A private devotion given its classic form by St. Alphonsus Liguori in his little book of visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, published in 1745, which provides a short visit for each day of the month. For St. Alphonsus, after the reception of the sacraments no devotion stands higher. Pope Benedict XVI recalled his Eucharistic teaching in a general audience of 30 March 2011. The visit is made to the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle and does not require exposition.

Enter the church quietly and genuflect toward the tabernacle. Kneel or sit near it and begin with an act of faith in the real presence and an act of adoration. Then speak simply to the Lord: thank him, ask pardon, lay your needs and the needs of others before him, and spend part of the time in silence letting him look at you. A short reading — a psalm, a Gospel passage, or one of St. Alphonsus's visits — helps. Before leaving, ask a blessing and genuflect again. Even a few minutes on the way to or from work is enough; what matters is that the visit is frequent.

About 15 minutes

Citation

Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, 4th ed. (Apostolic Penitentiary, 1999), grant on Eucharistic adoration: a plenary indulgence for adoring the Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour, and a partial indulgence for a shorter visit, on the usual conditions. The governing norms are those of Paul VI, Indulgentiarum Doctrina (1967).

eucharistic