Christus apparuit nobis

adorat2.jpgThe Epiphany of the Lord
Today is the festival of adoration par excellence. The venite, adoremus of the Invitatory antiphon, sung again to the same 4th mode melody used on Christmas, had a penetrating resonance. The verb to adore occurred again and again in this morning’s long Office of Vigils, and will recur throughout the day.

Saint Peter Julian Eymard
Saint Peter Julian Eymard chose to begin his great life work of Eucharistic adoration with solemn exposition on January 6, 1857. “At last,” he wrote, “our Divine King shall ascend His throne, and we shall form His royal court; we shall then be His bodyguard.” Immediately after Mass, Father Eymard, in surplice and stole, made the first hour of public adoration as a member of his new Congregation.

Destined to Adore
For her part, Mère Mectilde du Saint-Sacrement (1614-1698), foundress of the Bénédictines du Saint-Sacrement, writes:

This feast becomes us more particularly than any other, according to the spirit of our holy vocation, which destines us to adore, as they [the Magi] did, the same Jesus Christ in the august sacrament of the altar, which contains all the other mysteries of His life. This is why you can adore Him there with the holy kings as a little child in the crèche.

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