St. Pope John XXIII (1958 to 1963)
Quotes On
The Importance Of Eucharistic Adoration
Known
for convening the Second Vatican Council Pope John XXIII, who made a daily
Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, often emphasized the importance of
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament for the faithful and especially for
Priests. Here are some of his quotes on the importance of Eucharistic
Adoration in our lives:
Aug. 1, 1959 - Pope John XXIII Encyclical
"Sacerdotii nostri primordia" (From the beginning of our Priesthood) (Source: Vatican website –
www.vatican.va)
35. "St. John M. Vianney, who, as We have said, was so
devoted to the virtue of penance, was just as sure that “a priest must be
specially devoted to constant prayer.” In this regard, We know that
shortly after he was made pastor of a village where Christian life had been
languished for a long time, he began to spend long and happy hours at night
(when he might have been resting) in adoration of Jesus in the Sacrament of
His love. The Sacred Tabernacle seemed to be the spring from which he
constantly drew the power that nourished his own piety and gave new life to
it and promoted the effectiveness of his apostolic labor..."
48. "...For the lengthy prayer of a priest before the adorable Sacrament of the Altar has a
dignity and an effectiveness that cannot be found elsewhere nor be replaced.
And so when the priest adores Christ Our Lord and gives thanks to Him, or
offers satisfaction for his own sins and those of others, or finally when he
prays constantly that God keep special watch over the causes committed to
his care, he is inflamed with a more ardent love for the Divine Redeemer to
whom he has sworn allegiance and for those to whom he is devoting his
pastoral care. And a devotion to the Eucharist that is ardent, constant and
that carries over into works also has the effect of nourishing and fostering
the inner perfection of his soul and assuring him, as he carries out his
apostolic duties, of an abundance of the supernatural powers that the
strongest workers for Christ must have."
Aug. 29, 1964 - Pope John XXIII "Journal Of A Soul" (New York: McGraw-Hill)
"My life seems destined to be spent in the light
irradiating from the (Blessed Sacrament), and it is the heart of Jesus that
I must look to for the solution of all my troubles."
Other Pope John XXIII Eucharistic Adoration Quotes
"There are even some who, led by ideas foreign to
traditional piety, look upon a Holy Hour of adoration as of minor
importance. There is no doubt that a flood of graces will descend upon your
family and the world if more souls would become docile pupils of adoration."
"With the practice of this enlightened and fervent
worship of the Eucharist, the spiritual life of the priest increases..."
"The worship of Christ present in the Eucharist is
not just a personal, solitary “Jesus and Me” experience but involves the
entire Church."
"In the Blessed Sacrament a heavenly school is open
to you, with the best teacher one can possibly imagine, Jesus Christ
himself."
""Visit the Blessed Sacrament of some church at
least once a day.” This was one of the many rules a young ‘Angelo Roncalli’
wrote out for himself. He later became Pope John XXIII."
"What matters most to the good Christian community,
and what may be taken as the measure of true spiritual fervor, is the love
of Jesus in His Sacrament, the faithful attendance at His tabernacle."
"All shrines of Mary, scattered throughout the
world, have become above all centers of devotion to the Eucharist, as if the
Mother of Jesus had appeared, here or there, in order to lead the faithful
to the adoration and love of her blessed Son."
"O Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament, I would like to be filled with love for You; keep me closely
united with You, may my heart be near to Yours. I want to be to You like the
apostle John. O Mary of the Rosary, keep me recollected when I say these
prayers of yours; bind me forever, with your rosary, to Jesus of the Blessed
Sacrament. Blessed be Jesus, my love."
