What’s Your Story?
My mom got another call while talking with me on the phone this morning. I waited while she answered it. “It was Colleen (My Cousin). She’s got a good adoration story to tell me”, said my protestant Mom excitedly. “I’ll go and let her tell it to you”, I said, knowing that my mom relishes the retelling of our adoration experiences. She often says; I can’t wait to tune in for the next episode. “You should call her and tell her about yours”, she replied. “I think I will”, I said.
I called my cousin about a half an hour later and we talked for two hours about the miraculous occurrences and incredible peace that accompanies and surrounds our times of adoration. “When I come out of adoration, I just want to tell everyone what a treasure we have in adoration”, she said. “So many people who need this are really missing out! I just want to tell everyone” she continued. “That’s what I do”, I said. “I tell people in the church paper what they’re missing at adoration.” “I don’t think writing is for me”, she said, but email me some of your articles so I can let everyone know.”
I tell this to you, my brothers and sisters, to give you confidence to talk about your experiences at adoration. Those of you who visit the adoration chapel have your own adoration stories. You know what I am talking about. Tell your stories to everyone. Catholic, protestant, it doesn’t matter. Who on earth wouldn’t want an audience with Jesus. Just think of what a blessing you will be to those you bring to Jesus. Those of you who don’t know what we’re talking about: YOU’RE MISSING OUT! Spend some time with Jesus in the adoration chapel and then tell your story. You may be surprised at who is waiting to hear it. Crystal Tyll
WHAT IS IT THAT DRAWS YOU TO JESUS?
What is it that draws you to Jesus? Some of you are at adoration an hour or more a week. Why? What difference has it made in your life? What keeps bringing you back? Take a minute to ponder these questions. Allow the answers to flood over you, to fill you, to consume you. When your heart and mind are full of answers, pick up a phone or a pen and call someone or write an open letter to those you love telling him or her about what Jesus gives you in adoration. Don't know what to say? Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Just ask your friend how they are, and when they ask you how you are tell them, "Oh I'm so full of the love of Jesus" or "Actually, I'm having a really peaceful day, I just spent an hour at adoration and it always seems to make my troubles dim and my blessings seem magnified."
Don't keep it to yourself. Don't be the cat that ate the canary. Once the cat eats the canary no one hears its song again, but after leaving the adoration chapel, the Holy Spirit should fly right out of your mouth telling everyone you meet about the love of Jesus! Remember to whom much is given, much will be required.
Another way to spread the love of Jesus is to plan to be somewhere where you are seeing people after your holy hour. They will notice the radiance on your face. Without saying a word you will affect those you meet. Some may comment on your glow. Tell them who put it there.
When you read a beautiful piece of literature or hear a tape or CD about adoration, pass it on. Some, and I'd venture to say most; people out there in the world don't know anything about adoration. Who will tell them if not those of us making holy hours?
A friend of mine is having a difficult time with financial circumstances. We talked for hours about how she had always been a generous woman and one who is led by God. Why, then was this happening to her? She wondered. Still thinking about her later at home, I sent her a copy of an adoration article via computer. I wasn't sure what her knowledge of adoration was, but I knew in my heart that Jesus would be her best comfort. The next day she sent a glowing email back explaining how she had never really understood about adoration, but the article make it clearer and she was going to sign up for a weekly hour at her church.
Whatever your method, share Jesus with someone. There are so many hurting people who need Him. Crystal Tyll
WARMING THE HEART OF JESUS
The fabric of life in our Adoration Chapel is being woven every hour of every day. Each of our adorers brings their own threads and works them into a beautiful tapestry that warms the heart of Jesus. Currently, there are a few threadbare areas and holes in our tapestry. These are the hours that we need you to fill. Won't you join us in prayer and ask Jesus which hour He would have you commit to? Our most lovely work can only be wrought when we all join together to bring our threads and join them with the threads of others to form a tight weave. His laborers working together are the cross-weave that hold the tapestry together. Each one of our visits is precious to Him and pleases Him. When we work together it doubles and strengthens our efforts creating an exquisite celestial pattern, the beauty of which none of us can imagine. Every one of us have a prayer of thanksgiving to offer Our Lord. Won't you bring it in and weave it into our tapestry? Crystal Tyll
HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION
My summer vacation was awesome. I spent a lot of my time at the John Paull II Adoration Chapel at Church of the Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Highland. It was very restful because I could sleep as late as I wanted. No matter what time I arrived the Son was always shining. The surf--the surf was amazing. I just knelt down and let the waves of His love wash over me for hours. Each one was more refreshing than the last. There was never a dull moment with all the things to do there. There was a wonderful spiritual library, comfortable chairs, friends who shared my interests and even a book where I could write down my needs and the needs of those I love and the Host would see that they were taken care of. The Host was so compassionate that he even provided a bowl of rosaries so that I could stay in touch with my Blessed Mother. I must confess that no one had ever made me feel the way the Host did. He seemed to anticipate my every need and fulfill my deepest desires. I found myself spending more and more time in His Presence. Before long I had fallen deeply in love with Him. Such an all-consuming love grew in me each time I visited Him that I found that He was the most important part of my life. Every thing and everyone paled in comparison to Him. I surrendered to His holy will heart and soul. He has promised to go with me whenever I cannot stay with Him and to always be at my side. When I'm weary and I can't go on, he carries me. He will never leave me or forsake me. My Host has become the love of my life. Now what did you do on your summer vacation, again? Crystal Tyll
Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening
There was a documentary on TV recently that told the story of a man who travels across the United States searching the mountains valleys, meadows and woodlands for a place that has no noise that is man made such as trains, airplanes or car noise. Even though his destinations are beautiful, remote and for the most part tranquil, almost everywhere he goes, the sounds of nature are interfered with by the inventions of modern man. His conclusion; It’s getting harder and harder to find a quiet place.
It would be difficult to disagree with our researcher’s findings. We are so conditioned to the noise of everyday life that we sometimes get nervous when we find ourselves in a situation where it is “too quiet”. Yet with all of this activity we wonder how we can find God, that is if we can find the time. God is not the author of confusion, but peace. We condense a week’s worth of activity into each day and wonder why we can’t hear the voice of Jesus.
He speaks to you every moment of everyday. Why do you think scripture tells us to pray without ceasing? Would Jesus ask you to do more for Him than He is willing to do for you? If you have been seeking his voice, consider turning down the volume of your life. Plan some quiet time in your schedule that is completely dedicated to Him. It will need to be in a place where you will not be interrupted. You know, the perfect place for you to hear his voice is the adoration chapel. Why not make a commitment to spend an hour a week with Him. Consider what part of your busy schedule you could sacrifice for Our Lord. He honors every sacrifice made in His name and He will speak to your heart. Spend some time with Him and listen to what He has to say to you. Aren’t you curious? Call the Worship Office to sign up for an hour of Adoration. Crystal Tyll
TESTIMONY!
My deepened faith came from the adoration chapel. Have you ever felt like you were getting closer to Jesus but there had been something that stopped you? Maybe a fear of what he may ask of you? I was that person. I decided that I wanted to remove that block from my heart and signed up for an hour at the Adoration Chapel. I didn't know how much that one hour would change my life. My love for Jesus has grown to new heights. I have conquered my fear of surrendering myself to Jesus by his help from the Holy Spirit. I hope all of you take a look deep within your heart and ask, "What is stopping me?" Sign up for an hour and see how your life will change. Chris Hatmaker
In Gratitude For A Fruitful Harvest
How exciting it was to see the testimony in our church paper from our parishioner, Chris Hatmaker, about how her time in adoration had made an impact on her life! Her heart was so filled by her experience that she could not help from shouting it out loud. This tells us that our chapel is having the effect that it was intended to in the lives of our people. And this is only the beginning. The fire that is so brightly burning here at Holy Spirit cannot be contained and is spreading with great intensity throughout both Michigan and the many far-flung destinations to which our parishioners travel. The many prayers that we have sent up while building and opening our adoration chapel are yielding the fruits, which we requested. God bless Chris for writing and submitting her testimony. We know that it is not the only one. One way you were asked to evangelize a few weeks ago was to write down or call someone to tell them what is happening to you in adoration. Because of her voice, I hope many more of you will share your stories with us about the blessings you receive from your time at adoration. Submissions can be directed to the Worship Office. Thank you so much for being the faithful brothers and sisters that you are and for being part of this parish, which creates such a nurturing atmosphere to increase our faith. A thank you is also due to Father Leo whose great love and understanding of the great power of The Real Presence of Jesus in The Blessed Sacrament has allowed this awesome treasure to come here to Holy Spirit. Crystal Tyll
This Year, Be More Advent-urous
Oh how the holidays sneak up on us some years. Before you know it, we have sailed through Thanksgiving and are shopping double-time to finish by Christmas. Because of the panic that seems to get more intense every year, we've put up our outside Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving so that we could spend more time shopping. After all, we don't want to disappoint the children, Aunt Suzie, Grandma or even the postman. We've got a short time and a lot of stuff to get and it better be the good stuff or we'll hear the complaints. For the really popular stuff we'll have to camp out overnight and stand in long lines in the bitter cold. It'll be tough, but we've got to please our family & friends, right?
NOTHING IS AS SWEET AS A BIRTHDAY VISIT
A dear friend of mine left a message for me on my answering machine on my birthday one year. She said, "I just wanted to tell you how important and special this day is because it is the day you were born. The world is a much better place because you were born. I hope you are having a wonderful day." When I heard that message, the tears overtook me immediately. What a lovely thing for her to have done. Later, she came by and had tea with me and brought me a beautiful gift. Really, it was three gifts. There was the gift of her call, the gift of her time and the gift of a mirror surrounded by angels. She made me feel as if I were a great treasure to her and she, who was always precious to me, became even more so by her kindness to me. As I pondered my friend's love for me, I realized that she had put a lot of preparation into making my birthday special because I was important to her.
Soon our Lord will have his birthday. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we prepared for his birthday with the same or greater love that my friend showed me? After all, His birth was of infinitely greater consequence than mine. Yet if we can love one another with all of our human faults, how much greater should our love be shown to our Savior? Just as my friend called me, you can call on Jesus in prayer and thank Him for His sacrifice of being born into this world. You can clear your schedule to make time to visit Jesus in the adoration chapel. And during this preparation time of advent, you can examine your reflection with the Holy Spirit surrounded by the angels in the sacrament of reconciliation. Offer Jesus the gift of a pure and clean heart on the occasion of His birth. Order your priorities so that He comes first in all things. Show Him what a great treasure He is to you and then marvel at the friendship that develops between you. Crystal Tyll
What would happen if we weren't enslaved by the Season? Remember the wise men? They already had everything-plenty of stuff. Yet they spent their time preparing their hearts and seeking the Son of God. They listened to the voice of God and sought to kneel at the feet of Jesus. They found Jesus to be the greatest treasure in their lives. You can too. During advent this year why not trade the credit card shackles and in suing debt that enslaves us for the freedom of a trip to reconciliation and the peace you'll find at the feet of Jesus in the adoration chapel? Camp out in the adoration chapel instead! Give everyone on your list a card that tells them you have been on your knees for them making a holy hour on their behalf. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! This gift blesses not only the receiver, but the giver as well. Crystal Tyll.
MY DAILY PLANNER IS DRIPPING WITH PIE!
A brand new shiny year is upon us. It's time to get organized and prioritize our schedules.
Let's see, where is that new daily planner I got for Christmas? Here it is all clear and blank. It reminds me of what my father would say when someone told him that they didn't have enough time for a certain activity. He'd always say, "I don't know why, you've got 24 hours, just like everyone else." His meaning was immediately clear to the quick witted folk; others stared blankly or didn't respond at all. What he meant was that if an activity was important enough to them, they would have made it a priority. He was a great people watcher and made a habit of filing people into categories by how they spent their time. He would say this one or that one has a "good heart". This meant that they were a charitable person who cooked for older folks or repaired things for others without expecting repayment. All of the children in our household as well as various people with problems who stayed with us were taught to care for our neighbors and sacrifice our time with a cheerful attitude. My parents would say, "You'll get your reward in Heaven."
This year as we make our schedules and think about how busy we are while we try to fit in that new exercise routine. Let's scrutinize that agenda. Look at where you spend the majority of your time. Split it up into percentages and make a pie graph. What slice of pie are you serving the Lord? I hope it is a big juicy piece, dripping with love. If it's just a sliver, consider increasing His portion. One great way would be to sign up for an hour of adoration in the adoration chapel. Put it on your schedule. Make Jesus a priority in your life and serve Him a portion of your year. Call the worship office and make it official. Be sure that Jesus gets a slice of your time and not just the crumbs that fall from your table. You'll get your reward in Heaven! Crystal Tyll
http://www.holyspirit-highland.com/perpetual_adoration.php
Pope John Paul II's 1996 letter to the Bishop of Liege titled
"Eucharist: Sacrament to be Adored"
The letter was written on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the first celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi.
To Bishop Albert Houssiau
of Liege, Belgium
1. In 1246, Robert of Thourotte, your distant predecessor in the see of Liege, instituted in his Diocese the Eucharistic feast now known as Corpus Christi, at the request of Juliana of Cornillon, who had already composed an office for Corpus Christi, Eve of St. Martin and other women of Liege. A few years later in 1264, Pope Urban IV made this feast of the Body of Christ a holy day of obligation for the universal Church, thereby expressing the importance of venerating the Eucharistic Body of our Saviour. On the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the institution of this feast, as I join all the pilgrims who will be participating in the jubilee ceremonies and the faithful all over the world who ceaselessly pray before the Blessed Sacrament, I raise a fervent prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord.
2. Christ whom we adore is really present
Jesus is no longer present to men in the same way that he was on the roads of Palestine. After the Resurrection, he appeared in his glorious body to the women and to his disciples. Then he took the Apostles and "led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ...He parted from them, and was carried up into heaven" (Lk 24:50-51). But in ascending to the Father, Christ did not distance himself from men. He dwells forever in the midst of his brethren and, just as he promised, he accompanies them and guides them with his Spirit. Henceforth, his presence is of another kind. Indeed, "at the Last Supper, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples and when he was about to pass from this world to his Father, Christ instituted this sacrament as the perpetual memorial of his Passion..., the greatest of all his miracles; and he left this sacrament to those whom his absence filled with grief, as an incomparable consolation" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Office of Corpus Christi, 57, 4). Every time we celebrate the Eucharist in the Church, we recall the death of the Saviour, we proclaim his Resurrection as we await his return. Thus no sacrament is greater or more precious than that of the Eucharist; and when we receive Communion, we are incorporated into Christ. Our life is transformed and taken up by the Lord."
3. Outside the Eucharistic celebration, the Church is careful to venerate the Blessed Sacrament, which must be "reserved...as the spiritual centre of the religious and parish community" (Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei, n. 68). Contemplation prolongs Communion and enables one to meet Christ, true God and true man, in a lasting way, to let oneself be seen by him and to experience his presence. When we contemplate him present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, Christ draws near to us and becomes more intimate to us than we are to ourselves. He grants us a share in his divine life in a transforming union and, in the Spirit, he gives us access to the Father, as he himself said to Philip: 'He who has seen me has see the Father' (Jn 14:9). Contemplation, which is also a Communion of desire, intimately associates us with Christ, and in a very special way associates those who are prevented from receiving it.
Remaining in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, it is Christ totally and really present whom we discover, whom we adore and with whom we are in contact. However, it is not through the senses that we perceive him and are close to him. Under the appearance of bread and wine, it is faith and love which lead us to recognize the Lord, he who fully communicates to us 'the blessings of Redemption which he accomplished, he, the Master, the Good Shepherd, the Mediator of most pleasing to the Father' (Leo XIII, Mirae caritatis). As the Livre de la foi of the Belgian Bishops recalls, prayer of adoration in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament unites the faithful 'with the paschal mystery; it enables them to share in Christ's sacrifice, of which the Eucharist is the 'permanent sacrament.'"
4. In honouring the Blessed Sacrament, we also offer a profound thanksgiving to the Father, for in his Son he visited us and redeemed his people. Through the sacrifice of the Cross Jesus gave his life to the world and made us his adoptive children, in his image, establishing a particularly intimate relationship that enables us to call God by the beautiful name of Father. As Scripture reminds us, Jesus spent nights in prayer, especially at the moments when he had to make important decisions. In his prayer, by an act of filial trust and in imitation of his Lord and Master, the Christian opens his heart and his hands to receive God's gift and to thank him for his freely offered blessings.
5. It is invaluable to converse with Christ, and leaning against Jesus' breast like his beloved disciple, we can feel the infinite love of his Heart. We learn to know more deeply the One who gave Himself totally, in the different mysteries of his divine and human life, so that we may become disciples and in turn enter into this great act of giving, for the glory of God and the salvation of the world. 'Following Christ is not an outward imitation, since it touches man at the very depths of his being' (Veritatis splendor, n. 21). We are called to learn from him, gradually to be conformed to him, to let the Spirit act within us and to fulfil the mission entrusted to us. In particular, Christ's love spurs us to work constantly for the unity of his Church, to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and to serve men, 'we who are many are one body, for we all partake of one bread' (1 Cor 10:16) such is the Good News which gladdens man's heart and shows him that he is called to take part in the blessed life with God. The Eucharistic mystery is the source, the centre and the summit of the Church's spiritual and charitable activity (cf. Presbyterorum ordinis, n. 6).
Model your life on the mystery of the Lord's Cross
Closeness to Christ in silence and contemplation does not distance us from our contemporaries but, on the contrary makes us attentive and open to human joy and distress and broadens our heart on a global scale. It unites us with our brothers and sisters in humanity and particularly with children, who are the Lord's dearly beloved. Through adoration, the Christian mysteriously contributes to the radical transformation of the world and to the sowing of the Gospel. Anyone who prays to the Saviour draws the whole world with him and raises it to God. Those who stand before the Lord are therefore fulfilling an eminent service. They are presenting to Christ all those who do not know him or are far from him; they keep watch in his presence on their behalf.
6. On the occasion of this jubilee, I encourage priests to revive the memory of their priestly ordination, by which Christ called them to take part in a particular way in his one priesthood, especially in the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice and in building up his Mystical Body which is the Church. May they remember the words spoken by the Bishop at their ordination liturgy: "Know what you are doing, and imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord's Cross"! In drawing from the source of the sacred mysteries by faithful and regular periods of contemplation, they will derive spiritual fruit for their personal life and their ministry, and, in turn, they will be able to make the Christian people entrusted to their care capable of understanding the greatness "of their own particular sharing in the priesthood of Christ" (Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1996, n. 2; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 27 March 1996, p. 3).
7. "When the faithful adore Christ present in the sacrament, they should remember that his presence derives from the sacrifice and is directed towards both sacramental and spiritual communion" (Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery, n. 50). I therefore encourage Christians regularly to visit Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, for we are all called to abide in the presence of God, thanks to him who is with us until the end of time. In contemplation, Christians will perceive ever more profoundly that the paschal mystery is at the heart of all Christian life. This practice leads them to join more intensely in the paschal mystery and to make the Eucharistic sacrifice, the perfect gift, the centre of their life in accordance with their specific vocation, for it "confers and incomparable dignity upon the Christian people" (Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei, n. 67); in fact, during the Eucharist, we are welcomed by Christ, we receive his forgiveness, we are nourished by his word and his bread, we are then sent out on mission in the world; thus each one is called to witness to what he has received and to do the same for his brethren. The faithful strengthen their hope by discovering that with Christ suffering and distress can be transfigured, for with him we have already returned from death to life. As a result, when they offer the Lord of history their own life, their work and all creation, their days are illumined by him.
8. I urge priests, religious and lay people to continue and redouble their efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they are not introduced to the mystery of his presence? Like the young Samuel, by learning the words of the prayer of the heart, they will be closer to the Lord who will accompany them in their spiritual and human growth, and in the missionary witness which they must give throughout their life. The Eucharistic mystery is in fact the "summit of evangelization" (Lumen gentium, n. 28), for it is the most eminent testimony to Christ's Resurrection. All interior life needs silence and intimacy with Christ in order to develop. This gradual familiarity with the Lord will enable certain young people to be involved in serving as acolytes and to taking a more active part in Mass; for young boys, to be near the altar is also a privileged opportunity to hear Christ's call to follow him more radically in the priestly ministry.
9. As I commend you to the intercession of the Mother of God, St. Juliana, and also St. Lambert and St. Hubert, zealous evangelizers of your country, and all the saints of your land, I cordially grant my Apostolic Blessing to you, to all the members of the diocesan community and to the faithful who during the year will take part in the various events of the jubilee.
From the Vatican, 28 May 1996.
Joannes Paulus II (Signed)