O Come Let Us Adore Him… in Eucharistic adoration

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is O Come all ye Faithful. The hymn calls each of us to come to adore the new born King—Jesus Christ. The Feast of the Epiphany was the day we remembered the three wise men who followed a star to adore the newborn king of Israel and to bring him gifts. How far would you travel to see Jesus and adore him? What gift would you bring to him?

The Gospel of Matthew tells us the story of the wise men. It never says there are three wise men, only that they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is through Catholic tradition that we learn there were three wise men who journeyed from Persia: Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar.

According to Google maps, a trip from current day Tehran, Iran (Persia) to Bethlehem is 1,200 miles. They traveled on camel, through the desert, through Iran, Iraq, and Jordan. Talk about a road trip!

Would you be willing to ride a camel from Fargo to Houston, Texas? That is how far the wise men traveled to see Jesus. The good news is that we don’t have to. Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity is as close as your local Catholic Church.

The second question is what gift would we bring him? The wise men brought gifts of gold (signifying Christ’s kingship), frankincense (signifying his divinity), and myrrh (signifying his humanity).

Sometimes, people get us what they think we want, what they wish we wanted, or what they think we need. Obviously the most appreciated gift is one a person really wants and needs. So what does one get the Son of God, who literally has everything? What does Jesus want more than anything else?

He wants us—each of us—holding nothing back. He wants to laugh with us, cry with us, and be there when no one else is. He wants us—right where we are today—to be with him.

One way to give ourselves to Jesus is by offering time to be with him in Eucharistic Adoration. Adoration is a time of quiet prayer in the presence of Jesus Christ. A consecrated host, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of God, is placed in a monstrance, which is then set on the altar. “Adorers” are then able to be present with the Lord!

During adoration, you can pray the rosary, Divine Mercy chaplet, Stations of the Cross, or Liturgy of the Hours. You can meditate or contemplate Sacred Scripture or read religious books. You can talk with Jesus, sharing your challenges with him, or sit with Jesus and listen to what he wants to say to you.

Is the Holy Spirit calling you to visit the newborn king just like he called the three wise men? You may ask why we should go all the way to a church to spend time with Jesus. God is everywhere; I get just as much out of praying at home as I do here at a church.

Yes, God is everywhere in creation, and we should pray wherever we are. However, Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, is not in your living room. He is in the church. It is different, and it does matter!

We have smartphones that allow us to contact anyone around the world in seconds, and we can even see that person live. With that technology, why would we ever need to be together face-to-face?

Many times over the past two years, we’ve been unable to be with those we love in person. Those of us with family and friends in nursing homes were restricted from visiting them or were restricted from family gatherings in person. We could call them on the phone and see them, but there is something about being together face-to-face, right?

Likewise, Jesus wants some regular face-to-face time with each of us. So, if you are not already participating in regular Eucharistic adoration, consider beginning this week.