The certainty of my faith, the confidence I have in the providential hand of God guiding me, the trusting hope that remains with me even through the most crushing trials ... all flow from the Divine "food for the journey" that is the Eucharist. 

I went from being a worldly young man away from the Church to becoming a husband and a father and eventually an ordained deacon. The thing in between the old way and the blessed way; the "thing" that healed and transformed everything was the Eucharist. 

Mass is the greatest opportunity to offer my heartfelt gratitude to the Lord for all He's done in my life and for my life itself. Mass is the space wherein I am most deeply aware of the act of God creating me here and now, in the present moment. 

Every new breath taken is like a sacramental sign of His Word calling me into existence... now. Mass is a privileged place among all places on Earth for these reasons and more. I love being there!

The communion of Saints who worship alongside a person in Adoration and carry petitions to Jesus for us can be sometimes tangible and the effects made perceivable if it aligns with God's will. My wife and I experienced this firsthand in Adoration. For two weeks during our weekly holy hour in 2007, we experienced the intensely beautiful, nearly indescribable scent of roses in the chapel at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak. We were childless and praying intensely for the blessing of a child at the time. Long story short, three months later, following a series of miraculously perfect circumstances, we were blessed to adopt our beloved daughter! A rose from heaven was born, and we received her into our home thanks to the loving intercession of St. Therese, who took our adoration petitions to Jesus and gave us a sign that we were heard in heaven. 

Praying silently before the Blessed Sacrament is a time to speak intimately with Our Lord, who makes himself present to us there in a uniquely intimate way. As an audience before the King of the universe and the court of heaven, we ARE listened to, assisted, and graced with His abiding love ... sometimes in incredible ways. We will always love Adoration for that. Whenever we look at our daughter (16 now), we are reminded of just how powerful a time it is!