Ah, adoration, the best way to vast in God`s presence! Adoration is generally a Catholic thing, but anyone can do it, especially with a friend, partner, or even spouse! But first let`s take a deeper look into it and better understand what it is.
Adoration is typically a Catholic thing (It may be important to note I am Catholic) but some protestant religions (such as Lutherans) also have adoration. But what is it? It`s merely worshiping, praying, singing, or praising God while being in His physical presence.
The living presence of God. In the Roman Catholic Church, we believe that the Eucharistic host is the real and true body of Christ. During adoration, we (Catholics) put the holy host on display, so we may adore a physical form of the One, True God. We place the host in a monstrance, which is more or less a decorative holder for the host. I won`t go into all the details, but that`s all you need to know for now. You just need to understand what adoration is for now. Adoration dates are the best type of dates, but that`s just my own opinion.
For a deeper understanding of adoration you may follow this link:
How to have an adoration date:
Write a love note to your boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse. I know, that`s a cheesy, out-dated thing and nobody writes letters anymore. Well, hate to burst your bubble, but lots of people actually do. You just don`t hear about it because it`s not a "cool" thing. Writing a letter - someone can read whenever they desire; a text may be harder to find as time goes on. Plus the letter shows effort you are putting in out of love for them. A lot of relationships fail due to lack of effort! I encourage you get past the cheesiness of it and realize what you`re actually doing. After all, all those "couple goals" hashtags, are not most if not all of them "cheesy" things?
Go to mass and/or confession before if possible. Mass and confession are both sacraments that are very good and important. Going to mass, you have just received Jesus in your body and now you get to vast in his absolute presence, being with him in a more intimate way. Going to confession, you no longer have sins on your soul and you have experience God`s glory, mercy and joy most of all. Going to confession, mass than adoration, probably the best thing you could possibly do!
Have a list of bible verses. Read and reflect on them. The bible is full of verses about life, love, lust, relationships, and the list goes on and on. To do them you simply have to choose a bible verse(s), read them, and reflect on them. During the reflection, you are able to talk about things you agree or disagree on. When you share your reflection on something, you are letting that person into your life, which increases intimacy.
If you need a list of bible verses here is a link to one of my previous articles, these bible verses are listed especially for this purpose:
Talk about your relationship and its past/future. Talking about your relationship in general can be a good thing. Remembering the past and thinking about the future is a good way to increase the feeling of love. Below are some questions you could ask:
Past - Do you remember your first date? Your first kiss? The first time meeting the parents? The first time you met each other? What was your first impression of each other? Can you remember the most romantic moment in your relationship?
Future/Present - (varies on where you are in your relationship) Are we heading towards marriage? What do you love most about them? How many (more) kids do you want? How do you show your love for each other? What`s the biggest sacrifice you`ve done for your partner?
If you would like more questions, click here.
Tell the Lord your troubles, fears and doubts with your relationship. Going along with the last one, it`s talking about your relationship. But not just with your S.O. but with Jesus as well. It`s taking everything in your relationship and giving it to God, something everyone should do.
Pray a rosary together. Praying together alone is a very intimate thing to do, as you are letting that person know what you pray for, which is a powerful thing! Praying a rosary is a good thing. It invites you as a couple to pray to your Mamma Mary! Mary is an amazing person to pray to, simply because she is the Blessed Virgin Mary, she`s a perfect example on how we should live.
If you are not sure on how to pray a rosary, click here.
Pray for each other`s exes and/or people whom may have hurt you or your spouse in the past. This is probably something that is fairly hard to do. However, when you pray for someone, no matter how much you may dislike/hate them, God takes that hate away and replaces it with love. It may be awhile before you feel it, but slowly you will forgive your enemy if you keep praying for them.
Cook dinner together. What? Did you think this was all going to be centered at adoration? Nah, as sad as it is, you eventually have to leave. If you go to adoration before or after dinner it doesn`t matter! Cooking with your S.O. is a important part of this date since it allows you two to work together and overall improves your "team work" as a couple. Plus, as a bonus, it`s fun! Just don`t get too carried away with it.
Don`t kiss until the end of the date when saying goodbye. I mean this. It will teach you self-control, which is a good thing! The reason you should do this is because it`s shows you that good things are worth waiting for. During this date, you may be want to kiss him/her, but when you do it saying goodbye, it`ll make that kiss mean even more, and you`ll value it more. Trust me on this. If you wanted to take this a step further, don`t kiss them at all!
Here are just a few extra things that may improve your date and/or relationship.
Leave the phones in the car. You want to give this time to Jesus and your partner. You want them both to know how important they are to you. Your phone will only bring distractions, if you want to have it with you, at least turn it off.
Have music playing. I know, I know, I`m contradicting myself since most people`s music is on their phone. So yes, if you plan to use your phone for music you may bring it in with you, but keep it on Do Not Disturb or Airplane Mode. You don`t want your phone being a distraction.
Pick a saint to be the patron of your relationship. Think of this saint being a Confirmation Saint for your relationship! Whomever you choose to be your "Relationship Saint" will be with you and your S.O. Look through the saints and mutually agree on one you feel would be a good saint to ask to look over your relationship. Then ask them to look over your relationship and I am sure they would be more than willing too! Just remember to pray to this saint often!
Just sit quietly and be in the presence of God. Just sit, be still, and listen to what our awesome God has to say to you. Life is so busy and we don`t often get enough time to just sit still and listen to what God has to tell us. Don`t pray or look at your S.O. during this time. This is your personal time, listen to what God has to tell you individually and about your relationship.
After dinner, watch a Christian movie together. You`ve gone to confession, you`ve gone to mass, you`ve gone to adoration, and you`ve cooked dinner, but it`s only 8 P.M. I understand that you may not want to go home yet, so here is a third option! You, overall, should keep this date theme consistent - meaning a christian movie. Netflix has many options for you! Netflix and Chill - the right way! Just keep that kissing rule in mind!
