‘The Holy Hour is the place where I am grounded in my relationship. It is the place where I know who I am: His son, His brother, His friend, His priest, His bishop, His.’
Editor’s Note: To commemorate the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sheen’s alma mater, has published The Hour, a collection of reflections on making a Eucharistic Holy Hour. The following is an excerpt of a reflection written by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, a Saint Paul Seminary alumnus and former formation director and professor.
As a formator at The Saint Paul Seminary, I frequently reminded the seminarians that it was in our chapel that Archbishop Fulton Sheen had made his promise to the Lord to do a daily Holy Hour. I would explain to the seminarians that I tried my best to be faithful to this same commitment, which I began in seminary, and that I have found it to be one of the most foundational spiritual practices of my life.
I have come to count the hour I get to spend each day with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament as one of the greatest treasures in my life. During the best days, and during the darkest days, it is this time that has sustained me and helped me remember who I am and why I do what I do. I know that I need this time where heart can speak to heart — His heart and mine.
The way I spend the time has changed over the more than 35 years in which I’ve had this practice. Sometimes it is a very consoling time, where I sense that the Lord is really speaking to me about His love or some truth. Some days, I find myself distracted by the duties or problems that I carry in ministry. Actually, I have come to learn over the years that those are not always distractions, because the Lord cares about the things that are weighing on my heart, and it is helpful to bring them to Him. I often experience new light in those burdens or insights into situations as I bring them to the Lord and beg for His help during my Holy Hour.
My Holy Hour normally involves some Scripture or theme where I find the Lord is speaking. I don’t simply pray with the daily readings or a daily devotional; rather, I try to discern where the Lord is speaking in my life and keep going back to that area daily as the conversation continues. Many times, I find myself meditating on the same passage for months. For most of the last year, I have been spending a lot of time with the Last Supper Discourse (John 13-17), as I find constant food there about being in relationship with Jesus, surrendering my life to Him, and letting the Holy Spirit bear fruit.
I’m careful not to fill up the hour with reading or homily preparation; I do that before my Holy Hour. This is the place simply to open my heart and be with Him. Sometimes I am able just to sit in the quiet and adore Him before me in the Blessed Sacrament. That is the best prayer: loving Him in the silence. I do usually try to write something down in my journal at the end of my Holy Hour — perhaps an insight that gives light, a phrase that is helping my heart rest, or a desire that I want to hold up before the Lord. These things are helpful for me the next day when I come back to Holy Hour, enabling me to continue the conversation.
Even if not much happens in my Holy Hour, I can’t imagine my day without it. I have come to love being with Him, and my life would feel empty without it. I often teach the principle of Relationship, Identity, Mission: The most important things in my life are my relationships, and from my relationships I discover who I am — my identity. When I know who I am, then I know what I should do — my mission. The Holy Hour is the place where I am grounded in my relationship. It is the place where I know who I am: His son, His brother, His friend, His priest, His bishop, His. If I remember this, then there is nothing that can come today that can be too much for me. I am always His, and what I seek to do is for Him. This grounding is the key to my life and essential to my day. For this reason, I know I will never stop trying to make a daily Holy Hour.
