Forty Hours Devotion

Tonight, beginning immediately after the vigil Mass for the Immaculate Conception, our parish will have forty hours of Adoration, with intentions for the Pro Life movement. It's an annual event at our parish, and our whole family is participating this year. The first shift is only about half an hour, lasting from the end of Mass until 9:00, and the girls and I will stay for that. Tonight, when Soccer Dad gets back from his business trip, he'll stay in adoration from midnight until 1:30. (The usual shift is one hour, but the Knights have asked for volunteers because there's been trouble filling those early morning slots between midnight and four.) Tomorrow night, after Little Girl is finished dancing and both girls are on their way to dreamland, I'll go back to the church for another hour alone.

I cannot even say just how very much I need this time. How totally desperate I am right now. It's unreal, and I'm hoping that I don't just sit there for an hour and cry.

I'll try to remember the intentions I've been given tonight, and tomorrow, I'll especially remember my aunt, who has only been given "a handful of months" to live. (Thank you to those who have promised to help me with the spiritual bouquet. Even my mother-in-law, who is Methodist, has sent me a lovely note with what she'll do in prayer.)

One last thing: In preparation for tonight, I purchased this book at our parish bookstore.


You can get those at Aquinas and More, if you don't have one. It's really handy, and has a whole section on prayers before the Blessed Sacrament. And I'll tell you what, it's awfully nice to have prayers that say just what you want to say when you are having trouble praying. It's a relief to know that our prayers are not new, and that we don't have to pray extemporaneously. We can use these pre-written prayers.

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