Eucharistic Adoration and Evangelization

In response to the invitation of Chiayi Diocese, on September 8 we gave a workshop on “The Eucharist and Evangelization", which was hosted by our lay evangelist Chia-Yuan Wu and me. There were many lay people who attended. 

There were two sessions of the workshop. In the morning session I explained the meaning of Holy Eucharist Adoration. Then Miss Wu shared her own experience of Eucharistic adoration, as well as her experience of helping others begin the practice of Eucharistic Adoration. This was followed by leading the Catholics present in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Through Eucharist Adoration we are in a personal relationship with Christ and receive love from Him. We let the fire of His love change our heart, and we radiate that love to others.  Chia-Yuan shared her experiences of simply being with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in silence, communing with Jesus, and laying down in His lap like a tired child in the arms of her Father, peaceful and relaxed. Chia Yuan's personal sharing led to a group sharing session focused on deepening our personal relationship with God.

In the second session, we tried to connect the prayer of Adoration with the activity of Evangelization. During the time of Adoration, we asked the Catholics present to ask God, through inspiration and reflection, to bring to mind their non-Catholics who might be open to our Faith. We then asked each Catholic to immediately give these non-Catholics a telephone call. Some hesitated because they found this too much of a challenge. Others bravely called and some succeeded in making contact.  During the sharing afterward, one person said he had contacted a friend who was just leaving for a serious operation, and he was able to pray for his non-Catholic friend over the phone. His friend said he was very moved by this and felt blessed.

We are hoping that through these types of activities, which combine a deeper level of prayer and adoration with evangelism, the Holy Spirit will grant our Catholics the wisdom and courage to begin concrete evangelism. (Vincent Chiang, Prof. of Spiritual Theology)