Dear Father

Whenever we speak about handling the Eucharist, we desire to treat the Lord with the greatest respect. Even with this most important desire, there will be unexpected situations that will arise. How do we handle these situations while keeping respect for the Blessed Sacrament at the fore?

What is Eucharistic Adoration? What are proper behaviors and proper ways to spend time at Eucharistic Adoration? 

One story told about St. John Vianney, the saintly pastor of Ars in France, is that he often saw a farmer sit in the back of the parish church. The saint took notice that the farmer would spend long periods of time there before the Eucharist. Finally one day, the saint asked him what he did during his time of adoration. The farmer simply responded, "I look at Him and He looks at me."

In the early 1960s, successful yet dissatisfied Spanish artist Kiko Arguello sought greater spirituality. Arguello wondered about the spiritual meaning to life, or even if God existed at all. For answers, he moved into a shantytown with only a guitar and a Bible. There, he encountered violence and addiction as well as the deeper issues of interior wounds and despair.

A couple enters into marriage with great joy and hope for the future. When a marriage declines and ends in divorce, it's a painful event on so many levels. What makes it even more painful for a Catholic is the feeling that, because of this divorce, a divorcee can no longer be part of the Church at the time her support is most needed.

The Church, however, is still there for a person in this situation. As at other painful moments in life, the Church is there as the field hospital we need when we are wounded by sins or human ugliness.

The first three of the Ten Commandments outline our duties toward God. We are to place Him as first in our life, to respect His name, and to keep His day holy. As Christians, we honor the Lord's day on Sunday in commemoration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Other major holy days are included in this commandment as well, as their celebration marks major truths of our faith or events in the life of our Lord or His mother Mary.

Donating one's body to science enables future doctors to directly study the human anatomy and gain needed practice in performing surgery. Such donations also advance medical science by more fully understanding diseases and conditions. These insights lead to better treatments and even preventive measures for future generations.