Spiritual Reflection

November 9th was the feast of St. John Lateran Archbasilica in Rome. It is the oldest of the four basilicas in Rome and perhaps the most important. Since it is the cathedral parish of the diocese of Rome, the Bishop of Rome is the pastor and the Bishop of Rome is the POPE.

My reflection has to do with my memories of paying visits to my home parish in La Salle, IL, St. Patricks. I remember making many visits to our church and can remember people coming to pay a visit before and after going to work, during lunch breaks and kids going there after school. It seemed to be an important part of their day.

These visits made it easy to experience quietude, peace, a relaxed time and an opportunity to engage in private prayer. I knew, as I am sure all who paid these visits knew, we were in GOD’S house. It was surely a special time and a time we all looked forward to in the midst of a busy day.

Today, it seems the only visits are when there is Perpetual Adoration. And there doesn’t seem to be a lot of these. I had a pastor tell me that he told his people that even though we don’t have perpetual adoration due to scheduling issues, Jesus is still present. He may not be outside the tabernacle but He is still present in His church waiting for you to visit. This pastor has the church open twenty-four hours a day and people come and pay visits all day long.

I encourage you to think about paying a visit outside of Mass times or at least going earlier to Mass and pay Jesus a special visit. God Bless!