First Adoration at Only Three Days Old

Not many Catholics can recall their first time praying before the Blessed Sacrament. But how about I share that someone as young as only three days old adored Jesus after coming home from the hospital? Spoiler Alert: it’s me and here is the story.

I was born in December of 1989. After two or three days in the hospital, my mom and I came home for the first time.

The house and the preparations for Christmas were all done weeks in advance in anticipation of my arrival, even though my dad skipped his annual hunting trip. My siblings were thrilled about my arrival. Even our family dog, Lady.

My mom recalled how I would be mesmerized by a Nativity that stood on top of the entertainment center at my house. I couldn’t stop but take my eyes off that one Christmas decoration even just mere days after my birth. She thought that I would be a faithful follower as I grew older and serious about my faith.

As my first Christmas came and went, I would continue gazing upon that Nativity set my family had in their possession. I would maintain that gaze when the family would visit my parents to pay us homage on my arrival.

Every time I hear about this story, it makes me understand how Jesus felt when people gazed upon him when he was in the crib. I would never have thought that I could have been at the very first Christmas when Jesus was born. Yet, it turns out that I had my first Holy Hour as a newborn.

Even a newborn can see more heavenly things than any average adult. Christ reminds us, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14).  

I think it is safe to say that the kingdom of heaven was revealed to me through the Nativity Scene. I have to give mad props to St. Francis, who invented the first one after his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Every year, I always look forward to looking at the Nativity Scene in any church that I visit, or outdoor displays connected to a parish. I remind myself how the first people to adore him were his parents, shepherds, and even the three wise men.

The next time one is near a nativity scene, take time to adore Jesus as an infant as one does during Eucharistic Adoration. Take time to give him your needs and desires as we finish Advent and switch over to Christmas. Christ wants all of us as we approach his birthday. Never hold yourself back.