"Come Let Us Worship and Bow Down"

This past Sunday evening I had the privilege of providing worship music for a "Holy Hour" at a nearby parish. For the un-initiated, a Holy Hour is a time that folks come together for an hour for Eucharistic adoration and prayer as well as the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation (Confession). Not unlike First Fridays except this has additional singing of worship songs in the presence of our Lord. It was very meaningful to me because I had spent the past 30 or so years as a musician in worship and praise bands and led worship services from time to time in a Methodist church shortly before reverting to Catholicism. This was the first opportunity in two years since returning to the Church , to use my musical talents in a Catholic worship service.

There was a difference this time. All the focus was on Jesus displayed in the monstrance for all the worshippers. The music provided a backdrop but was not the focus of the service. Jesus was the focus and the pressure and focus was off me! Unless you have ever led worship in a charismatic church, you can't fully understand the pressure and responsibility that you feel because of the need to "get it right" and bring the congregation into 'the presence" of the Lord.
I admire the worship leaders I have known in the past because of their concern and committment to help bring the congregants into fervent praise of Jesus. But in Eucharistic Adoration, as a Catholic when I sang: "Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our God, our Maker" I finally "got it." He was there with us, "cloaked" as it were in bread, humbled before us in the form of the Eucharist. It was difficult to hold back my tears when I realized all the years I had sung about His presence, but left the Church that gave me the opportunity to come and bow down before Him in the Real Presence.