Eucharistic adoration in Kota Kinabalu to 'discover' Jesus
Fr Antoine Thomas’s mission is to help children foster a personal friendship with Jesus, learn to bond with Him, develop a deeper desire to pray and show greater attention to the Mass as well as hold an unshakable faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Kota Kinabalu (AsiaNews) – About 150 parents and adults took part in a Eucharistic Adoration workshop dedicated on children organised by Fr Antoine Thomas (pictured), a member of the Community of Saint John.
The seminar was held in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart parish in Kota Kinabalu on 22-24 November 2019. Participants faced questions such as ‘What do you want for your children? To be slaves to technology? Would you give them gadgets to know God or gadgets to doom their soul?
Fr Thomas used this occasion to unveil his mission to help children discover the true loving presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. His mission included firing up parents, teachers, religious educators and pastors so that they can raise awareness of the huge discrepancy between the thousands going to Mass every Sunday and the smaller number taking time out to visit Jesus during the week in Eucharistic adoration.
The urgency was most keenly felt as Fr Antoine highlighted the teachings and demands of Mother Church. “I urge priests, religious and lay people to continue and redouble their efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they are not introduced to the mystery of His presence?” (Saint John Paul II, 28 May 1996)
Speaking about himself, Father Antoine underlined that he is “driven to give people the means to develop this ministry of making Jesus hidden in the tabernacle known and loved, particularly by children, to build a new generation of children in love with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”
In doing so, children will be led to foster a personal friendship with Jesus, learn to bond with Jesus, develop a deeper desire to pray, be more attentive to the Mass and have an unshakeable faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
"The Eucharistic adoration is the secret for family unity,” explained Fr Antoine. It gets even better for “Children will be able to withstand the tsunami of temptations they face as they grow up if they start from a young age to know and encounter Christ adoration.”
According to Fr Antoine, there are numerous benefits, both for the children and their families. First, children discover that the Host is actually the person of Jesus, mysteriously hidden. Secondly, they develop a greater interest in the mysteries of our faith and the liturgy of the Mass. Thirdly, they get to understand the relationship between the gift of the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross out of love for mankind. Fourthly, they become much more aware of the various degrees of sin and seem very eager to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) often. Finally, families accompanying their children witness a growing desire for peace and forgiveness within the family.
To this end, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI strongly advocates Eucharistic adoration for children preparing for their first communion. “I also recommend that in their catechetical training, and especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and [be] helped to cultivate a sense of awe before His presence in the Eucharist” (Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Cantatis, 13 March 2007)
The passionate supporter of Eucharistic adoration also warned of the “danger of transmitting only knowledge during catechism classes. If so, there is no vital bond between Jesus and a child's soul. Instead, we must lead the children to develop a friendship with Jesus by spending time with Him in his Eucharistic presence. This is what is missing in Catholic education. It is probably the reason why so many children lose interest in the Church after receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.
Eucharistic adoration in parishes and schools should be a vital part of Catholic education. What can we do as parents, parishes and schools to foster children eucharistic adoration? The first thing is to raise awareness. Fr Antoine invited seminar participants to visit the Children of Hope website for more information and references, including how to start a children adoration ministry in one’s parish. A video about the mission in Kota Kinabalu is also available.
For Angelic Star Baxcdy, 9, the first adoration (led by Fr Antoine), “was the first time and kind of funny that Jesus has seven names and to hear the Father say that in the Holy Communion we do not receive the dead body of Jesus, but the living body of Jesus.”
For parishioners in Cathedral of the Sacred Heart parish, the existing children Eucharistic adoration ministry, which began in 2012, has been in line with Fr Antoine’s mission. In 2019, the children Eucharistic adoration was incorporated into the Sunday School programme to prepare children for their First Communion. The adoration ministry is also considering expanding the programme to include teenagers preparing for Confirmation the following year.
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