Catholics have a type of service where the celebrant places the Eucharist (also often called a “host”) in a gold stand which has a circle of glass in the center (the stand is known as a monstrance) on the altar for viewing and prayer. The timing and frequency of these varies from one parish to another. I converted as an adult, and it was my first time attending a service which included a time of Eucharistic Adoration. While I don’t recall the exact event which triggered this period of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at our church, I recall the following observations with exact clarity:
I like to sing in the choir. Our choir is located at the back of our church, on risers up high in the balcony where our pipe organ dominates the upper level. The drawback is that you are 100+ feet away from the altar. I love singing in the choir, but it does disconnect me from both my family attending below, and also from an up close and personal view of the activities going on at the altar.
Trying to figure out the light…
As I looked down at the altar throughout the service, I was intrigued and my eyes kept returning to how the stand holding the Eucharist had a light emanating from the center. It had what I thought was an LED level of yellow-gold brightness, and I assumed that there was a very bright little bulb in the center, illuminating the stand and host for all to be able to pick out amongst the candles, chalice and other items on the altar and in the sanctuary. I wondered if it possibly had a tightly focused spotlight from the side, reflecting off a polished gold plate in the center. My mind worked throughout the service to try and explain the brightness. When I went downstairs after the service, I asked our priest to show me the stand, and I explained what I had been seeing from up in the choir loft. He showed me the somewhat dull brass holder with its little glass host-sized center window which was empty now. No light. No brightness. Explain it however you or I might try afterward, but I know what I saw.
Thank you, angels. A Moment of Grace.