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Before I started a full hour on a set day, I would do 15 minute chunks of time. Then I started Holy Half Hours, working my way up to an hour. In the past I’ve done two half hour sessions or 20 minutes three days in a row. If you are in a season of life where you simply cannot get to the Chapel for a whole hour, do what you can.
So we might pray for persecuted Christians around the world, for the victims of famine, and for an end to conflicts and wars, and for an end to the pandemic. We might pray for the Church around the world, for the Holy Father, or for all missionaries away from home. The following are suggestions adapted from a Marytown publication on how one may go about arranging one's "holy hour" in such a way as to make it more spiritually meaningful and fruitful. However, at the same time, God knows we have needs and so we also give thanks for God’s goodness to us and make our requests known to him.
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I’ll pray about the things troubling me and for my family and friends. I’ll ask for forgiveness for my sins and praise Him for his mercy and love. It helps when I close my eyes and in my mind’s eye I see and interact with Jesus. In churches where there is perpetual adoration, the monstrance is always displayed and there is always at least one person sitting with Jesus in the chapel. Some churches will have Eucharistic Exposition only during certain hours of the day or 24 hours only on First Fridays. Read the words slowly, with great, deep understanding, making them express the sentiments of your own heart.
Scripture, Rosary, or Chaplets – Secondly, I either pray the rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, read Scripture, or meditate on the Blessed Is She daily devotion. I use anything that helps me to think about or mediate on Our Lord and what He is doing in my life. A Holy Hour is the Catholic devotion of being in the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist for one hour. This can be as simple as going to the local church or chapel to pray before the tabernacle that holds the Eucharist. A Holy Hour is an hour of time we dedicate to the Lord and ask him to bless with his presence as we make ourselves present and available to him.
Why make a Holy Hour in prayer?
Because salt absorbs good energy and enables the water to be blessed, it is utilized in the process. However, to obtain truly “holy” water, you must have it blessed by a clergyman or woman. You can use holy water to purge your home of bad energy by sprinkling it around all of your doors and windows. Plus, any other locations where you’ve been sensing bad energy. Before entering the church for mass, people dip a finger into the water.
I know some families who bring all their young kids to full Holy Hours. When my oldest was a toddler, I would often take her to the chapel to make a 5 minute visit to Jesus. I would have her kneel down at the front of the church and encourage her to say a little prayer to Jesus. Eventually, she got used to entering the church quietly, blessing herself, and she would say her own sweet words to Jesus without my prompting. Talk to God – I spend the first minutes just talking to Our Lord.
Brandon Vogt
A slow, thoughtful saying of the Rosary would be very helpful during any phase of a Holy Hour. With our Blessed Mother and with Christ present there before you in the Holy Eucharist, recall and consider those events in his life. Ponder all those things in your heart as you ask our Blessed Mother to pray for us. A look into one's own conscience and the conscience of the world gives the answer. A mere glance at headlines and you see insults, blasphemies, defiance thrown by man into the face of God, the injuries of man to man.
Thanks to the hour with Our Lord, our meditations and resolutions pass from the conscious to the subconscious and then become motives of action. The change is effected by Our Lord, who fills our heart and works through our hands. To give Christ to others, one must possess Him. I have a prayer tote that I carry all my prayer items, whether I am doing a Holy Hour in the chapel or spending time in morning prayer in my living room. Closing prayer and Litany – The last 10 – 15 minutes, I again speak to God from my heart telling Him how much I love Him and thanking Him for this time together. I close my Holy Hour with a recitation of the Litany to the Sacred Heart.
Or, sprinkle it around various places in your house. The most often used kind of holy water contains salt, which we add during a rite of blessing by a priest. Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox Catholics use holy water more often. Holy water is a type of purification and protection that has been blessed and prepared by the priest. There are special prayers and songs when Jesus is placed in the monstrance. There are more at the end when the priest blesses the people with the monstrance containing the Eucharist.
He knows when you’re giving as much as you can and when you’re capable of doing more. Sincerely ask Him and He will show you what He wants. Everyone has their own method, but this is what works for me. And I have to admit that now that I make this a weekly practice, it has gotten easier and I don’t always need to “fill” my time to keep me focused. I am able to quiet my racing mind and just talk to Our Lord.
There are other ways and we are here to show you exactly how to do what it is you need to do. As soon as you done creating your holy water, put it in the container of your choice. This includes a little glass vial or plastic spray bottle. You can use it to bless yourself or a member of your family before they go to bed at night.
However, where I may differ from other parents is that I don’t believe that it must be all or nothing. When a person goes to pray before Jesus in the Eucharist, whether Jesus is in the monstrance or inside the tabernacle, you can say you are in Adoration. When you pray before Jesus for an hour, it is called a Holy Hour. Some parishes have what is called the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction. In this ceremony, the Eucharist is placed in a special vessel called a monstrance that holds a consecrated Host. It’s often gold and has what looks like rays or sunbeams surrounding the host.
Now that we are in tune with the Holy Spirit it is a good time for the Guest of Honor. Adore Jesus, in the Monstrance, as He patiently waits and welcomes us. He is the One Who gave His Life for us and our sins. It is He to Whom we owe adoration and worship. Focus on the Divine Presence and the miracle of this great opportunity to do Him homage in a real and tangible visit in His earthly home.
Journal – At the half way mark, I write in my prayer journal. I always think better as I’m writing, so as I ponder what I had read or was praying about, and I write down my thoughts and sort through them. It usually helps me to realize what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my heart. The first time I tried making a Holy Hour it didn’t go well.
We begin by putting ourselves in the presence of God. Naturally, there are varying degrees of intimacy with persons. In a theater, there are hundreds present but little or no intimacy between them. The intimacy deepens to the degree that we establish conversation with one or more of them, and according as this conversation springs from a common interest. Jaques Philippe are great companions for Adoration. Upon entering into this act of humility, make an act of faith that you are indeed in the presence of God.
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