Q. What are we supposed to do during a Holy Hour of Eucharistic adoration?

A. Many people wonder what the proper way to pray when in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is. Especially if they set out to make a Holy Hour, what should they do during those 60 minutes with the Lord?

It seems that there was some question as to whether praying the rosary during adoration was permitted, but it was clarified in 1998 by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship: “One should not expose the Eucharist only to recite the Rosary. However, among the prayers that are used during adoration, the recitation of the Rosary may certainly be included, emphasizing the Christological aspects with biblical readings relating to the mysteries, and providing time for silent adoration and meditation on them.” What better way to grow closer to Jesus than through the intercession of His Blessed Mother?

What else can you do during the time of adoration? Here is one prayer you can pray:

Adoration Prayer

I adore you, O Jesus, God of Love, truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I adore you Who has come to Your Own but were not received by them. I adore you, Whom the majority of mankind rejected and despised. I adore you, Whom the impious incessantly are offend by their sacrileges and blasphemies. I adore you, Who are grieved by the coldness and indifference of a vast number of Christians. I adore you, O Infinite Goodness, Who has wrought so many miracles, in order to reveal Your love to us. I adore you, with all the angels and saints, and with those chosen souls that are now already the blessed of Your Father and are all aglow with burning love for you. I adore you with all Your friends, O Jesus! With them I prostrate myself at the foot of the Altar, to offer you my most profound homage, to receive Your Divine Inspiration, and to implore Your grace. Oh, how good it is for me to be here with you! How sweet to hear the Voice of my Beloved! O Victim of Divine Love! A piercing cry breaks forth from Your Heart here on the Altar, as it once did on Calvary; it is the cry of Love; “I thirst,” You call to You children, “I thirst for your love! Come all, whom I love as My Father has loved Me; come and quench the thirst that consumes Me!

Lord Jesus, behold I come. My heart is small, but it is all Yours. You are a prisoner in our Tabernacles, You the Lord of Lords! And love it is, that holds you here as such! You leave the Tabernacle only to come to us, to unite Yourself with the faithful soul and allow Your Divine Love to reign within. O King of Love! Come, live and reign in me. I want no other law but the law of Your Love! No, no, I henceforth desire to know nothing, neither of this world nor of what is in it, nor of myself; Your Love alone shall rule in me eternally.

O Jesus, grant me this grace! Break all my fetters, strip me of all that is not of Yourself, in order that Your Love may be my life here below, and my happiness and delight in eternity, Amen.

Decree of S. Congregation of indulgences, May 30th, 1908.
Approved, Cleveland, May 1st, 1923.
Joseph Schrembs, D. D., Bishop of Cleveland.
From Pope John Paul II Eucharistic Adoration Association

Here is a whole list of suggestions from www.perpetualadoration.com on how to pray during a Holy Hour:

25 WAYS TO SPEND AN HOUR WITH JESUS
By Eileen McCarthy; New London, CT

1. Slowly read scripture until something hits you. Then listen.
2. Say a rosary.
3. Let God look at you.
4. Tell Him something that made you happy. Then listen.
5. Tell Him what you are afraid of. Then listen.
6. Tell Him what angers you. Then listen.
7. Speak about your loved ones.
8. Pray for an enemy.
9. Talk with Him about work.
10. Sing a song for Him in your heart.
11. Promise to trust Him.
12. Imagine Mary sitting next to you and praying with you.
13. Renew your loyalty to His Church.
14. Lean on Him. Tell Him you love Him
15. Thank Him for the Sacraments.
16. Tell Him your failures. Ask for help. Then listen.
17. Slowly recite the Beatitudes.
18. Say one Our Father slowly.
19. Say one Hail Mary slowly.
20. Say the Creed slowly.
21. Pray for vocations.
22. Ask Him to show you the next step.
23. Look at yourself. Count your gifts. Then thank Him.
24. Pray for the world.
25. Enjoy just being in His presence.

Spending time with Jesus should not be any different, fundamentally, then spending time with a very close friend. You can tell Him your deepest heart’s desires and longings, or just tell Him how your day has gone, talk about your children, whatever you would like to share with your Good Friend whom you are spending one intimate hour with. Whatever happens, don’t let worry over how to pray stop you from coming to “Son-bathe” in the Real Presence. Just being there will have an effect on you.

The answer to the question of what to do during your Holy Hour is: whatever you want to do that will help you enjoy your time in Christ’s Presence and grow closer to Him. There is not one answer. But perhaps the single best thing you can do in a Holy Hour of adoration is:

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10