â (Mk 10:50)
When you get to heaven, Jesus will spend all eternity thanking you and loving you for your fidelity in spending one specific hour with Him in the Blessed Sacrament each week. This is why He says: âBlessed are they who do not see and yet believe.â(Jn 20:29)
By Fr. Martin Lucia
APOSTOLATE FOR PERPETUAL ADORATION
P.O. Box 46502
Mt. Clemens, Michigan 48046-6502
âPerpetual Eucharistic Adoration Movementâ (PEAM) is a universal movement launched in response to the repeated calls from Saint John Paul II to promote and establish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in parishes, Christian communities, and academic institutes throughout the world in the name of the Catholic Church. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, PEAM was instituted on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe in 2017, the centennial of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. On May 13 th 2018 (the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of the Eucharist, and the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ), PEAM officially established its headquarters in the Diocese of Macau and was registered as a âPublic Association of the Faithfulâ.
âPerpetual Eucharistic Adoration Movementâ (PEAM) is a universal movement launched in response to the repeated calls from Saint John Paul II to promote and establish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in parishes, Christian communities, and academic institutes throughout the world in the name of the Catholic Church. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, PEAM was instituted on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe in 2017, the centennial of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. On May 13 th 2018 (the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of the Eucharist, and the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ), PEAM officially established its headquarters in the Diocese of Macau and was registered as a âPublic Association of the Faithfulâ.
None of us with sincere introspection would deny our brokenness and defects in body, heart and spirit. Hidden deep under our strong and superior outer image were our inner weaknesses and wounds. More than ever before, this generation is filled with evil and torn apart. And yet, this is the time of Godâs mercy. It is the time for Lord Jesus Christ to bestow abundant graces onto the world through our Eucharistic Adoration. The Gospel tells us that âJesus went up the mountain, where He sat down. Great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He cured themâ (Matthew 15:29-30). The crowds that came to Jesus at that time were not necessarily His disciples. They might not even have met Him. However, they heard of what Jesus said and did, and were willing to bring their anguished families and friends to humbly come to this stranger Jesus. They admitted their weaknesses; and with great faith, implored for healing. What Jesus did was not only to heal their physical illnesses, but more importantly, He granted them spiritual and emotional deliverance and peace, and let them experience the love and forgiveness of God. Today, Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament, fulfilling His promise to us that, âI am with you always, to the end of the ageâ
(Matthew 28:20). He only wants us to come to Him with full trust, and to receive His love, mercy, peace and healing. He never judges, denounces or rejects us. He only loves, and loves us to the end! The first and foremost aim of PEAM is to appeal, on behalf of the entire broken humanity, to all Catholic parishes and communities around the world to establish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, so that anyone can come to worship the Eucharistic Lord and pray for healing anytime, anywhere. In addition, PEAM encourages everyone to approach the Eucharistic Lord without fear. PEAM members who are regular adorers of the Eucharist receive graces from the Eucharistic Lord not only for themselves, but also for others. They become the rescue team in the âspiritual disasterâ of the present world, pulling out their suffering families, friends and the whole humanity from the ârubbleâ and bringing them to the Eucharistic Lord for healing.
In 1916, St. Michael the Archangel taught the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, at Fatima a prayer for Eucharistic Adoration.
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly and offer You the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners. Amen
When I am in front of the Eucharist, do I worship God in spirit and in truth?
The above prayer is the spirituality of PEAM. And in the wisdom of God, this prayer is consistent with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy: âEternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. ⌠For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. ⌠Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.â When we recite these prayers in front of the Blessed Sacrament, we need to humbly admit our lowliness and to worship the Almighty God in spirit. We also have to grieve for our sins, for our society being torn apart, and for the brokenness of the humanity, imploring for Godâs mercy and forgiveness. We offer to the Heavenly Father the Blessed Sacrament (that is, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Lord Jesus) from all Masses celebrated and inside all tabernacles throughout the world, together with all joys and sorrows, problems and challenges of our daily life, for the reparation of our sins, to avert Godâs wrath and to beseech Him for graces. These prayers epitomize Jesusâ sacrifice on the Calvary and of the Holy Mass. Eucharistic Adoration perpetuates the mystery of the Holy Mass. We place ourselves at the feet of the cross, standing together with Mother Mary and Saint John the Apostle; and, with complete trust, bring our families, friends and the whole humanity into the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We pray that the Blood and Water gushing forth from His pierced Heart would save and heal all mortals.
PEAM counteracts the evil in the present world. We pray for the conversion of sinners, make reparation for the sacrilege and the indifferences of the world (including the Catholics) towards the Eucharist, and console the Sacred Heart of Jesus who loves humanity to the end. PEAM unites Eucharistic Adoration with devotions to the Divine Mercy and to the Sacred Heart, in order to lift up the endless âsighs, mourning and weeping from this valley of tearsâ to the Eucharistic throne of Jesus, who bestows unto the world His infinite mercy and grace. The Eucharist is the Sacred Heart of Lord Jesus and the source of mercy. Whenever the Eucharist is being exposed, the reign of Jesus is manifested. All angels and saints, together with Blessed Virgin Mary, prostrate and worship Christ the King who is sitting on His throne. Praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in exposition is a foretaste of the heavenly experience of seeing Jesus face to face. It is the most powerful way of intercession and is far more efficacious than just praying at home, in an assembly or in a church without Eucharist Adoration.
PEAM members are those who are lowly, broken, struggling in sin, but sincerely willing to return to God. When Lord Jesus, Son of the Most High, took human flesh and became man, He did not come to the world as a prominent royalty or a high-ranking official. Instead, He took the status of a servant, and set Himself among the lowly, sinful, and poor. Now, He is even more humble than He was on earth, hiding His resurrected and glorious Body in a little piece of wafer, in order for us to come to Him more at ease. The forgiveness, peace, and joy given by the Eucharistic Lord are not meant for the powerful and arrogant. Only those who are willing to humble themselves, truly grieve for their sins, embrace their brokenness and nothingness can experience the infinite graces that Jesus bestows through the Eucharist. We need not dread Jesusâ reprimand or mask our true self before Him. Without fear, we lay down our sins, sufferings of our body, and wounds of our soul all at His feet. When we were still sinners, He had already loved us, and willingly took up our sins on His shoulder, suffered and be crucified for us. He shed His last drop of Blood on the cross to prove that He would love us to the end!
Therefore, PEAM members should have extraordinary trust in Jesus, read and meditate on His Word. This is the sign of our response to His love for us, and is the vessel we use to receive His graces for ourselves and for others. The greater trust we have, the bigger this vessel will become, and the richer the graces we can obtain. Jesus once said to Saint Faustina that our distrust hurt His Sacred Heart more than any sin.
PEAM members are like the moon. The moon itself does not radiate light, but reflects the light from the sun and brightens up the dark night. As regular adorers of the Eucharist, we mirror the light from the Eucharistic Lord with our life to shine in the dark world. We lead, assist and encourage others to come to the Eucharistic Lord. Each one of us is a âwalking monstranceâ, bringing graces and blessings from the Eucharistic Lord to wherever we go. PEAM members are also called âEucharistic Disciplesâ who serve the Eucharistic Lord, learn His humility and meekness, and allow Him to transform and sanctify us, and through us make others holy.
Not only do we receive graces from the merciful Jesus in the Eucharist, we also embrace our neighbours with a merciful heart. PEAM aims to encourage all broken sinners to come to the Eucharist; hence, we with the Heart of Jesus who loves humanity to the extreme should welcome and accept all who come to Eucharistic Adoration. We should not judge or refuse anyone because of their age, gender, race, religion, background or outlook. We have to remember always that we too are broken sinners. We are blessed to come to the Adoration not because we are holy, but merely by the saving grace of Lord Jesus. Therefore, we should hope for others with brokenness in body, heart and spirit to enjoy the same grace. Eucharistic Adoration is not just for our own benefit. We need to pray for the grace of salvation for the whole humanity.
In order to participate and promote PEAM, we must have the passionate love for the Eucharist, and have to adore steadfastly Lord Jesus Christ hidden in the host. The key to the success of PEAM depends on how zealous we are. Despite realizing our deficiency, we should be willing to be led by the Holy Spirit to overcome all obstacles, and bravely and proactively lead souls to the Eucharistic Throne. Moreover, we must imitate the humble and hidden nature of the Eucharist. We must not boast ourselves, or desire for any rights or benefits. With perseverance, we must offer our energy and time to the Eucharistic Lord with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds and all our strength, to serve Him, to console His wounded Sacred Heart and to participate in the salvation of souls. Jesus said, âI came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!â (Luke 12:49) PEAM members are like sparks, and a single spark can start a prairie fire. With our humble fire of love for the Eucharistic Lord, we ignite the fire of passionate love for the Eucharist in othersâ hearts.
Relying merely on our own strength, it is very difficult to truly live out the PEAM spirit, to make reparation for the sins of ours and of the world and to console the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist. Thanks be to God! Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, is our aid. Her Immaculate Heart purifies our thoughts, words and deeds. She offers all difficulties of our daily life, our sorrows and sicknesses to her Son. Therefore, PEAM members should have piety and love towards Mother Mary. We learn from her examples and consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart. We allow her to look after and protect us so that we can be faithful to our commitment of Eucharistic Adoration.
PEAM is a new direction for new evangelisation in the new millennium. Evangelisation of the Church aims to enable non-believers to encounter Jesus Christ, and to accept Him as Lord of their lives and Redeemer for their sins. While many church communities spend a lot of time and energy to evangelise through gimmicks, activities, or social media platforms, they have not been successful in attracting people into the Church. PEAM, on the other hand, brings both believers and non-believers together to meet Jesus face to face. We are like Andrew and Philip in the Gospel. After they met Jesus, they brought Simon Peter and Nathanael, respectively to Jesus, telling them, âCome and seeâ (John 1:46). And when Simon Peter and Nathanael met with Jesus, they were also touched by His love. Our words or works alone cannot transform hearts and convert people. Only Jesus truly present in the Eucharist can touch hearts and bless all who come to Him.
PEAM aims to promote Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration throughout the world in two areas; that is, in dioceses and parishes, and in academic institutes and youth ministries.
Catholic bishops who accept the PEAM spirituality and are willing to promote it can establish Eucharistic Adoration, even Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, in their dioceses or parishes. If necessary, they can set up core groups to manage the practical arrangement of the Adoration, but the structure of such groups has to be as simple as possible. Bishops can also consider register PEAM in their dioceses as a public association of the faithful, but its constitution needs to be consistent with the PEAM spirituality and charism.
Catholic organisations, religious communities and academic institutes who understand and are willing to follow PEAM spirituality and charism are also welcome to ally with PEAM. Eucharistic Adoration and promotion of PEAM in additional to their original charisms and ministries can enhance and elevate their evangelising works. For Catholic schools and universities, Eucharistic Adoration can be held before and after class, or during lunch break in their chapels. They can also institute some Adoration time after school Mass, so that both Catholic and non-Catholic students can have the chance to come and pray in front of the Eucharistic Lord. If needed, they can organise some core groups tomanage the Adoration arrangement.
The managerial structure of PEAM should not be complex. Instead, it should be like dandelion seeds, so light that it can be carried away by the breeze of the Holy Spirit to wherever God wills. When promoting PEAM, there is no need for any gimmicks. Instead, it has to be humble and straightforward. The most important thing is to let more people know the love of the Eucharist, and to establish more places for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, so that morepeople would have opportunity to worship the Eucharistic Lord.
Unlike the many and diverse diocesan associations or parish groups, PEAM is a universal movement dedicated to renew the Catholic Church and to bring Heaven onto earth. Its ultimate goal is to bring the whole humanity directly to the Eucharistic Lord. Through participating in PEAM, believers come to love Jesus more zealously, receive the Eucharist at Mass more worthily, and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation more regularly. This will then sanctify their lives and in turn make holy the world. In addition, the merciful love of the Eucharistic Lord is not exclusive to believers. Those who are not baptised can also receive abundant blessings through Eucharistic Adoration.
The purpose of PEAM is to bring all those in need of Godâs mercy to the Eucharistic Lord for His healing. Some people may not be able to receive the Eucharist at Mass, but they can come to Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration to receive His healing. After healing and conversion, they may be baptised into the Catholic Church, receive the Blessed Sacrament, and grow in holiness in the embrace of the Mother Church. If, for some reasons, they cannot be baptised into the Catholic Church, they can still receive blessings through Eucharistic Adoration.
The purpose of PEAM is to make Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration widely known and practised. Simply put, Eucharistic Adoration should no longer be a devotion observed only by the religious or the fervent few. Rather, it should be lived out by all and any, especially those broken in body, heart and spirit. When adoring Jesus in the Eucharist, we respond to His love and mercy with our complete trust. We pray to Him for forgiveness, strength, healing and grace of salvation for ourselves, our families, friends and the whole humanity. In addition, we must also be merciful towards others in need, and encourage them, regardless of their age, gender, race, religion, background, especially those who are broken and distressed to bravely come to the Eucharistic Lord, to worship Him, pray for graces and receive healing. This in turn would kindle in the world the fire of love for the Eucharist and for our neighbours.
PEAM is a universal movement âŚ
People nowadays lead hectic lives and can hardly spare extra time to care for the others. They either ignore or feel helpless with spiritual and emotional needs of their own family members. No priests, religious sisters, psychiatrists, families, spouses and loved ones can be available anytime anywhere to give a listening ear to those in need. Neither can they give these wounded ones holistic healing nor make them whole. Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is an invitation of love open to the whole broken humanity. People can come to Jesus wherever they are and whenever they need.
A Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel that is open 24 hours all year round is a place where the afflicted mortals can find protection, consolation, healing, strength and love. It is indeed a spiritual power station, an emergency room to heal souls, a guarantee for complete joy, and a manifestation of Heaven on earth. The beauty of it all is that everybody can become an adorer. The more we acknowledge our brokenness, the closer we are to the Eucharistic Lord. The more we experience our brokenness, the more we need to adore the Eucharistic Lord.
PEAM is different from the usual Eucharistic Adoration in most parishes. First of all, PEAM strongly encourages parishes to establish 24-hour Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration all year round. Secondly, PEAM is different from a sodality of Blessed Sacrament in a parish. PEAM members devote themselves to promoting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. The salvation of souls and the glory of the Eucharistic Lord is their first priority. They strive to let the Blessed Sacrament be worshipped and glorified so that His graces can be bestowed onto the world unceasingly.
Many parishes find it difficult to recruit adorers to sustain the on-going 24-hour Adoration. For that, parishes should regularly organise seminars explaining what Eucharistic Adoration is and why it is important. This would inspire and instil the parishioners to come and worship the Eucharistic Lord and even will bring their families and friends along.
There has always been a misunderstanding that during Eucharistic Adoration, there must be complete silence. This misunderstanding has deterred many people from approaching the Eucharistic Lord. Of course, silently meditating on the Eucharist exposed on the altar, speaking to the Lord heart to heart, is the sweetest moment a soul would desire. However, we can also recite prayers in front of the Eucharist. Saint John Paul II encouraged us to pray the Rosary in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament and meditate on the life of Jesus with Mother Mary. He also urged us to recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet during Eucharistic Adoration to pray for the sinners and the dying. In addition, we can also read the Bible, stories of saints and other spiritual writings during Eucharistic Adoration.
Eucharistic Adoration is a binding force of parish life. All parishioners should actively participate in this devotion. Parishes with Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration can appropriately assign some time slots for special pastoral needs. For example, there can be some time slots for young children and their parents. Through interactive prayers and actions, children can experience heartfelt conversation with the living Jesus. Praying and adoring the Eucharistic Lord together brings parents and children closer to each other. Youth, on the other hand, can worship the Eucharistic Lord with music. Parish groups can pray communal Rosary during Eucharistic Adoration. The Charismatic Renewal prayer groups can pray in tongue with the Eucharist exposed. They can also administrate healing and deliverance ministries during Eucharistic Adoration. For non-baptised visitors, the parishes can organise some Bible sharing sessions in which they can share their daily life experience in the light of the Scripture in front of the Eucharist exposed. The participants can pray for each other, especially for those visitors, with petitions and thanksgiving.
It is very important especially for parish council members, all committee members, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers and people serving in the liturgy to become the role models of adoring and loving the Eucharistic Lord. The ability to serve the parish is purely grace from God. Hence, those who are serving need to pray unceasingly for strength and wisdom in front of the Eucharistic Lord.
PEAM members should make Eucharistic Adoration part of our daily life and allow our hearts to be constantly drawn to the Eucharistic Lord. Every breath we take should carry His merciful spirit. Therefore, we should be faithful to our commitment to Eucharistic Adoration. Ordinary PEAM members should at least devote one hour per week to Adoration. They should also encourage their families and friends to join Adoration, and pray for their holistic healing. More active PEAM members can become the core group members of their parishes, dioceses, schools or communities to manage Eucharistic Adoration at where they belong. Within their ability, they should also promote and establish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at other places. They should at least have three hours of Adoration per week. P EAM Council members constitute the top leadership of PEAM. They should try their best to have at least one hour of Eucharistic Adoration every day. For them and for the core group members, salvation of souls through Eucharistic Adoration is their priority in life, and they should never cut down adoration hours due to administrative works .
All PEAM members can engage in spiritual sharing through social media. They can also gather periodically for retreats or formation.
Any dioceses, parishes, religious communities, academic institutes, organisations or individuals who joined PEAM but do not follow its spirituality and charism, or in the name of PEAM facilitate activities unrelated to Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, should withdraw from PEAM.