Maybe cradle Catholics are taught about Eucharistic Adoration from the time they are young and grow up understanding its value. I am a convert of one year to the faith and really didn't understand the significance of Adoration. As soon as I learned of it, though, I was drawn to it. Or it drew me. . .
Now I have been to Adoration at three churches. My church is very old and the Eucharist is in the tabernacle in the sanctuary. In another church, it is in a small room. The one I enjoyed the most was in a small 24-Hour Adoration Chapel at the back of a large parish. I went in the middle of the week, and was surprised to find the room almost full.
The Eucharist at this church was in a monstrance at the front of the chapel, encased in plexiglass. Being so close to it filled me with awe and reverence. I didn't want to leave, but I had a meeting to attend. Long after I was gone, though, I experienced many graces and even a presence of God.
When I pray before the Blessed Sacrament, I bring my prayers for my family, our children serving in the military, the rest of our children, and our grandchildren. I also pray the Rosary and the Memorarie. Next I am going to add the souls in Purgatory to my prayers before the Blessed Sacrament.
Before I was a Catholic, I was a burned-out evangelical. It felt like God was far away and impersonal. I was angry at some of my fellow Protestant Christians for judging and gossiping about me. There are always two sides to every story. But I forgave them after becoming a Catholic.
I am learning through the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus, Mary,and the saints about the depth of the Catholic Religion. It's like a heavy anchor, cast to the bottom of the ocean. No matter how bad the storm is, we remain anchored to God's truth and love.
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