The highest form of prayer is that of adoration. Father John Hardon, S.J. defines adoration as the act of religion by
which God is recognized as alone worthy of supreme honor because he is
infinitely perfect, has supreme dominion over humans and the right to human
total dependence on the creator. It is an act of mind and will, expressing
itself in appropriate prayers, postures of praise, and act so reverence and
sacrifice.” ( Pocket Catholic Dictionary, Father John Hardon, S.J. page 10)
In honor of the Kings who came to honor Jesus
and pay Him homage and adoration by their prostrations and generous gifts, we
will offer ten specific ways that we can cultivate an attitude of adoration in
our own lives
1. THE GLORY BE— Pray this Trinitarian prayer of praise slowly and think what you are really
doing: praising and giving glory and honor to the Triune God—the one God and
three distinct persons.
the hours in different specific times. Many of the Psalms indeed are Psalms of
praise. For example, go to the last three Psalms of the Psalter and you will be
praying Psalms of praise. This is not exclusive; there are many more Psalms of
praise. Be more attentive as you pray the Psalms as to the quality of praise.
The Psalter which consists of 150 Psalms is the greatest prayer book in the
universe. Get in the habit of praying the Psalms more often and praising God.
the prayer, “Make me a channel of your peace” is “The Canticle of the Sun”.
This beautiful and poetic hymn, song attributed to St. Francis invites us to
praise God through the beauty of nature. All nature praises God by its mere
existence. However as Christians we do not praise creation; rather we praise
the Author/Creator of creation— God Himself. By admiring the beauty of
creation, our eyes, mind and heart is elevated to the Origin of all beauty, God
Himself.
4. PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION. Off the bat, St. Ignatius invites us to reflect on the reason for
our existence in “Principle and Foundation”. In the very first words Ignatius
says, “Man is created to praise God…..” All the other considerations follow the
call to praise God…
called “Choirs”: angels, archangels, principalities, virtues, powers,
dominations thrones, cherubim and seraphim. The highest choirs of angels have
as their primary purpose and goal to praise God, the Father, The Son and the
Holy Spirit. Therefore, devotion to angels can heighten our ability to praise
God. Their example and prayer indeed can motivate us to do the same! That first
Christmas night the Shepherds learned about the birth of the Infant Child Jesus
die to the announcement of the choirs of angels in the darkness and the cold of
the night. “And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the
angel praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace
to those on whom his favor rests.” (Lk. 2:13-14).
Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia, the Guardian Angel of Portugal appeared three
times to them. The angel taught them to pray to God; also the angel taught them
a posture of prayer which was how to prostrate before the Majesty and Awesome
greatness of God and to praise Him. Furthermore, the angel invited them to
offer prayers of reparation. Finally, the third and final apparition, the angel
appeared, but suspended in the air was the Blessed Sacrament, the Most Holy
Sacrament, The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. A Large Host could be
seen and below it the Chalice of the Blood of Jesus. The angel invited them to
receive and offer reparation for the sins against this most sublime and august
of Sacraments. In sum, the message of Fatima can bring us to our knees in
humble adoration before our Eucharistic Lord; once again through the
instrumentality of the angels! O come let us adore the Lord!
7. THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. Beyond a shadow of doubt the most perfect way that any human being
can adore God on this earth which is truly the antechamber of heaven is through
a reverent, devout, fervent and faith-filled attendance, and participation in
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The ultimate goal and purpose of the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass is to praise God the Father, by the offering of God the
Son— Jesus the spotless victim—and through the power of the Holy Spirit. The
Doxology says it all: “Through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever.
Amen! This sublime gesture is done right before the praying of the Our Father
and shortly before receiving the Bread of the angels, Holy Communion!
authentic. He says that we should be careful to not contradict the praise we have uttered with our lips with the hypocrisy of our lives. In other words, the praise that resounds from our hearts and lips must be reflected by the love we manifest to our brothers and sisters. Remember the last and greatest commandment of Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
with the Lord. However, simply being in front of the Blessed Sacrament does not
mean that we indeed are praising God. Statues, corpses, and bicycle pumps can
be in front of the Blessed Sacrament and we cannot say that they are adoring
the Lord! It is up to Pastors, teachers and catechists to train the faithful
how to exercise the art of adoration. Some practical suggestions! Silence in
church because we are approaching a three times holy God. (Isaiah’s vision in
the temple). GENULFLECTION! With great reverence, make a genuflection. This
indeed is a gesture of recognition of who God is and our duty to adore Him with
this bodily posture. Look at Him with love; as the Psalmist invites us:“Look to
the Lord and be radiant with joy.” Allow your memory, mind, understanding, will
and affections be totally engaged and enthralled, absorbed in HE WHOM YOU ARE
CONVERSING WITH! True prayer involves the engagement of the whole person and can
lead to adoration!
longest and most beautiful prayer of Mary in the Bible is her Magnificat which
is an invitation to pray to God, but especially to praise God. Listen to the
words that the Holy Spirit inspired in the Immaculate Heart of Mary: “My soul
magnifies the Lord…. Another way for saying, “My soul praises the Lord…” May
Our Lady teach us to praise God here on earth and in heaven for all eternity!
