Catholic Corner
Helpful Tips For Making A Holy Hour
There are many different ways to pray with the Lord, but one of the most powerful and fruitful ways is to spend an hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. This is called a Holy Hour because it is an hour spent in the presence of the Holy Eucharist -- Jesus Christ Himself, the One who alone is Holy. The most important thing to realize about making a private Holy Hour is that you don't have to do anything. You don't have to say any particular prayers, or read, or sing, or anything else. All you have to do is be present to the One who is present to you.
Spend precious moments of silence in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord to let Him minister to us His healing, merciful love. And we also need these times of silent presence to love Him and make offer him our sorrow for our sins. It is a powerful and effective way to thank Him for His gift of mercy to us.
There is no single "right" way to begin a Holy Hour, but some suggestions:
- Start with body-language, making some gesture of profound adoration, such as genuflecting or bowing to the Lord as a reverent acknowledgment of His real presence.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His gift of praise. Call upon the angels and saints to help you unite with their heavenly praise and worship.
- Let your heart be open to the Lord's presence and then follow the longing of your heart. Love Him, thank Him, and praise Him, who is present and loves you. As He tells us in one of His psalms -- "Be still and know that I am God."
A good way to end a Holy Hour is to thank the Lord. Thank Him for His presence, for His Love, for all that He has done and will do in your life.
You can call to mind and thank Him for the specific graces or resolutions you received during the hour. Then, again, express your adoration with your whole body and soul, and renew your commitment to try to live each moment of your life in such a way that you will be a living sign of His presence, of His mercy to the world.