Monday, August 25, 2008

Take and Eat

I just stopped by the chapel in a doomed attempt to visit with the Lawd. Adoration and/or prayer before the Tabernacle have never been my Spiritual Thing. I am too antsy and fidgety and too easily distracted. But that's not the real reason that I have never taken to Adoration.
Every time I sit in front of a tabernacle, my eyes settle on the flame in the candle that is always nearby. I know the flame is not meant to be a representation of Jesus, and the object of my adoration is meant to be the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist within the tabernacle. But to me, the messages that both items send are so contrary. Jesus is better personified to me through the light-giving, ever-burning, warmth-emitting, living flame. To have the True Presence locked into a strong, heavy, dark box on a platform. The flame says, to me, GO! DO SOMETHING! Where the message I hear about Jesus from the tabernacle is "Sit and stare at the box I'm in." I've said that for me, adoration is like a starving person to sit and stare at a sandwich to receive nourishment. Eucharist, the way I understand it, is a verb- food for the journey, for the mission at hand. Every Sunday, we become tabernacles, and there's no reason for one tabernacle to sit and meditate in front of another one.
I do know that for some people, Adoration is inspiring and wonderful and life-changing. I don't believe that everyone should stop adoring Jesus in the tabernacle or the monstrance. We all have our special devotions that we are called to. Mine is not seated position.. well, not for long!

1 comment:

Her Harlequin said...

I just never liked the name "Monstrance". I get that it come from a Latin word which means 'to show' and you could focus on the "trance" part of the word to make it seem logical, but I just can't get past the "Monstr" part of it. Why would anyone want to equate Jesus with a monster?