Forty Hours devotion

Posted: 02.13.09

One of the eucharistic devotions that the parishes of our diocese are participating in during our 25th anniversary is that of Forty Hours devotion. Since we are celebrating that we are “25 Years – A Eucharistic People,” this particular devotion gives us a unique and uniform manner to gather in our individual parishes to adore the real presence of Jesus Christ among us in the Eucharist. The purpose of this devotion is to lead us to the full celebration of the Eucharist and, as such, is a wonderful opportunity of grace and growth. Forty Hours devotion is one of those recommended by Pope Benedict XVI in his apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist, “Sacramentum Caritatis” (“Sacrament of Charity”).

Forty is a significant biblical number. It is used frequently in the Old and New Testaments to designate a fairly long period of time in terms of both existence and endurance. Its application to a biblical event gives it a sacred nature. A few examples of this are obvious: It rained for 40 days during the account of Noah’s Ark; Moses and the Israelites journeyed for 40 years in the desert before coming to the promised land; Jesus spent 40 days in the desert praying, fasting and being tested by the devil before he began his public ministry; it was for a period of 40 days that Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and before his ascension into heaven. However, perhaps the most significant application of the Forty Hours devotion is that the Lord’s body reposed in the tomb for a period of about 40 hours between his death and resurrection. Hence, Forty Hours devotion is associated most closely with the adoration of the Lord’s body.

The history of Forty Hours is a long one. It is hard to pinpoint its origin, but it clearly dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries when many practices of eucharistic adoration were common and it was customary to keep vigil before the Lord’s tomb during the last three days of Holy Week. The practice of a continuity of Forty Hours devotion in a diocese, which we are undertaking in our jubilee year, also began to develop during these years as one church would conclude the devotion and another would begin it. Such practice gave a universality to it.

The first documented reference to Forty Hours devotion is traced to Pope Paul III in 1539, who granted a request of the archbishop of Milan to use the practice from church to church as a protection against enemies of Christendom. During this period, St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Philip Neri were instrumental in encouraging Forty Hours as a means of reparation for sin and as a prayer for peace. On Nov. 25, 1592, Pope Clement VIII gave formal recognition to Forty Hours devotion and decreed its observance throughout the Diocese of Rome.

In the United States the practice of Forty Hours devotion was strongly promoted by St. John Neumann, the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. While the practice was present in other areas of our country, it was Bishop Neumann who gave a cohesive diocesan schedule to this practice. He introduced the practice at the First Diocesan Synod in April 1853, and then initiated a diocesewide program so that each parish would have Forty Hours devotion during the course of the year. This is quite similar to what our diocese is doing this year. Due to St. John Neumann’s impetus, Forty Hours devotion spread even more widely to other dioceses in our country and was approved for all of our country by the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1866.

During a good part of the 20th century, perhaps up until the beginning of the ’70s, the practice of Forty Hours devotion was very popular and common in parishes in the dioceses of the United States. Much of its popularity was due to the centrality of parishes within local neighborhoods and the ability that Forty Hours devotion gave the faithful of parishes to get together around the center of parish life which has always been the Eucharist. Devotion to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist was always the primary focus of Forty Hours devotion during these years. However, supplication against evil, prayer for world peace and reparation for sins remain a constant part of this great devotion.

Forty Hours devotion begins and concludes with Mass. The focus of Forty Hours devotion has always been to direct the faithful to the celebration of the Eucharist as the center of diocesan, parish and individual lives. Forty Hours devotion is a most appropriate and wonderful way for us as a diocese to focus on the Eucharist during our jubilee year. Because of its biblical association, it reminds us of the living word of God present among us in the Scriptures. It reminds us that God is living in the daily events of our lives through which he reveals himself as he did through the inspired Scriptures. Our lives and world are no different than those in which the people of biblical times lived. Because of its emphasis on the Eucharist, Forty Hours devotion reminds us of the primacy of this sacrament within the life of our diocese and the church. As St. Thomas Aquinas taught, “The Eucharist occupies a unique place as the sacrament of sacraments: All of the sacraments are ordered to it as their end.” In the celebration of the Eucharist, the entire spiritual good of the church is contained.

The devotion of Forty Hours will bring us much grace and renewal. Like so many other dioceses throughout history which have undertaken the devotion in a unified fashion, its movement from one parish to another this jubilee year is a reminder of the life of Christ, our Pasch, which comes to us, not as individuals, but through the family of faith which is the church. I am deeply grateful to Fathers Charles Hawkins and Michael Driscoll and to all of our pastors and people who have coordinated the efforts of this particular part of our eucharistic year. May we continue to grow in faith, hope and love through their efforts, which make Christ’s presence among us visible in such a concrete manner.

As we continue to celebrate that we are “25 Years – A Eucharistic People,” may the practice of Forty Hours devotion within our diocese help us to realize more deeply our union with the universal church now and throughout history.

Return to the Diocese of Palm Beach Front Page