WHY IS EUCHARISTIC ADORATION A RITE? (Part – 1)

An often-raised question from non-Catholics and even Catholics is: why did Eucharistic Adoration ‘only begin’ in the 13th/14th Century? They then go on to deduce that the Catholic Church did not believe in Christ’s Real, True Eucharistic Presence until that time; but nothing could be further from the truth! As a brief recap of Church history shows, there are many reasons why Eucharistic Adoration SEEMS to be a ‘latecomer’ to our doctrines and rites. AD 33-300’s: On Easter evening, the Risen Lord revealed His REAL PRESENCE to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus “…in the breaking of the bread” [Luke 24:13-35] The first Christians “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” (Acts 2:42) After asking: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16), Saint Paul then condemned all who receive Eucharist unworthily; why would he be so upset if it were just ‘regular food?’ And Saint Justin Martyr (died: 165) wrote in defense of Christians accused of being cannibals because of their belief in Christ’s Real Presence! (To Be Continued…) Father Maria Joseph Kodiganti