Father Joseph Illo, pastor of Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco, gave an 17-minute homily on Sunday, September 20.
Let’s talk about adoration. The Eucharist began to be reserved about 320 A.D. when they wanted to take the Hosts to prisoners. By the sixth century, they began exposing the Eucharist in Lugo, Spain. We passed through Lugo on the Camino a few years ago.
In the 13th Century the Pope asked Thomas Aquinas to write hymns for the veneration of the Sacrament.
John Paul II established a Eucharistic Adoration chapel in St. Peter’s. “Only in adoration can we really know Jesus,” said Pope Benedict.
The current adoration chapel here at Star of the Sea was a sacristy for altar boys to get ready for serving Mass.
In 1990 the Eucharist began to be exposed in this chapel. We’re the only church in the city of San Francisco to have permanent adoration.
If He comes from Heaven to be with us; bad on us if we don’t spend time with Him.
Being with Him is our payment from Him.
Fulton Sheen is to be beatified in St. Louis this Thursday. Bishop Barron is today’s Fulton Sheen. Bishop Barron on EWTN this week said he did a daily holy hour every day. Bishop Barron started to do daily adoration in response to young seminarians – “with Sheen, this is the secret of my priesthood.”
What I want everyone in this parish is to do at least a weekly holy hour.
You can do a holy hour in any Catholic church or chapel where the Eucharist is reserved in the tabernacle. It doesn’t have to be exposed. It doesn’t have to be done in a dedicated adoration chapel nor during a scheduled time of exposition. Just go to a church and pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. You can be in the first pew or the last pew. Proximity makes no difference.
You’re right, and not many Catholics understand that about adoration. Most — nearly all — Catholics believe that if the host isn’t exposed then it’s not adoration. That’s wrong. That perpetuates the notion that Jesus is more present to you if the host is visible than if it is merely present in the tabernacle. In reality, Jesus is fully present in all of our churches all of the time, and seeing the host doesn’t mean you are seeing Jesus because the presence of Jesus is in the invisible substance not in the visible accidents. You don’t see Jesus when you look at a host. You are only seeing the appearances of bread.
You make a legitimate point. And, you can do that in any Orthodox church as well (if it’s closer or open more hours).
Hoping that Cal Catholic will publish an article on tomorrow’s new Blessed in our Church– Blessed Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. After Sheen’s era, to me, no Catholic prelate compares. He was special. I was a Sheen fan before I could read and write. Later, I collected some of his books. I was deeply impressed that he made daily Holy Hours. I was naive as a child, thinking that surely he was a saint, and had apparitions of Christ during his daily Holy Hours with heart-to-heart talks at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. At my school (secular school) at parents’ night one time, it happened to be a Tuesday night, and the teacher brought out a small TV (new at that time) and turned it on, and we all watched “Life is Worth Living.” Everyone loved Sheen.
This teacher that I had brought out the small TV on Parents’ Night at my school, and we all watched “Life is Worth Living.” She was a lovely young Stanford grad who grew up in Coronado, a very pretty “island” (actually a peninsula) across from San Diego. Her father was a Navy officer killed in a tragic Navy aviation accident when she was very young. There is a major naval base in Coronado. She was a wonderful teacher, my favorite. She was terrific with children’s books, stimulating the magical world of reading. She also had a special, magical way with animals and was an accomplished equestrienne, which I thought was wonderful. She had a lovely, caring, positive, sparkling personality that just made you feel good being around her. Everyone loved her. The world needs more special people like her– and like Blessed Sheen.
I will never forget the day that Blessed Archbishop Sheen passed away and went to Hesven. The day before he died was Dec. 8, 1979– the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Except it was a Saturday, so we were not going to celebrate the feast this year. I went to Mass anyway. Blessed Archbishop Sheen died in the middle of the night. He was found deceased in his small home chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. So he had a blessed death. Perhaps he also had previously honored Mary on her Feast Day, at his final Mass. I felt so badly when finding out the news of Blessed Sheen’s death. I thought, now how can we all go on without dear Abp. Sheen? I wanted the world to stop right there– and for God to put him back to life. We can’t have a world without Abp. Sheen. But his unforgettable memory lives on. Today, he is going to finally be beatified.
I appreciated the special White House Presidential Message issued by President Donald Trump, marking the special occasion of the Beatification of Blessed Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Loved watching the entire, tremendous event on TV, and Mass offered by Cardinal Tagle! Beautiful.