Ok thanks.
Since this thread is about EA, we’ll stick to that discussion here.
Best
Since this thread is about EA, we’ll stick to that discussion here.
As you wish. We can stick to discussing Eucharistic Adoration, but I really don’t have much to say about the practice. I did have an experience, though, that gave me somewhat of an understanding of how powerful EU could be. One night when I was coming to choir practice, as I genuflected in front of the Eucharist, a sense of the mighty power that resided in the tabernacle overwhelmed me. With a mere thought, KA-BOOM, Jesus could destroy the universe. But He doesn’t. He quietly sits there and waits for believers to come before Him and pray.
I realize this might be a foreign concept to you, but it is what those who practice EU experience.
They believe Scripture instructs us to adore God and that God is physically present in the Eucharist. Accordingly, they believe that EU brings them closer to God. Keep in mind that they do not adhere to Sola Scriptura, that EU does not need to be mentioned in the Bible for it to be a good and appropriate practice. So for them, the argument that it is nowhere to be found in Scripture is irrelevant.
This is off subject, but personally, I prefer other forms of prayer. I believe that God is always with me. Wherever I am, I often start my prayers as follows:
I enter into the presence of God.
A God who is greater than I can possibly imagine.
Yet a God who is close to me, closer than I am to myself.
A God who loves me.
My favorite form of prayer is to read a passage about Jesus from Scripture and imagine myself being present in the scene, reflecting on what Jesus might say to me, and how I would respond.
An example would be from John 1:35-42, when two disciples went and followed Jesus. I imagine myself being one of the disciples and Jesus turning around, looking at me, and asking what I was looking for. How would I feel? How would I respond? What am I looking for? I would spend time reflecting on my thoughts.
Other examples would be to read one of the Baptism narratives and to imagine being there as He came up out of the water or to read about the appearance on the road to Emmaus and imagine being one of the two disciples.
This is what brings me closer to God.
But if EU brings others closer to God, I am not one to disparage the practice.
Peace,
Rich