Two Types of Adoration

Two Types of Adoration: Understanding the Differences

By FR. PATRICK ARENS

We recently concluded our annual celebration of the Lord’s suffering, death, and resurrection. In the span of three days, we journeyed with our Lord from the Last Supper table to the cross and the tomb, and then witnessed His glorious resurrection. If you were able to participate in the liturgies of these three days, the days of the Sacred Triduum, you may have noticed a number of unique liturgical ceremonies that were conducted.

One liturgical ceremony that took place during those days was adoration. The liturgy actually calls for adoration to take place twice during these days. The first type of adoration is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the place of reservation after the Mass on Holy Thursday. The second, adoration of the Cross on Good Friday.

You might be very familiar with the concept of adoration, especially if you regularly attend adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at your parish or at one nearby. But the practices of adoration for the Triduum are different and sometimes can raise some questions.

The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday is Eucharistic Adoration as we might be familiar with it. But according to ancient custom in the Church, this adoration takes place in the tabernacle, and not the usual monstrance. The practice of adoring the Lord in the tabernacle is much older than adoration in the monstrance. During the Sacred Triduum, many of the oldest customs of the Church are followed, and out of respect for this custom, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place in this way.

This adoration takes place after the Eucharistic procession to the Altar of Reposition. This procession symbolizes the disciples accompanying the Lord to pray with Him in the garden of Gethsemane and remaining with Him on the eve of His sacrifice. It was on this night that the Lord asked His disciples, “would you not keep watch one hour with me?” During the procession, the beautiful and ancient hymn Pange Lingua composed by St. Thomas Aquinas is sung.

Holy Thursday is indeed a night for Eucharistic Adoration and prayer with the Lord. Most parishes have times of adoration at the Altar of Reposition that continue late in the evening, some even going until midnight.

On Good Friday, adoration again takes place, but the adoration on this day is unique. The Good Friday adoration is adoration of the Cross. At first glance, this may seem strange, since the Cross of our Lord is not our Lord Himself, and we might think it inappropriate. But the adoration of the cross takes place in a very mystical sense.

This ceremony of adoration began in Jerusalem after the remains of the True Cross of our Lord were discovered by St. Helena. Each year on Good Friday these relics of our Lord’s Cross were offered for adoration to the faithful, who gave solemn worship to God during this ceremony. As the custom spread throughout the world, there were certainly not enough pieces of the cross to be possessed by every parish, so the adoration of the cross took place with the cross that was used on the altar for Mass.

While we do not adore a piece of wood, in the Adoration of the Cross, we adore God’s love that is present in His sacrifice of the Cross. In adoring His love, we adore Christ Himself. And so our humble act of adoration on Good Friday is an act that adores the love of Christ which was manifested to its fulness when He ascended the cross. This act of adoration during the Good Friday liturgy may take place in a procession where each person has a chance to adore individually, or, if numbers are large, the adoration may take place collectively, where everyone is invited to adore together.

There is no formal ending to the Good Friday service, so that the cross may remain after the liturgy, surrounded by candles, and people may continue to adore our Lord in an atmosphere of quiet prayer.

The three days of the Sacred Triduum of the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ are days that have unique liturgical ceremonies and customs. The times of adoration allow us to show our love for Christ and His sacrifice. During this adoration, we speak from the heart to Jesus and draw very near to Him.

May our lives be filled with adoration of the Lord, and may these times prepare us for the day when we will see the Lord face to face, and adore His beautiful image forever in heaven.

Fr. Patrick Arens is the Director of Divine Worship for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. He is also the rector of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka and the pastor of St. John Nepomucene parish in Winona.