What do grandparents do best?

They adore their grandchildren.

Too often, as parents, we are too busy providing for the needs of our children to take the time to just sit back and adore them. But grandparents have the luxury of being distinctly present with their grandchildren without the burden of worrying about their everyday needs, schedules, futures, and the many other things that fill parents’ minds. 

This is not to say that some grandparents don’t do a lot for their grandchildren (some even raise them), but, generally speaking, grandparents know how to appreciate and truly adore their grandchildren.

As the feast of Jesus’ grandparents, Saints Anne and Joachim, approaches on July 26, I was thinking about how the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is similar to why we go to Eucharistic adoration.

This summer, I’ve had the privilege of attending an hour of adoration every Friday since school let out. Our parish offers adoration from after the 9 a.m. Mass to 3 p.m. every Friday. These are usually difficult hours to get to with a toddler in tow.

Now that school is out and I can leave the youngest home with an older sibling, I can actually plan to spend a whole hour with Jesus, instead of the usual rushed few minutes after Mass. I always give the older kids (ages 8–16) the option to join me. (So far, my 14-year-old son has been the only taker, and a what a beautiful experience that was to share with my oldest boy!)

Some people have difficulty with Eucharistic adoration. The tradition is to spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament, though any amount of time can be fruitful.

If an hour is the goal, some people find it difficult to “just sit there.” The whole point of spending time in adoration is “to adore.” It may seem awkward at first, but if we think about what’s really going on, it makes a lot more sense.

The Blessed Sacrament is the actual Body of Our Lord. Your Lord. My Lord. That white substance in the middle of the monstrance is God himself, present with us! This fact alone should make us fall on our knees in grateful adoration.

There are many prayers of adoration available to us from many saints. One recommendation is Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori. But don’t be afraid to just sit there. Sometimes the best adoration needs no words.

The story is told of the 19th-century French country priest St. John Vianney, whose feast is coming up on Aug. 4, and how he repeatedly observed an old farmer just sitting in the church staring at the tabernacle. Finally, St. John asked the man what he was doing, to which the simple countryman replied, “I look at Him and He looks at me.”

Isn’t that beautiful? And isn’t this our goal as Christians – to be so focused on God that we only have eyes for him and his will for us? Shouldn’t the greatest moments of our lives be when we are completely content gazing upon the One who has saved us?

St. John Vianney sums up well the purpose of Eucharistic adoration: “The visit to the Blessed Sacrament is a source of so much sweetness because we have in the tabernacle the same God who is the source of happiness for the elect in Heaven. The Eucharist becomes thus an earthly paradise.”

Along with Son-gazing during Eucharistic adoration, feel free to do some spiritual reading or meditating on a passage from Scripture, perhaps the Gospel of the day or the upcoming Sunday Gospel.

Many people pray the Rosary, or Divine Mercy Chaplet. I usually spend the first 20 minutes of the hour trying to just adore him, though I often spend several of those minutes trying to rein in my wandering mind!

I have found that mind-wandering is best curtailed by just talking to Jesus. I tell him how grateful I am for the many blessings in my life and place at his feet the many intentions, worries, and anxieties that might be weighing me down.

Sitting in front of my Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, with the large crucifix behind him, I am reminded there is no burden on this earth that God doesn’t help me carry. This is the peace that comes from time spent with Jesus. Along with the peace comes a definite strengthening, to go back out into the world to continue living out God’s will for our lives and, hopefully, spreading his Word.

We don’t know for sure if Jesus knew his grandparents. We do know they raised our Blessed Mother, which tells us they were pretty special people. We also know that the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is special. Grandparents are usually a pillar of strength and stability for their grandchildren. Their relationship is usually one of joy, peace, and mutual adoration.

On this feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, hopefully your family can honour these two holy people by spending some time in front of their grandson, our Lord, in complete adoration.

Lazzuri writes from her home in Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband, six children, and her mom. She can be reached at [email protected].