Some Catholics are blessed to take part in Perpetual Adoration at one of their local parishes, where they can adore the Eucharist at any time, day or night. For those that do not have this opportunity, there may be an alternative: living our lives in perpetual adoration.
What do I mean?
In formal Perpetual Adoration, we are adoring Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. We are honoring God’s presence in the host. In a more informal way, we can live our lives in perpetual adoration by honoring God’s presence in us through the Holy Spirit.
Perpetually adoring God’s presence in our lives is easier said than done, but there is a similar concept in science that may help us make it happen: perpetual motion.
Perpetual motion is a theory where objects will continue to move indefinitely without a source of energy. Most scientists believe that this is impossible because of friction. The force of friction will eventually bring all objects to a stop if we do not apply energy.
If objects cannot continue in perpetual motion, how, then, does this help us with perpetual adoration?
The first problem with perpetual motion is that friction comes into play. Objects stay in motion longer with less friction. The key to staying in motion is removing the friction.
Applied to our spiritual lives, sin is the friction that stops us from living a life of perpetual adoration. Removing sin from our lives helps us to stay in adoration longer. If we could remove it completely, we could stay in a state of perpetual adoration.
This is impossible, of course. But the theory of perpetual motion teaches us, then, that we need to apply energy to stay truly in motion. That energy is the same energy that we adore: the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit provides us the unending supply of energy needed continually to worship our God.
The entire theory of perpetual adoration rests on the idea that perpetual motion cannot exist. We need Christ to remove the friction of sin from our lives. We need the Holy Spirit to supply us the spiritual energy we need.
Scientifically, perpetual motion cannot exist, but spiritually, through the power of God, perpetual adoration is possible. Our first step is simply to get our spiritual lives into motion.
Many of us may not be blessed with the gift of a Perpetual Adoration chapel in our local parishes, but we can still live our lives in perpetual adoration through the saving grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
Copyright © 2013, Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson works as an IT Analyst for a Catholic publishing group. In his spare time, he enjoys writing and sharing his faith on his website, Waking Up Catholic, a guide to the Catholic RCIA process. and is also the Co-Founder of Assisi Media, a new Catholic publishing company focused on using new media to reach everyday Catholics. His new book, Waking Up Catholic, is available in eBook and paperback formats.
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Adoration ROCKS. Thanks for this great viewpoint on it.