Fourty Hours Eucharistic Adoration

“FORTY HOURS” ADORATION AND EUCHARISTIC ACTIVITIES

IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN JOSE-2006

Initiated by Sr. Mary Rosario Gallardo, who belongs to the SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER (PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVIN MAGISTRI), a religious Congregation of women especially dedicated to Jesus Master, present in the Eucharist, Priesthood and Liturgy, the “Forty Hours” Adoration and Eucharistic activities were celebrated on June 16 to June 18, 2006 at the Vietnamese Catholic Center in the Archdiocese of San Jose. With the blessing of Msgr. Francis Cilia, the Bishop’s Vicar for the Archdiocese, with the special cooperation of Rev. Fr. Hien Minh Nguyen who offered the full resources of the Vietnamese Catholic Center, and with the collaboration of the clergy, religious and laity, three days of intense prayer were dedicated to contemplate the meaning and deep implications of “The Body and Blood of Christ”. This wonderful ecclesial event included the daily celebration of the Eucharist, day and night adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, group Eucharistic Adoration, Lauds and Vespers, Confession, and the Eucharistic Procession and Benediction, which followed the 11:00 A.M. Mass on Corpus Christi Sunday (June 18).

Especially offered for the increase and perseverance of priestly and religious vocations, people of various age groups came, throughout the day and throughout the night, to respond to the spiritual invitation, “THE MASTER IS HERE PRESENT! HE CALLS FOR YOU!” (Jn 11:28). They came to celebrate the Eucharistic mystery and to adore Jesus Master present in the ineffable sacrament of his Body and Blood, keeping in mind the following reality:

Grateful for this immense gift, the Church’s members gather round the Blessed Sacrament, for that is the source and summit of her being and action. Ecclesia de Eucharistia vivit! The Church draws her life from the Eucharist and knows that this truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery in which she consists. (Cf. Pope John Paul II, homily for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi, June 10, 2004, n. 4)

Rev. Fr. Mark Catalana, the Vocations Director of the Archdiocese, presided at the Votive Mass of the Holy Eucharist on June 16 (Friday), after which he exposed the Blessed Sacrament for the “Forty Hours” Adoration. Various groups and individual persons came to pray, sing and silently contemplate the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, experiencing the Eucharistic adoration as a deep personal encounter with the Lord Jesus and as an opportunity to thank him for his passion, death and glorious resurrection.

On Saturday morning, Rev. Fr. Andrew Garcia led the faithful in the Church’s liturgical celebration of Morning Prayer. His homily on the Paschal Mystery helped us appreciate more deeply the grandeur of Christ’s sacrificial act that is now “sacramentalized” in the Eucharist. At 11:00 A.M. of the same day, Rev. Fr. Wilfredo Manrique presided at the Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Image and Mother of the Church. In his homily, Fr. Manrique helped us to contemplate the vital role of Mary, Woman of the Eucharist, in her “Fiat”, “Magnificat” and “Stabat” and encouraged us to respond to Mary’s exhortation: “Do whatever he tells you …” (Jn 2:5). Rev. Fr. Passalacqua gave the homily on the theme, “Jesus, the Servant-Son … Listen to Him!” during the group adoration in the afternoon. The insight that he gave about God speaking, not always mightily as in a fire or an earthquake, but even in the sound of a gentle breeze (cf. I Kgs 19:9-12) helped us to perceive more deeply that the Lord speaks in the silence of the Eucharist. Rev. Fr. Sergio Ovando started the Church’s celebration of the Evening Prayer with the lighting of candles and with a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of light. He helped us delve into the various aspects of the Eucharistic Mystery and consider our spiritual journey of faith with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, where the Risen Lord revealed himself to his disciples in the Scriptures and in the breaking of bread. At 7:00 P.M. on Saturday evening, the sacrament of reconciliation was celebrated in the spacious courtyard of the Vietnamese Catholic Center. In the cool of the evening breeze, the penitents approached the priests who were hearing confessions in different languages. Families, different persons and individual persons continued their turns for the ongoing adoration of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the day and the night.

The worshipping community celebrated the Morning Prayer on Sunday at 8:30 A.M., singing psalms and canticles and aware that every sunrise is an image of the resurrection of Christ, the Eucharistic Master – the fullness of song. Leading the community in a harmonious expression of praise and thanksgiving was the young Vietnamese priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony Nguyen, who shared with us his inspiring thoughts on the theme “From Eucharist to Mission”. The climax of the three-day Eucharistic activities was the Corpus Christi celebration of the Eucharist, presided by Msgr. Francis Cilia. Speaking to an assembly of predominantly Vietnamese and Filipino origin, he made us realize that the majority of the Vietnamese priests in the Archdiocese were born in Vietnam, and the majority of the Filipino serving the San Jose Archdiocese, if not all, were born in the Philippines. He therefore challenged the youth who were born or raised in U.S.A. to say, “It’s my turn!”

After the post-communion prayer, the Eucharistic Procession headed off outdoors to four stations representing the four corners of the world, where eternal praise and thanksgiving are offered to the Eucharistic Master. At the fourth station, the Eucharistic Benediction was celebrated with great love and devotion. The following prayer offered by the assembly at the fourth station summarizes the yearnings of the Eucharistic assembly gathered for that celebration:

Blessed are you, O Lord Jesus Christ.

You nourish us at the table of your living Word

and at the altar table of your Eucharistic sacrifice.

Renew us by the light of your saving Word.

Help us to offer compassionate acts of love, service and healing

for today’s “broken body of Christ”.

We ask your blessing upon the youth

and all the faithful gathered here

at this public manifestation of our love for you.

Grant the grace of many vocations to priesthood and religious life.

May your people, nourished by your sacred Body and Blood,

stand forth in a world torn by strife and discord