Beginning Thursday night (6/19/25)
with a 7 PM Mass in St. Thomas More
Church, we will offer the opportunity for prayer and adoration of the Most
Blessed Sacrament around the clock, commonly known as the Forty Hours Devotion. We will have two
Masses on Friday (6/20/25) at 9 AM and 7 PM and conclude on Saturday evening
(6/21/25) at the 4:30 PM Vigil Mass for Corpus Christi with a Eucharistic Procession at the
conclusion of Mass. I have asked Fr. Joseph Szolack, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood, to be the guest preacher. All Masses and Eucharistic Adoration will be in the church,
not the chapel.
This Forty Hours Devotion,
which can be traced to Milan, Italy around the year 1530, is a formalized
period of prayer and adoration centering on the Real Presence of Jesus in
the Holy Eucharist. Prior to this period in the Catholic Church’s history,
there were times of exposition and benediction, Eucharistic
processions and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the
tabernacle. However, both Saints Philip Neri and Ignatius
of Loyola instituted the Forty Hours Devotion (with reference to
Jesus’ 40 hours in the tomb and recalling other biblical citations in which the
symbolic number 40 was specified) in reparation for sin.
Fr. William Saunders, whom I
knew from my college seminary days, wrote a rather thorough article, “40 Hours with Jesus Christ,” originally for his diocesan paper (Arlington Catholic Herald) describing
this devotion. I quote from a part of it here:
While the Mass is the central act of
worship for us Catholics, an act which participates in the eternal reality of
our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection, Vatican Council II upheld and
encouraged the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass. Of
course such devotion derives from the sacrifice of the Mass and moves the
faithful to both sacramental and spiritual communion with our Lord (Eucharisticum
Mysterium, #50). . . . Pope John Paul II has repeatedly "highly
recommended" public and private devotion of the Blessed Sacrament,
including processions on the Feast of Corpus Christi and the 40 Hours Devotion
(cf. Dominicae
Cenae, #3, and Inaestimabile
Donum, #20-22).
It was the 4th Bishop
of Philadelphia, St.
John Neumann who was a strong promoter of this devotion in his
diocese. The practice would also spread to our area of New Jersey and
beyond.
After considering this brief
history lesson and the official encouragement by saints, popes and church
documents, I really think that the essence of this devotion comes down to our
belief—our deep faith—in Jesus’ Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. If Jesus is really there, why wouldn’t we want to spend time with Him in
prayer?
I can simply relate to you
from my own personal experience that spending time with Jesus in
the Holy Eucharist has been for me my most fruitful times of prayer beyond
comparison. I love the Holy Eucharist in all of its dimensions—from offering
the Mass to the reception of Holy Communion to adoring and
worshiping Jesus’ Real Presence in the tabernacle / monstrance. Jesus is
present throughout—Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
Those that I know (and have
known) who have prayed in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament have
overwhelmingly come to appreciate what a most precious gift we have. The Mass is so much more meaningful. The reading of the Sacred
Scriptures becomes alive and motivating. The inspiration
and wisdom that comes from sitting at the feet of the Master is
beyond price!
I invite you to come to Mass
and to spend some time during these days—June 19th to June 21st—with
our Eucharistic Lord. Please sign up so that all the time slots are
filled! Our Lord deserves nothing less.
Fr. Ed
Namiotka
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