Eucharistic adoration is a practice in the Roman Catholic and in Anglican Churches, in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to and adored by the faithful. When this exposure and adoration is constant (that is, twenty-four hours a day), it is called perpetual adoration. In a parish, this is usually done by volunteer parishioners; in a monastery or convent, it is done by the resident monks or nuns.
Purpose of adoration
Main article: Eucharist (Catholic Church) Roman Catholic belief
Opinions on the nature of the Eucharist and thus on the propriety of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament vary in the Anglican tradition (see Anglican Eucharistic theology), but many Anglo Catholics practice adoration in the manner of the Roman Catholic Church. Others celebrate Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which is not unlike Eucharistic adoration.
Anglican belief
Lutheran Eucharistic adoration is almost always limited in duration to the communion service because Lutheran tradition does not include reservation of the Sacrament. However, at this time, in North America, the Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran and some other small Churches in the Lutheran Evangelical Catholic Tradition (High Church Lutheran), do reserve the Sacrament, and strongly encourage Eucharistic adoration without requiring it.
Historically in Lutheranism there have been two parties regarding Eucharistic adoration: Gnesio-Lutherans, who followed Martin Luther's view in favor of adoration and Philippists who followed Philipp Melanchthon's view against it. Although Luther did not approve of the Feast of Corpus Christi .
The practice of adoration
Many Christians throughout history have criticized Eucharistic adoration, some considering it a form of idolatry. Adoration may be seen as the abrogation of the command to adore God alone, as commanded in Leviticus. They see the adoration of any other objects, including the sacred instruments of His Grace, such as the Body and Blood as idolatry.
Critics draw a distinction between the irreducible risen physical Jesus, and the reducible elements of his body. They point as an example to the third day after the Crucifixion. Although Christ's Precious Blood still drenched the cross and the tomb clothes, scripture makes clear that they are not themselves the Person Christ. "He is not here, for He has risen..." Matthew 28:6. Similarly the Eucharistic Blood and Body are elements proceeding from Christ, not the irreducible Person Himself. Roman Catholics draw much the same distinction between the irreducible personhood of a man, and the parts of his body. Destruction of a body part (e.g., amputation) is not destruction of the person himself. Similarly, blood used in a blood transfusion derives from its donor, but is not the donor himself.
Perhaps the most common criticism of the practice of Eucharistic adoration is that it isolates the Eucharist from its intended purpose, namely, communion. The Eucharist is thus removed from its proper context as the communion of the Church with Christ and places him at a distance, objectifying the Eucharist in a manner not intended by the rites during which it is consecrated.
As reported by Roman Catholic priest, Father Al Kimel in his blog Pontifications, historian and writer Michael McGuckian discusses this problem in his book "The Eucharist in the West." "During the first millenium of the Church, East and West shared a common understanding of eucharistic devotion. "During this period," McGuckian notes, "the Eucharist was understood dynamically and, in common with all the other sacraments, the focus was on its effect in the sanctification of the people." But in the eleventh century we see a change of attitude within the Western Church. Devotion began to be focused on the eucharistic gifts as the objective presence of the risen Christ. The Host began to be elevated during the liturgy for the purpose of adoration. In the thirteenth century the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted. From this point devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, both within and outside the Mass, became central in the piety of Latin Christians. Seeing Christ rather than feeding upon Christ became the norm. Adoration replaced communion.
"McGuckian rehearses a number of criticisms of Western liturgy and spirituality common in contemporary Catholic circles, criticisms that energized the liturgical reform of the 60s and 70s. He is certainly correct that the end of Holy Eucharist is union with the risen Christ and sanctification in his Body. God gives us the Body and Blood of his risen Son to eat and drink and thus be deified. When communion is replaced by or subordinated to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, an unbalance in the liturgical life of the Church is created. Pope Pius X initiated the correction of this unbalance in the early 20th century, with his summons to frequent communion, and this correction was confirmed in the Church's consciousness by the publication of the apostolic constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium."
Opinions on the nature of the Eucharist and thus on the propriety of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament vary in the Anglican tradition (see Anglican Eucharistic theology), but many Anglo Catholics practice adoration in the manner of the Roman Catholic Church. Others celebrate Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which is not unlike Eucharistic adoration.
Anglican belief
Lutheran Eucharistic adoration is almost always limited in duration to the communion service because Lutheran tradition does not include reservation of the Sacrament. However, at this time, in North America, the Evangelical Community Church-Lutheran and some other small Churches in the Lutheran Evangelical Catholic Tradition (High Church Lutheran), do reserve the Sacrament, and strongly encourage Eucharistic adoration without requiring it.
Historically in Lutheranism there have been two parties regarding Eucharistic adoration: Gnesio-Lutherans, who followed Martin Luther's view in favor of adoration and Philippists who followed Philipp Melanchthon's view against it. Although Luther did not approve of the Feast of Corpus Christi .
The practice of adorationMany Christians throughout history have criticized Eucharistic adoration, some considering it a form of idolatry. Adoration may be seen as the abrogation of the command to adore God alone, as commanded in Leviticus. They see the adoration of any other objects, including the sacred instruments of His Grace, such as the Body and Blood as idolatry.
Critics draw a distinction between the irreducible risen physical Jesus, and the reducible elements of his body. They point as an example to the third day after the Crucifixion. Although Christ's Precious Blood still drenched the cross and the tomb clothes, scripture makes clear that they are not themselves the Person Christ. "He is not here, for He has risen..." Matthew 28:6. Similarly the Eucharistic Blood and Body are elements proceeding from Christ, not the irreducible Person Himself. Roman Catholics draw much the same distinction between the irreducible personhood of a man, and the parts of his body. Destruction of a body part (e.g., amputation) is not destruction of the person himself. Similarly, blood used in a blood transfusion derives from its donor, but is not the donor himself.
Perhaps the most common criticism of the practice of Eucharistic adoration is that it isolates the Eucharist from its intended purpose, namely, communion. The Eucharist is thus removed from its proper context as the communion of the Church with Christ and places him at a distance, objectifying the Eucharist in a manner not intended by the rites during which it is consecrated.
As reported by Roman Catholic priest, Father Al Kimel in his blog Pontifications, historian and writer Michael McGuckian discusses this problem in his book "The Eucharist in the West." "During the first millenium of the Church, East and West shared a common understanding of eucharistic devotion. "During this period," McGuckian notes, "the Eucharist was understood dynamically and, in common with all the other sacraments, the focus was on its effect in the sanctification of the people." But in the eleventh century we see a change of attitude within the Western Church. Devotion began to be focused on the eucharistic gifts as the objective presence of the risen Christ. The Host began to be elevated during the liturgy for the purpose of adoration. In the thirteenth century the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted. From this point devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, both within and outside the Mass, became central in the piety of Latin Christians. Seeing Christ rather than feeding upon Christ became the norm. Adoration replaced communion.
"McGuckian rehearses a number of criticisms of Western liturgy and spirituality common in contemporary Catholic circles, criticisms that energized the liturgical reform of the 60s and 70s. He is certainly correct that the end of Holy Eucharist is union with the risen Christ and sanctification in his Body. God gives us the Body and Blood of his risen Son to eat and drink and thus be deified. When communion is replaced by or subordinated to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, an unbalance in the liturgical life of the Church is created. Pope Pius X initiated the correction of this unbalance in the early 20th century, with his summons to frequent communion, and this correction was confirmed in the Church's consciousness by the publication of the apostolic constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium."
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