During the FoP there are times of Praise and Worship music and times of Silent Adoration. Why do we have a Festival of Praise? FoP is held monthly to regularly provide an opportunity all to join together in Adoration of our Lord; to worship and give praise to God; to spend time in Prayer and Adoration of Jesus, who is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. It is our prayer that it will cultivate
an ever present attitude of the heart of reverence and adoration of our triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is in coming together before our Lord that we are fed to continue growing in our personal relationship with the Lord and in our ministries. Adoration is reserved for God alone. We do not adore the angels, the saints or even the Blessed Mother. No other is worthy of adoration but the three persons of the Trinity nor do we give this special reverence to anyone else at any time or any place. In Luke 4:7-8, when the devil tells Jesus that if he would prostrate himself before him, all the earthly kingdoms would be his. Jesus responds saying, "Scripture has it, 'You shall do homage to the Lord your God, Him alone shall you adore.'"
Adoration is not just something we should do when in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament or at Mass. We shouldn't view adoration as the particular hour we sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament on a certain day of the week. The holy sacrifice of the Mass is the highest form of adoration that exists in the Church since it commemorates the greatest act of adoration by which Jesus gave himself to God the Father. At Mass, our adoration should be most profound. It is here we join with the choirs of angels and saints in endless praise. Just as you can’t be exposed to the sun without receiving its rays, neither can you come to Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament without receiving the divine rays of His Grace, His Love, His Mercy, His Peace. What can you expect to do at a Festival of Praise? Those coming to worship are invited to enter into prayer as they are led by the Holy Spirit. For some, it may be by joining in song, for others, it may be remaining silent in quiet prayer, still others may be moved to kneel, sit, stand or raise their hands as a sign of reverence, openness and receptivity to the love and graces being poured out from Jesus. It is both a communal and personal prayer experience and time for personal encounter with Jesus. We should never forget that it is impossible to adore the Lord of our own doing, because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can lift up our heart and mind to God. At each Festival of Praise, we invite the Holy Spirit to move and guide our worship. Music:
The songs chosen by worship leaders are intended to direct our focus towards receiving a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the praise and worship of Jesus our Lord, and openness to embracing the love of God our Father. Even if the songs are unfamiliar to the participants, the choruses are usually simple, repetitive, and meditative; lyrics can be easily followed since they are projected in front.
