"In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration.
"Receiving the Eucharist means adoring Him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with Him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself.
-- Pope Benedict XVI - Sacramentum Caritatis 66
"In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering."
Pope Benedict XVI on Eucharistic Adoration
- from his meeting with members of the Roman clergy
March 2, 2006
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Like planets in our solar system, if we revolve around the Son of God, the closer we stay to Him in our orbits, the closer we are to one another, now and for all eternity. If we try to place anything other than God at the center of our being, "things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," to quote Yeats. No-thing: no spouse, no children, no worthy "cause" can stand up under such weight and heft. God only - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Most Holy Trinity - belongs at the rightful center of our lives. But in perfect alignment as faithful sons and daughters, spouses, fathers and mothers, friends, with God at our center we find our rightful calling, duty, and purpose.
In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we enter a relationship that extends into Heaven and eternity. This relationship is our highest longing, our perfect yearning, our greatest desire. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well" (Mtt 6,33).
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