Fr. Mark-Mary and Mother Clare teach us how to make a holy hour that is transformative. While the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal both spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament every day, making the best use of that time didn’t always come easy for Fr. Mark-Mary and Mother Clare. It took time for them to notice that Adoration is about the person Jesus, who is there in his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. He is willing to meet you face to face, heart to heart, and invites you to a deeper faith where our physical senses fail us. Eucharistic adoration is a chance to get in touch with our inner senses.
The Friars and Sisters pray this prayer at the beginning of their holy hour:
“We adore you, most holy Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all your churches throughout the world. And we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”
This prayer, Fr. Mark-Mary says, can provide a good structure for your time with the Lord in a holy hour.
He also suggests we look at the Creed and all the wondrous names of the Lord therein.
Mother Clare advises that you make sure you direct your thoughts to the Lord, because this is a chance to really have a heart-to-heart with him. Writing in your journal is a good way to do this, since the intentional act of writing helps you pinpoint your thought process.
Also, the Catechism gives a very helpful acronym to help guide our prayer in adoration and always: ACTS (adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication).
Lastly, believe that Adoration is not a waste of time and that God has something extraordinarily useful to say to you. In fact, he has the answers you’re looking for.
Following all this advice from Fr. Mark-Mary and Mother Clare will be life changing.
Meet Fr. Mark-Mary
Father Mark-Mary was ordained as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) in 2018 and lives at a friary in the Bronx.
The mission of the CFRs is to wholeheartedly embrace Jesus through fidelity to the Church and her Sacraments. Paired with their commitment to prayer, contemplation, and study of Sacred Scripture, the CFRs serve those around them, especially the poor, in the footsteps of Christ.
Discover beautiful music from the CFRs here.
