I WANT A SNACK!!

“Mommy, I want a snack.” “Mommy, get me some ice cream!” “Daddy, do we have any cookies?” “Hey, where are the chips?” “I WANT JUNK FOOD!!”

If you are a parent, or even have some brothers or sisters, I am sure you have heard these demands, or something similar to them. Even our own stomachs sound the same sometimes. You know, those midnight cravings that ask you to go make that huge ice cream sundae! Or you ask yourself, hey where did that bag of Doritos I just bought yesterday go? Oh ya, I ate the whole thing watching the Red Sox game last night. Oops. (Yes, I am a Red Sox fan! Hey, I'm from Boston, whatchya gonna do!) The worst is when you get the craving about an hour after you just ate! Ugh! It happens to the best of us.

So what am I getting at? Well this is the same with our Catholic faith. It sounds funny but hear me out. We go to Mass on Sundays and think that our “obligation” is fulfilled. There. We are done. One hour… if that. But it really isn’t. Our soul isn’t satisfied. We weren’t built that way. God didn’t design us to only visit Him once a week for 45 minutes-1hour. He wants us EVERYDAY. He deserves us everyday.

So we get this desire (whether we realize it or not) to have more God in our lives throughout the week. Sunday Mass is like our “meal,” then until our next “meal” at the following Sunday Mass (unless you are super holy and go to daily Mass) we desire “snacks.” So what do we do? We go to the Lord in prayer. And what is the best way to do it than to go visit Him face to face in the Blessed Sacrament at Eucharistic Adoration! To see the same Christ we see at Mass during Holy Communion and to be able to gaze upon Him in the stillness, in the quiet.

So many of us are soooo busy in our lives. From jobs to job finding, from taking care of the family to trying to getting along with the family, being able to make ends meet with money, finding time to socialize or even just relax for that matter, physical problems to emotional problems. We have all felt them one time or another. Maybe some of you are feeling them all now and if you are, then holy cow I think that a time of Adoration is for you! We all need Christ whether we realize it or not. We are not meant to take care of ourselves on our own. We are not strong enough. “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.” Psalm 46:2

You may be wondering why I am encouraging you to Eucharistic Adoration. Well, that is because it was through Christ in the Eucharist where my life made a complete 180 change. If it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t be Catholic, I wouldn’t believe what I believe, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and maybe, I wouldn't even be HERE.

I went to a Steubenville East Youth Conference 8 years ago. They had Eucharistic Adoration with some Praise and Worship music in the background on the second night. Up to that point I wasn’t too into the whole “Catholic” thing. I hadn’t gone to Mass or Confession in years because I felt it was too “boring.” The conference was going alright. The speakers were pretty good, but I was bored. Then during adoration I was finally awakened. Something inside of me stirred up. When I saw the Blessed Sacrament right in front of me I felt God’s love like I have never felt before. It was there where I realized that it didn’t matter whether my faith was boring or not, (even though it really isn’t!). It all depends on what I make of it and what I put into it.

Put your whole self in!! Don’t hold anything back!! Don’t just visit your faith for an hour on Sunday. Come visit Christ in Adoration when available. If you can’t, don't forget that He lives in you! St. Paul says, “Did you not know that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit?” Either in your room, at the dinner table, on your way to work, say a prayer. Or if you’re on the road and an ambulance passes by say a prayer for the patient and the EMT’s. What a way to incorporate God into your day.

God loves you and has shared with you all He has.

Now share with Him your love and all you have.

Pax Christi