Bowing Before Jesus in Eucharistic Worship

 Our God has humbled Himself to come down and be with us in the
Blessed Sacrament. We can do our part to show Him that we love
and respect this awesome gift. When we make this profound bow, we make ourselves very small and humble before Jesus. For how many children in the history of the church has the Eucharist been a source of spiritual strength, sometimes even heroic strength! How can we fail to be reminded, for example, of holy boys and girls who lived in the first centuries and are still known and venerated throughout the Church?

St. Agnes, who lived in Rome; St. Agatha, who was martyred in Sicily; St. Tarcisius, a boy who is rightly called the "martyr of the Eucharist" because he preferred to die rather than give up Jesus, Whom he was carrying under the appearance of bread.

And so down the centuries, up to our own times, there are many boys and girls among those declared by the Church to be saints or blessed.

Just as Jesus in the Gospel shows special trust in children, so His mother Mary, in the course of history, has not failed to show her motherly care for the little ones. Think of St Bernadette of Lourdes, the children of La Salette and, in our own century, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta of Fatima….

It is absolutely true: Jesus and His mother often choose children and give them important tasks for the life of the Church and of humanity. I have named only a few who are known everywhere, but how many others there are who are less widely known!

The Redeemer of humanity seems to share with them His concern for others: for parents, for other boys and girls. He eagerly awaits their prayers.
What enormous power the prayer of children has! This becomes a model for grown-ups themselves: praying with simple and complete trust means praying as children pray….‖Christmas 1994

Children’s Adoration and Divine Mercy
 
Jesus Himself gave the Divine Mercy Novena to St. Faustina. On the sixth day He reveals how He received comfort and strength during His bitter agony. He looked ahead throughout the ages and saw all the children who would adore Him.
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.

You may either gather before Jesus exposed in the Monstrance or be-fore the Tabernacle in your parish sanctuary.

Jesus our God, we adore You – here present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar –where you wait day and night to be our comfort, while we look forward to Your unveiled Presence in Heaven.

Jesus our God, we adore You in all places where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, especially where You are little honored and where sins are committed against this Sacrament of Love.

Jesus our God, we adore You for all time, past, present, and future, for every soul that ever was, is, or shall be created.

Jesus our God, who for us has endured hunger and cold, labor and
fatigue - we adore You.



Acts of Adoration: (Taken from the writings of Pope John Paul II)

Jesus our God, Living Bread of Heaven – we adore You.

Jesus our God, Love of the Father – we adore You

Jesus our God, Life and heart of the Church – we adore You.

Jesus our God, Source of Holiness – we adore You.

Jesus our God, Radiant Mystery of Faith – we adore You.

Jesus our God, Poured out for us- we adore You

Jesus our God, Source of Charity – we adore You. 28 www.childrenofhope.org



Short Phrases of Adoration
Lord, I adore You. I bow in Your Presence.

Look at the Host and the crucifix. What is the difference?
Jesus, speak, I am listening.

Whisper your love for me in my heart.
Thank you Jesus, for loving us so much!

My God, My God, I love You in the most Blessed Sacrament!
Jesus is gazing at you with so much love!

Your heart is like a little cup which you hold before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Ask Him to fill you with His grace, His Peace and His love. In turn, you must share this love with others. Come now, come and bow, before the Lord Our God!


 


Act of Faith
 O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because you revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
 Act of Hope
 O my God, relying on your infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of your grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.
 Act of Love
 O my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all my love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me and I ask pardon of all whom I have injured.
Silence or Song to the Virgin Mary
 A ―Good-bye‖ to Jesus – to thank Him for blessing them, to thank Him for the day, for the time spent together, for His True Presence, etc. Then the priest or deacon reposes the Blessed Sac-rament while the children sing a last Praise Song.

Blessing/Closing – Be-fore leaving the chapel, make the sign of the cross, genuflect, and say good-bye

Childrens holy hour according to Pope John Paul

Introducing Words ・  the leader can start with a few
words to help bring the children・s hearts and minds to Jesus.

・Jesus is here : we believe that Jesus・ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. We want to express our belief, this is why we make this Act of Faith.‖ (Pray an Act of Faith)
Pray a decade of the Rosary. ・Remember children, Mary is always here adoring her son, Jesus, with us.‖ Let the children take turns saying the Hail Mary・s. Finish with a Glory Be and My Jesus. For a CD with Eucharis-tic Rosary meditations by Brothers of St John visit our website.

Song
First bow and prayer in silence ・ ・When we bow down we make ourselves small and humble in our adoration of our God.‖

Meditation – ・Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, our God is hidden. How great is His love for us and the love that He continues to give us. He waits for us day and night in that little Sacred Host.

Contrition – speak to about how even though we try to be good we sometimes offend God. Think of the little ways we might have of-fended Him recently; give a few examples of small things. Then we ask Jesus to forgive us for the things we have done that were wrong. Speak to Him in the silence of your heart. Silence for a bit and make an Act of Hope.

Song
Second bow before God – Stay in silence for a minute or two while the children are encouraged to tell Jesus of their love for Him in the silence of their hearts.

Mercy for Others-God loves us and forgives us when we are sorry and ask for His mercy. He also likes for us to ask for mercy for those who offend Him and are hard of heart. These are poor souls who need Gods mercy so much but do not know of His love yet. We ask for mercy for them. Remind them of the story of Fatima and pray Fatima Prayers.

Prayer of the Angel of Fatima (taught to the children by an angel)

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I adore You pro-foundly and offer You the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Di-vinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacri-leges, and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and of the Im-maculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sin-ners."

Reading from the Holy Gospel, story of a Saint, or the history of the Eucharist – Ask the children to take a moment of silence to reflect on what they have just heard.

Act of Thanksgiving – You can ask the children to make their acts of thanksgiving individually to God for: family, health, friends, etc. (Act of Love)

Song– Encourage the children to make this song a gift of love in thanksgiving for all they have received from Jesus.

Third bow before God (in silence) This time you can invite them to stay in a little more time of silence (4-5 minutes); and to close their eyes to receive the loving gaze of Jesus upon them. You may ask them to choose something that they would like to do for Jesus that week, like the young Francisco, a sacrifice of love to the wounded Heart of Jesus.

Last prayer before Benediction
 Jesus, though I must soon leave your Eucharistic presence, I will

carry your divine love to everyone I meet. Because you give so

much love to me, help me not to be selfish. Bless me as I will try to share your love with my parents, my brothers and sisters, my classmates and friends, and everyone. Help me to respect and love them, accept them as they are and not as I would like them to be.

May your blessing, dear Jesus, help me to please you in everything

I do. Bless my family and friends too. Thank you, Jesus. I will visit

you again soon, because I know you will be here waiting for me.

Amen.
Prayer for the souls in Purgatory (Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great)
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.‖ Amen
Spiritual Communion (Can be said anytime during the hour)
 My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.  

Oil Painting on the Wall- holy hour 22

Oil Painting on the Wall

One of the things I love to do regularly is to drive around on a clear day. I would wander on the farmlands or into forests. I enjoy the scenery and never fail to wonder at the prolific landscape. I would have a  panoramic view of the Bay or of  the Sea on one side, and verdant forest or rolling rice

fields on the other side. Anyone who sees this natural beauty cannot but praise God for His

magnificent work of creation.

A priest-friend who is also a widely known painter and sculptor, of the  Society of Saint Paul, visited me one time.While leisurely sipping a drink , he remarked, “I will paint for you an oil rendition of life in a rice field.” I jumped at his offer and modestly suggested, “Make it show the harvesting season, with the farmer directly looking at the viewer.”

Father then narrated this episode in the life of Saint Martin de Porres. Saint Martin was a black Peruvian Dominican brother. While he was walking with his confreres along a field of wheat, a fellow brother pointed out to them that some stems of wheat stood erect while others had heads which were drooping. His companions remarked, “How strange!” Saint Martin replied, “Not at all.” He then invited them to take a closer look, and said, “Come and look at this straight stem. It is empty, but proud. This one that is not straight is full of grain and yet it stooped down; very humble.”

This is also true about life. Those who boast are often lacking in the important things. With them there are sometimes so many words but no actions; too many resolutions but no results.

Father continued his reflection: when we are full we have to stoop down and offer

what we have to others. What we receive from God we can share with those in need. “God
gifted me with the talent to paint, and I will share it with you by making a painting on which

you can always reflect and be inspired,” my priest-friend assured me.
My waiting took three months. A few days before September 10, Father handed to
me a very impressive 3 feet by 2 feet oil painting. It showed a medium built farmer with a

strong body, a long-handled rake resting on his shoulder, leading a huge carabao. A young lad

with sling shot hanging on his chest sat on the carabao, with his left hand loosely handling a

rope. The farmer and the boy looked so alive and were directly staring at the viewer.

“Where did you hang my painting?” Father  called up and asked a few days after. I

replied, “In my study room so that I can always see it and reflect about the farmer.”

The painting truly drove me into many reflective moments. In one of my reflections I found
myself wondering about the character traits of a farmer. I came to the conclusion that there are

three important things a farmer should be.

 

First: A farmer is always prepared and always plans everything. I remember my father who

was a farmer. Before he retired for bed he would always make sure that all the things that he
had to bring to the rice fields were available, ready and properly prepared. He always planned
everything, seeing to it that his implements were working; the cart well fixed and oiled; the

water buffalos were well fed; the ropes, sleds and plowshares had been taken care of and

ready to use; the sickles and bolos well-polished. He saw to it that the food and the thermos of

coffee were well packed. Only when he was satisfied that he had not forgotten anything that

he would go to sleep. Thus in the morning there was no rushing here and there; no last

minute instructions; no emergency situations.

We have many concerns; many worries. We are faced with many tasks needing to be attended

to, completed. We have so many deadlines to meet and assignments to accomplish. In order to

avoid failure and embarrassment we have to plan, and prepare for, everything ahead of time.

Planning requires dedicated time so we have to pause and think of the requirements of the

tasks we have to accomplish: the objectives, the steps to take, the tools needed, the persons

who can assist. While we still have the time we should prepare for anything, or for anybody.

Why? It is because there are things that cannot be done in the “last two minutes.” There are

many things that cannot be bought, cannot be won or cannot be borrowed at the last moment.

There are many things that we have to work for, or even exert extra effort for, or to prepare

ourselves for. While there is still the chance, the time, strength or capacity, we should always

plan and be prepared so that we will not miss any opportunity; so that we will not end up with

regrets; so that we will not be sorry for the missed or lost moment and chance.

Second: A farmer has to persevere, to be patience. It takes time and attention for the seeds to

grow. It takes days for the flowers to bloom, months for the trees to bear fruits. Lots of

waiting and working are applied before harvest time. There would be storms and sunny days.

Trials and troubles can come along the way. Sometimes the harvest is long overdue or is less

than expected. Sometimes the reward and the results are minimal. Sometimes we will not

meet expectation. But we have to persevere. We have to be patient. Some seeds would die;

some will not bear fruits. Birds and rats could eat them before they could be picked. Rain or

strong wind could destroy them. Yet we have to persevere. Some of our workers could be

careless and critical with our work. Some of them could be uncooperative or unproductive.

Yet we should not lose our composure, our patience and our bearing. We get encouragement

from the words of Saint Catherine of Siena, “Nothing much was ever done without much

enduring.”

In exercising perseverance while we wait and work, we show our trust in God. With our

perseverance in enduring sacrifices and weathering and storms in life, we manifest our fidelity

to God. By being patient with careless and critical people, we become charitable to them. We

extend to them our compassion; we show that we still care for them. By being patient and

persevering we show that we depend on Him and leave everything to His mercy and

beneficence. We are confident of His care and providence. And thus we reveal that it is only

God whom we rely on and accept and acknowledge Him as truly the “the master of the

harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

Third trait of a farmer is presence. My father was always on the farm. Every day he would go

there to look over the land, to observe and to do something for the seeds, or for the rice plants.

After a heavy rain or a violent storm my father would take his bicycle to go out to the field to

know and assess the damages. He was always present in his farm; a caring and working

presence. It was not a presence that just loiters or satisfies curiosity. It was not a presence to

be seen, or to be heard. It is a presence that involves solidarity and to make things happen.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta would always say, “Don’t wait for leaders. Do it yourself,

person to person.”

In our life we should not be stingy with our presence, with our word and with our ability to

help. We should not be selective whom we want to see or to be with. We should treat people

equally. We should not favor any group or show preference for cliques. As sowers, we should

always be available and approachable. As sowers, we should always be present, even always

visible. We have to see and search out our seeds, our soil—our people. We must stay with

them and serve them. We must listen and lead them to our divine and provident Sower, Jesus.

We should be with them and be ready for them. We must not hide from them or avoid them.

We must not make it difficult for them to find us, to reach out to us, and to talk to us.

Our divine and provident Sower, Jesus Christ, moved around and met all kinds of people.

Jesus welcomed all. He walked with them. He worked for them. Jesus could save us from a

distance or by a proxy but He chose to be with us and be among us. He came to us. He lived

with us. He served us. He gave us not only His words, not only His examples, not only His

time or talent; He offered His own life on the cross for us. Jesus made Himself physically

present to us. He even assured us of His continuous presence when He promised, “After I

have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to me, so that where

I am, you also may be” (John 14:3).

After finding out where I had placed his painting, Father Armand later texted me, “Hang that

oil painting in your sala where everybody can see it. And they also can reflect and even ask

who is the farmer and the little boy on the carabao.”

“If they will come and ask, I will reveal to them,” I texted back. I will be happy to share with

them the story of the farmer and of Jesus, the Sower.