What is your favorite food? The favorite food we all want to eat again and again. We never get tired of it…Then what about our Spiritual food, the food we want to eat again and again? It is nothing other than Holy Eucharist, the Food we eat for our spiritual nourishment.
Besides receiving the Body of Christ, there is a very good old tradition of adoring the Eucharist. We are thanking Jesus for being present in the tabernacles of the world, 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Adoration of Blessed Sacrament in India is an age-old pious practice started by St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara. It was started in our CMI mother house at Mannaam, and then it speared all the Carmelite monasteries. This is called Forty Hour Adoration. Holy Eucharist will be exposed whole throughout the daytime for 3 days. People from the neighborhood came in large numbers to adore Jesus. People who come for 3-day adoration will go for confession, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion.
Now this holy practice has become so common, that there are 24 hours perpetual adoration Chapel in major cities of our country. We Carmelites are doing a ministry like this. This is our Carmelite Chapel at Peabody, near Boston. The Chapel functions in the basement of a Shopping Mall. We provide 2 daily Masses, continuous adoration, confession and counselling besides a religious store.
So, what is your favorite spiritual food? At Notre Dame, every Monday, after 12 Noon Mass, we have the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I wish there were more people staying for the adoration. Please try and bring your children when they are still on vacation. When I was 5 years old my mom took me to the neighboring monastery for 40-hour adoration. Pointing to the monstrance at the altar, mom said: “That is Jesus” which was a turning point in my priestly vocation.
See you at Church,
Father Joe Mappilamattel
“Holy Eucharist is the best medicine that helps to sustain light in the family.” – Kuriakose Elias Chavara