When I was 22, I got to a time in my life where I had hit rock bottom. I questioned everything, including if God even existed, if Jesus was a real historical figure, and if the Catholic Church really was worth my time. Days before my 23rd birthday, I was invited to a parish for a young adult group. They started with Mass and it was during that Mass when I first truly experienced the Eucharist, and in particular a reverence for the Most Blessed Sacrament. 

The celebrant held up the Blessed Sacrament during consecration for a very significant amount of time, long enough to make me check my surroundings to make sure time didn't just freeze around me. I looked and saw others kneeling down and giving their full attention and appreciation to this moment of the Mass. And I felt this feeling of finally understanding that this was indeed Jesus Christ right in front of me. I thought to myself, ‘If that really is Jesus, then this reverence is what He deserves and I need to start doing it.’ 

At the end of Mass, Father pulled out the monstrance and did a consecration to the Sacred Heart. I was perplexed, amazed, and wanted to know more. Immediately after Mass I asked Father, ‘What is that gold thing on the altar and why did you put the Eucharist in it?’ He quickly explained it to me the best he could in the limited time priests have to greet people after Mass. Then, I continued onto the young adult group meeting. 

After the young adult group, I came back to sit in adoration to try to figure it out more. While doing so, I heard God speak to me and ask me to do something that I did not want to do. After battling with His voice in my head for about 20-30 minutes, I finally let God win (as if God doesn't always win) and did what he asked me to do. 

I came to find God speaking to me while with the Eucharist three times after that. He told me that the reason I had feelings for a woman was that she was His gift to me as my bride; He gave me a specific date for our wedding; and He told me to wake up when I was falling asleep in adoration one night!

The power of the Eucharist gives me the strength to carry on through the mundane toils of life and gives me a source of joy to carry out to others. It was through my time spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament that I fell in love with Him and His Church and was able to discern my vocation with my bride. 

I love going to Mass and receiving Holy Communion because I get to experience Jesus Christ. I don't have to sing, ‘I Can Only Imagine’ because I get to live it! I get to fall down in worship of the God of all creation and receive His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, and the abundance of graces He bestows on all those in communion with Him. I am empowered to be a witness of Christ to others because He lives within me! And He strengthens me against falling into future sin! 

It is hard for me to get time to myself to go spend a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament now that I have three kids aged five and under (plus one in Heaven). It is a blessing to be able to go to a parish in which we have adoration before, during, and after Catechism so that I can take my kids and get to spend time adoring our Lord. But I want to make sure that my kids get to experience adoration as well, so before or after Catechism I will stop by with my kids to spend time with Jesus in adoration. 

It is rarely ever silent and it is always distracting, but those precious moments are times that I am able to show my kids that Jesus is right here on the altar in front of us and that He wants to spend time with them. Between my kids crawling on the floor, over me, or ‘kid whispering’ (aka shouting) that they see Jesus, Mama Mary, Father, or another person they recognize, it is such a blessing to see them take the time, however brief, to kneel before Jesus in the monstrance, say a quick prayer, and know that Jesus is truly present to them. During that 30 seconds to 10 minutes, it may not be what some people consider ‘quality time’ in silence with the Most Blessed Sacrament, as I admittedly sometimes get too caught up being distracted myself, but it is definitely quality time for my children who will grow up knowing that Jesus in the Eucharist is here to be with them, love them, and guide them. 

Being able to sit in silence before the Lord, or even just a moment with my kids jumping all over me, is an extraordinary blessing; I get to be in the actual physical presence of our Lord. I have been given the grace of being able to hear God speak to me when I was with the Eucharist. It is a wonderful time of giving my heart over to Him and Him spending time with me as a best friend would.