Why Eucharistic Adoration?

Eucharistic adoration serves to extend the union between the faithful and Christ that begins during Holy Communion, according to a 1973 instruction from the Congregation for Divine Worship. The document, titled Forms of Worship of the Eucharist: Exposition, Benediction, Processions, Congresses, states that this prayer renews the covenant of the believer and encourages them to live with the strength gained from the sacrament.

The practice has become more frequent in recent years, with some parishes holding adoration weekly or monthly to pray for more vocations to religious life and the priesthood. Pat McCloskey, OFM, notes that the practice helps believers witness to Christ in society through good deeds.

Saint John Paul II also addressed the importance of this worship in his 2003 encyclical, Church of the Eucharist. He wrote that worshipping the Eucharist outside of Mass provides inestimable value to the life of the Church and allows the faithful to recognize Christ as the disciples did on the road to Emmaus.