Adoration in the Electronic Age

"I strongly recommend that each of us make a resolution – no matter how much the decision may cost us – to make a Holy hour...once a week." - Fr. John Hardon

The highlight of my week is always my visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and sometimes I even receive the extra blessings of more than one visit a week. I am a super busy wife, mother, homeschooler, writer, retreat director, Catholic App developer and reviewer, among many other roles.

It would be very easy for me to prioritize what I think I need to accomplish each week way above the hour I spend, “sitting” before the Blessed Sacrament.

Yet, through the grace of God, probably that very grace I receive in the act of putting my visit to Jesus first, every week I am able to find an entire hour (sometimes more), without fail.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

That’s the secret to finding the time: we don’t try to find it ourselves. Instead, we go to Jesus and ask Him, who created time, to reveal where there is availability in our schedule.

Trust me, this prayer will be answered in a prompt and blessed way.

My first committed adoration hour was at 2:30 p.m. every Saturday afternoon. When I first saw it was the only time in need of an adorer, I thought how insane it was of me to sign up. What mother has time every Saturday afternoon to sneak away for an hour?!?

Yet I was able to fulfill that commitment for over two years, needing very little substitution coverage. How? By relying on the Grace of God.

My sacrifice and obedience has been rewarded with the ability to commit now to two holy hours each week. These appointments with Jesus are the most coveted part of my whole week -- time in the Eucharist, a foretaste of Heaven and the abundant grace that this time brings, cannot be replicated by any other thing this world has to offer.

But what does this have to do with Android apps?

After purchasing my Pantech Element Tablet earlier this year, it now has a great deal to do with it!

After years of attending holy hours, I had managed to accumulate quite the collection of Adoration materials in my "Church bag." I had a Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Pieta, an abridged version of the Breviary, Rosary pamphlets and devotionals, the Divine Mercy chaplet, my journal and then each week there would be a new religious book in there as well.

It was heavy, cumbersome, and for that poor person sitting near to me as I rifled through the bag looking for my next adoration activity, it was distracting.

I’m not saying that adoration of the Blessed Sacrament needs to be a marathon of intellectual activity or stimulation – there are visits when I just sit and “I look at Him, and He at me” (St. John Vianney).

But on those days I'm eager to learn more about my faith, or am honestly so exhausted that if I sat in quiet with no materials, I would be “resting in the Spirit” (snoring possibly involved), I'm happy to have my Catholic bag-of-tricks.

Now I bring along my tablet loaded with all I need – either through my Kindle, downloaded applications (apps), or the Internet (I have a data plan on my tablet). If you were borrowing my tablet, here’s what you’d find among my favorites:

The Kindle Catholic Bible (The Definitive English Authorized Version) Complete Old and New Testaments - Special Kindle Edition with DirectLink Technology (ILLUSTRATED)

Cost: $1.99

While handy, especially the DirectLink Technology, I do find myself using the Biblegateway.com app more often to look up a specific Scripture passage. I really like this Kindle edition to just immerse myself in Scripture.

God on the Go

Cost: 19.95

I reviewed this in a previous column, and I stand behind everything I said then.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Kindle Edition

Cost: $9.95

Although some might look at the cost as high, to me this is the second most valuable book a Catholic Library can include. In my humble opinion, it is worth every penny!

Angels and Demons by Peter Kreeft

Cost: $9.95

My current fascination is with angels -- maybe it was all the angel feast days lately, or maybe it is my research on a book on the dangers of New Ageism, that has this my book du jour!