How to make a Holy Hour
Forwarded from a Lay Carmelite
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Marian Trebon <mariantrebon@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 28, 2022 at 10:04 PM
Subject: What is a Holy Hour?
To: Marian Trebon <mariantrebon@gmail.com>
Dear Catholic friends in Christ, I am sending this information about the Holy Hour because of the tremendous graces I have received from spending that hour with Jesus each day and I want you to receive those graces, too. The other reason is that I see so few parishioners participating whenever Eucharistic Adoration is offered in our parishes and that troubles me.
The Holy Hour tradition officially goes back to 1674 when Christ appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque multiple times over a 13 month period. Christ’s appearances to this saint emphasized his human heart – how he loves as both human and divine. Christ instructed Alacoque to spend an hour every Thursday evening meditating on His sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we learn that Jesus and his disciples went to Gethsemane after the Last Supper. He shared his suffering and grief with them, knowing of His crucifixion the next day. So, Jesus went to pray, but He asked His disciples to stay awake with Him. When he returned, however, He found the disciples asleep. “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?” (Mt 26:40).
When we make a Holy Hour, we remain and stay awake with Jesus. It’s a powerful and beautiful way to grow closer to Him. Holy Hours are commonly done in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, but you could make a Holy Hour at any time: in a church, your home, or even outside in nature.
How to Pray: Holy Hour There are many ways to pray a Holy Hour! You might read Scripture, listen to worship music, journal, or you might simply sit and talk with God, Or you can pray with a combination of all the above. Below there is a guide for how to spend the hour.
0-8 Minutes: Enter into Prayer Get comfortable and begin your prayer. We like to begin with some deep breathing to settle our hearts and minds. We pray a short prayer here to collect ourselves with, such as “Come, Holy Spirit,” a Psalm, or the Lord’s Prayer.
8-18 minutes: Adoration Next, spend ten minutes simply adoring God. If you’re praying before the Blessed Sacrament, gaze at Jesus and let Him gaze back at you. Rest in wonder at who God is and how He invites you to know Him.
18-25 minutes: Contrition Spend a few minutes asking the Holy Spirit to reveal where you have fallen short and where you might need to ask for God’s mercy. Resolve to go to Confession as soon as you’re able.
25-45 minutes: Contemplation This is the core of the Holy Hour – time spent in contemplation of God. In this part of your prayer, you can sit in silence. Other ways or prayer you’ll find in the Hallow App are meditating on the Rosary, praying with Scripture through Lectio Divina, the Stations of the Cross, and we also have a few led meditations; our current favorite is meditating on the questions Jesus asks throughout the Gospels.
45-50 minutes: Thanksgiving Spend some time thanking God for the gifts in your life. This might be something big, such as a new friendship or job, or it might be something small, like your coffee in the morning or the nice walk you took yesterday afternoon.
50-55 minutes: Petition Turn to God with the cares and concerns of your heart, those close to you, and all the needs of people throughout the world. Entrust everything to God.
55-60: Closing We keep these last few minutes open for you to say any last things to God and make a resolution that came out of your prayer: how is God calling you to act, think, change, pray? What can you take away from this time spent with Him? Then close your time in prayer with an Our Father or any prayer that is on your heart.
I will write more on this tomorrow but I would like you to think seriously about committing to make a Holy Hour once a week as part of your Lenten observance. If you need motivation you won't want to miss this talk by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Daily Holy Hour-Talk By The Most Reverend Venerable Fulton John Sheen (Archbishop & Theologian)-JMJ
YouTube Marian
Yes, it's important we try to fit a Holy Hour in our week. I am fortunate that I am near 4 parishes to be with Jesus daily. The parishes are open at least an hour or more before Mass and that's when I am with Him. Two churches are open every day of the week from early morning to 5:00pm or later. One has the exposed Blessed Sacrament in a small chapel. The chapel is accessed during "business" hours and is open the rest of the 24-hour day via a door with code access. It took alot of logistics to figure out all the parishes' schedules and Mass times, etc., in order to be with Jesus every day at Mass and Holy Hour.
I highly recommend doing your Holy Hours for the entire liturgical year for the rest of your life!! If you can't do a whole hour, Jesus would be very happy for even a few minutes with Him- He understands!