The Moment of Benediction:
"The priest turns and raises aloft the Sacred Host. In loving adoration, in reverent awe, the invisible angels fall prostrate. The bell tinkles softly, fragrant clouds of sweet-smelling incense ascend on high, and in the remotest corner of the vast church every head is bowed in adoration. It is a solemn moment, a moment when the silent streams of grace pour down upon our souls. God’s hands are lifted up to bless us; His sacred face is turned upon us, and He waits oh ! so eagerly for us to ask some favour that He may win our hearts by His generosity. Let us ask, then, confidently and show our trust in God’s great goodness by the boldness of our requests."
"The priest turns and raises aloft the Sacred Host. In loving adoration, in reverent awe, the invisible angels fall prostrate. The bell tinkles softly, fragrant clouds of sweet-smelling incense ascend on high, and in the remotest corner of the vast church every head is bowed in adoration. It is a solemn moment, a moment when the silent streams of grace pour down upon our souls. God’s hands are lifted up to bless us; His sacred face is turned upon us, and He waits oh ! so eagerly for us to ask some favour that He may win our hearts by His generosity. Let us ask, then, confidently and show our trust in God’s great goodness by the boldness of our requests."
~ Fr. William Doyle, SJ ~
Above all, Fr Doyle was a man of prayer. He was one of the first people in Ireland to start the devotion of spending a holy hour in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. He regularly arose at night to pray, especially on Thursday nights in imitation of Christ in Gethsemane. He was of course a renowned spiritual director and retreat giver, and saw the importance of retreats for laity, a position that not all priests agreed with at the time.
~ All above content is from an admirable new blog: Remembering Fr William Doyle SJ ~
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