“I always leave the Adoration chapel completely refreshed and assured"

Sitting with Jesus in adoration has helped me develop a closer friendship and bond with Him.  The quiet reverence of the adoration chapel calms my heart and allows me time to shut out the world and sit in stillness as I try to be more open to God’s will in my life and the lives of my family.

Adoration is probably the most beneficial emotional release I have ever found.  As I sit with Him, Jesus patiently helps me to release all my sadness and doubts. I often find tears freely flowing from my eyes during adoration, not out of sadness but in a good, renewing way. Jesus’ mercy is so strong, and He is there for me whenever I need Him and the tears that flow are signs of His presence, His mercy, and His healing.

Many different things draw me to go and visit Jesus in adoration. Sometimes I drop by the adoration chapel just to help myself calm down or release the stress and frustrations of a bad day. Sometimes I go to adoration out of a deep sense of gratitude and the desire to be with Jesus personally and thank Him for something that worked out well on a particular day.  Sometimes I go to adoration when I have a difficult decision to make and need clarity to align my decision with God’s will. Jesus has never let me down and brings an undefinable calmness to my heart and clearly guides me on His path for me. It’s like a child running home to tell their Mom or Dad about something that has happened in their day and then receiving the most loving response of enthusiasm, comfort and support. 

Not only do I stop by “unscheduled” to adoration, but I also have a committed hour each week that I spend with Him, and I have especially grown to love my weekly adoration hour because I know that is the time I will always be wrapped in complete, unconditional love. My two adoration partners and I have had the same day and time since perpetual adoration began at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 2014. Prior to perpetual adoration, I would occasionally pop in to visit Jesus in the tabernacle but there is something about intentionally setting aside time to be with the Real Presence of Jesus that has enabled our relationship to grow in so many unexpected ways. It provides me the time to pray for all those I love and those I have lost, to follow through with prayers for the sick or troubled that have asked for me to pray for them, to read spiritual books and learn more about the lives of the saints, to pray the rosary or the Stations of the Cross, and to simply sit in silence and contemplate Jesus’s image of Divine Mercy.

Jesus is so patient with me even when there are days when I am overwhelmed with other responsibilities, and I worry about adoration taking too much time out of my day. I always leave completely refreshed and assured that God will work through me to accomplish what He wants from me that day. Asking God to direct my day instead of trying to do it all on my own makes every task lighter. God’s plans are bigger than mine and there are too many things that are simply out of my control, so I surrender myself to Him to take care of everything. “THY will be done!”