Talk to God

What do you do when you’re face to face with God?

First of all, let’s deal with the elephant in the room. It’s not exactly the same as talking to, say, Fr. Matthew. For one, it’s fairly easy to read

Fr. Matthew’s expressions, whereas God can be, shall we say, a bit more subtle (though he isn’t always). That said, like most things in life it’s important not to make things weirder than they have to be.

The first thing to do in Eucharistic adoration is this: talk to God. What do you say, though? Here’s what I say: “Hey,” or sometimes: “Hey you.” Jesus is a person; you can talk to him like one. And the first thing we do with people is greet them, we acknowledge them. We recognize an “other.” But then what? Suppose this is your first time going to adoration; it’s like your first time meeting someone. You can think of it as being like a first date, if that’s helpful. You start sharing, getting to know the “other,” then as your relationship progresses your conversation becomes more of an update, like: “Geez, Lord, today has been a day. I had this meeting that made me feel _____, but then _____happened, so that was great…” or something like that. The long and short is you begin to share your heart with Jesus. But in a relationship, sharing goes both ways, right? How does that work in adoration? Does Jesus share himself with you? In fact, he does. As you pray, you begin to learn about God, his generosity, his love, his humility. But what’s more, like friends who pick up each other’s habits, you begin to imitate his generosity, his love, his humility. I’ve noticed in my own life that on days that I pray I’m less irritable, more generous, generally happier, more confident, etc. That’s why it’s important, once you’ve had your say, to just sit and listen for a little while; sometimes God speaks (often in a very familiar, subtle way) and sometimes he just sits with you. But since it can be very difficult to sit and listen in silence (though silence is very important) I find it helpful to carry a Bible with me. That is a simple way to receive what God wants to say to everyone, but often certain words or lines will stick out for you personally.

Maybe you’re thinking “I can pray at home, why should I go to a church to pray with the Eucharist?” If you’re consistently praying a holy hour in your home, you’re probably fine. But I’d be willing to bet most of us don’t, and adoration is honestly the easiest entry point since you can focus your attention on God’s literal real physical presence. Give it a try, start with a little visit of fifteen minutes if that’s where you are. But, so you know, prayer changes lives, always for the better.

Seminarian Timothy Sanchez