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Jesus invites three of his closest friends to pray with him after the Last Supper before his arrest. They, as you know, fall asleep on him three times. He asks, “Could you not stay with me for one hour?” Sometimes people ask that question to “guilt” us into a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. For some it is affective, for others, not so much. Maybe knowing “what to do” so we feel more comfortable coming to a Holy Hour will be helpful. Let me clarify a term as I begin: A “Holy Hour” does not necessarily mean 60 minutes on a clock. Any amount of time in front of the Blessed Sacrament can be called a “Holy Hour.” So, if you look at that chapel at Sacred Heart and wonder, “what do people do in there and should I go in? I don’t know what to do once I get in there; what should I say?” There are answers to these questions. Let’s provide some help.

First, “yes.” Jesus is inviting you to the Blessed Sacrament chapel; everyone else too, but for the moment, “Yes, you!” Why? Because He wants to spend time with you and invites you to spend time with him! “Can’t He see me everywhere?” Yes, but the Lord and King is inviting you to this space to be physically present with him. Why not take him up on his invitation? Go in, genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament, kneel down, make the sign of the cross and say a short prayer to place yourself in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. An example might be, “Lord Jesus, I come before You just as I am. I surrender my worries, distractions, and burdens. Help me to rest in Your love.” Then, pick out one of the readings from the weekend Mass that either just occurred or will occur the upcoming weekend. You can find them by typing “Catholic Sunday Mass Readings” into your search engine. Once you know the reading, it is best to pray it from a Catholic Bible rather than from an electronic screen. Pray over the same reading slowly and prayerfully for 10-15 minutes using the Lection Divina Method. If you are unfamiliar with that way of praying with scripture, I will write more on it in another bulletin front article. In the meantime, you can search for it on your search engine by typing “Catholic Lectio Divina Praying with Bible.” Now that you have listened to Jesus speak to you in the Word of God, now speak to him about your own prayer intentions/requests. Ask him what you believe is needed and desired in your family, neighborhood, city, county, country, world. Everything that is on your heart; pray for it in the form of petition (asking.) It is best not to just say a list, but to name one, spend some time with the Lord and then another petition. I encourage you to keep a list of these in a prayer journal so you can go back and see how often and the different ways God does answer prayers. Spend about 10 – 15 minutes praying your petitions. End this period of time giving thanks and offering gratitude to God. This is a good time to go through previous petitions in your prayer journal and give thanks for everything. Then, just be present to him in the silence. This is just being with your friend, where you nor He needs to say anything. After about five minutes of silence, conclude with a spontaneous prayer. If that is not comfortable, try this one: “Jesus, thank You for this time with You. Stay with me today and guide me in Your peace. Help me live this hour of grace in everything I do.” End with the sign of the cross.

How much time can you spend with Jesus? Maybe start with 10-15 minutes. Then, you can do any one of these sections or condense it so all of them are done in the 15 minutes you are there. The important point to remember is that you are invited and He awaits your visit. So, go visit your friend; your Divine King in Adoration. We expose the Blessed Sacrament in our Adoration Chapel from 9am-9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Sacred Heart, 7:30-8:30pm at St John’s and 9am-5:45pm on Fridays at Sacred Heart. Or, use the key code to the handicap entrance at Sacred Heart anytime and be present to him in the tabernacle.