By Rob Snell, Evangelisation Officer University Chaplaincies
Central to our Catholic faith is the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
This is more than a proposition for assent; it is the embodied presence of the one who loves us. It is a powerful aspect of how Jesus will be with us always, till the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).
Even acknowledging this, some (eg. Martin Luther) have objected that this presence should be restricted to the Mass itself and have hence criticised Eucharistic adoration as a practice.
But Josef Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, countered that adoration is a blessing of the Mass (The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 90-91).
The sacrifice gives us Christ not for a moment, but in perpetuity in the tabernacle, the monstrance, and our hearts.
St John Paul II in the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia wrote that Eucharistic adoration ‘becomes an inexhaustible source of holiness’. It allows us to gaze upon the unseen God, and to hear his still, small voice.
The Eucharist is not just one more devotion among others to draw us to God. St John Paul II continues:
“The church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift – however precious – among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of his saving work.
“Nor does it remain confined to the past, since “all that Christ is – all that he did and suffered for all men – participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times”.’
All grace comes through Christ, and in the Eucharist we are given the full Christ: body, blood, soul and divinity. It is not simply a way to find Christ or simply a gift from Christ, but the gift of Christ.
Here in Sydney, there was a time early in the colony’s history, when we were bereft of priests and hence the Mass for many years and only had a consecrated host to adore. This adoration sustained our fledgling church and the house where the host was kept was transformed into St Patrick’s Church Hill, a thriving place of sacramental encounter.
As we approach the International Eucharistic Congress 2028 in Sydney, we are called to deepen our devotion to, and friendship with, our Eucharistic Lord by spending time in company with the Blessed Sacrament.
To this end, University Catholics are hosting Abiding in Love, a night of adoration at St Patrick’s Church Hill, on November 28 from 5.30pm.
Today, Eucharistic adoration is a central part of the spiritual life of young Catholics. Each university chaplaincy has regular adoration, with students frequently commenting on its quiet, vitalising power.
Spending time in Eucharistic adoration is the highlight of the day for Sydney University student Christelle Ramia. “There is no better way to recentre yourself and calm your mind than to spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist. It will be a great blessing to be with him at Abiding in Love,” she says.
We will be blessed with the presence of Bishop Tony Percy and a talk by the Sisters of Life from New York. We cordially invite you to join us on Friday 28 November at St Patrick’s.
