Catholics believe that during the Mass, which we attend each week, the priest (during consecration) speaks these words as he holds the communion host, "...He took bread and gave you thanks. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take this all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you". In praying the Eucharistic prayer, through the miracle of transubstantiation, the bread and wine which we offer as the bloodless sacrifice to our Lord truly become the Body, Blood , Soul and Divinity of Jesus. It is His true Presence in the form of bread and wine. It is Christ.

Adoration is when the priest takes a sacred host, such as the one described above, and places it in a monstrance (see picture on the right). The monstrance is then placed in front of the tabernacle (an box which holds the monstrance and any consecrated hosts) or on the altar of the church or chapel. We then spend time in adoration with Jesus as He dwells in the Blessed Sacrament!

You can pray before the very presence of Our Lord, exposed in the monstrance, asking Him for help and direction. Spending time in adoration means you can have some time alone with Jesus to recite your favorite prayers, read the bible, contemplate acts of faith, hope, charity, thanksgiving, reparation, pray a rosary or do whatever type of prayerful devotion that suits you before Our Lord. You can also meditate on the mystery of the real presence, with Jesus right in front of you, the fact that He is truly present (meaning Jesus' body and blood is truly there). Or you can just sit and say nothing simply keeping Him company, just as you would with a dear friend.

I encourage Christians regularly to visit Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, for we are all called to abide in the presence of God. In contemplation, Christians will perceive ever more profoundly the mystery at the heart of Christian life.

I urge priests, religious and lay people to continue and redouble their efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they are not introduced to the mystery of His presence? Like the young Samuel, by learning the words of the prayer of the heart, they will be closer to the Lord, who will accompany them in their spiritual and human growth. The Eucharistic mystery is in fact the "summit of evangelization" (Lumen Gentium) for it is the most eminent testimony to Christ.s resurrection.