This last weekend we had our Leadership Development Weekend (LDW). The weekend is a chance to meet up with my squad again and allow our leaders as well as our squamates pour out into us. This weekend was great. I learned a lot about myself and also got to hear what it is that my squad mates were walking in themselves.
About two week ago though I was asked to do a devotional for one of the mornings that we would have during this weekend. I felt honored and very nervous. Eventually I got through it and thought that this wasn’t just something that I needed to tell my squad but my supporters as well. I’m going to try and adapt this so it better suits those of you who are reading this that aren’t currently on the race…
This weekend has been one heck of a productive weekend. We’ve listened to so really fantastic stuff. From Mason’s talk on emotions, to Bernadette and Zibby’s talk on pathways to God, and Colby’s talk on time with the Lord. We have heard a lot and we have a lot to process when we leave, so today seeing as how it’s the last day I want to leave all of you with a challenge as we leave for our ministry sites.
I’m going to talk about a relic in the catholic church that has played a huge role in my time with the lord. A relic that doesn’t necessarily get talked about symbolically too much, but really is something to inspire all of us christians.
Last week my team and I had the opportunity to go to Krakow, Poland. While we were in Poland we would also have to have our team worship session. The way that my team has been running our worship sessions is that every week someone new is “in-charge” of running the show and can invite us to be a part of how it is that they connect with the Lord. Earlier this month Joel taught us the Anglican prayer of confession. We have also had Abby play her guitar and demonstrate how that pathway to God fills her the most.
So, when the opportunity came up for me to lead worship in Poland I jumped on the opportunity. I had something very specific in mind. I wanted to being my team to the Shrine of Divine Mercy and bring them to adoration.
I know that most of you (who read this) will not know what adoration is so allow me to explain a bit.
In Luke 29:19 is says “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In 1 Corinthians 11:24 it says “this is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” and in Matthew 26:26 it says “take and eat; this is my body”
These words are literal in the catholic church. THIS IS MY BODY. The communion (Eucharist) that we receive during mass is Jesus. He is fully present body, blood, soul, and divinity in this humble piece of bread.
Making adoration this: A time to come before Christ and sit and wait silently. “Eucharistic adoration is the contemplation of an incredible mystery happening right before our eyes.”
In a talk we had this weekend (my squamate), Molony, did a talk on hearing the Lord in silence and how during one of the camps she went to, she sat in silence for four hours. Now I can’t say that I have ever sat in adoration, let alone anywhere, for four hours of silence, but I can only imagine what it would be like. Silence and adoration are very important to me. In fact adoration was the first time were I felt the presence of God in my life. Since then adoration has always been the one place where I could go and really hear the Lord speaking to me. It tends to happen that when you remove all the other inputs of the world and you just sit in peaceful silence you have a better opportunity to hear just what the Lord is saying to you.
I’m happy to say that for the most part my team loved adoration. Abby said she loved the silence she had there, Lexi continues to push me to find another adoration chapel, and I’m pretty sure Joel was already planning on having a good time in adoration long before we got there.
Here is where the relic comes in. At the front of the adoration chapel is the Eucharist inside of the monstrance. The monstrance kind of looks like the golden sun you might have drawn when you were a kid. A golden circle surrounded by “rays” (if you use the sun analogy). At the center of this golden vessel is where the Eucharist is.
Monstrance is a latin word meaning “to expose” and it is just that. A vessel made to expose the thing that is present at its center and that is Christ. The golden rays surrounding the monstrance are meant to grab your attention and direct your eyes to what it at the center. Without the Eucharist the monstrance is nothing, it is simply a pretty looking piece of metal. This is my challenge, that is for each of you to be a living breathing Monstrance.
I found the blog page of another person who had a similar idea as me and used this analogy to help get their point across.
You see an attractive person and they have gorgeous flowing hair, great eyes and an overall great physical appearance you think of them very highly, but then they say something mean, degrading or insulting to someone. Instantly this gorgeous person is much less attractive. Our goal as God’s people is to magnify christ to the whole world. So in everything you do show people what is in your heart and that is Christ.
I found Christ in the silence of adoration. Unfortunately we don’t always have the ability find a quiet place to hear God’s voice. The world is a very loud place and finding Christ in it can be hard. In a talk another one of my squadmates did she quoted the story of the great wind coming and breaking rocks, but the lord was not in the wind, then a great fire came, but the lord was not in the fire, and then a mighty earthquake, but the lord was not in the earthquake and after all of this chaos a quiet whispering voice. Carry this peace inside you so that you might always hear the lord voice and you will always be able to show those around you exactly what it is that is at your heart.
