Visits to the Blessed Sacrament — Daily Practice

The practice of visiting the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass grew up in the Western Church from the twelfth century onward, as the reserved Eucharist came to be kept in a tabernacle for the sick and for adoration. Its greatest popularizer was St. Alphonsus Liguori, whose "Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary" (1745) provided a short visit for each day of the month and became one of the most reprinted devotional books in history. The prayer here is his classic act of faith and adoration. The Church has consistently taught that Eucharistic adoration flows from and leads back to the Mass, and Popes from Paul VI in Mysterium Fidei to John Paul II in Ecclesia de Eucharistia have urged the daily or weekly visit as one of the simplest and most fruitful habits available to any Christian. A famous line attributed to the Cure of Ars captures its spirit: asked what he did during long hours before the tabernacle, he replied, "I look at Him, and He looks at me."