A Different Kind of Reality TV

So-called "Reality TV" is the dominant format of television programming these days. These shows turned out to be relatively strike-proof during the recent TV writers' strike. They are relatively cheap to produce. They appeal to viewers' more voyeuristic interests. These shows range from the harmless to the repugnant.

However, there is a kind of Reality TV that is little known but holds the promise of great benefit for people. That Reality TV is the use of webcams (cameras which are linked to the Internet) to view the Blessed Sacrament in adoration remotely. It may seem rather odd at first, but if we reflect upon it, it makes sense. Through these Eucharistic webcams, we are still seeing Christ with our own eyes in real time; the only difference is that we are doing so from a distance. The effects of grace from Eucharistic adoration are not diminished because distance (even time) is nothing to God. In addition, the tradition of Spiritual Communion tells us that we can receive Jesus spiritually whether we are in the immediate proximity of the Blessed Sacrament or not.

I have found two Eucharistic webcams. One is at Savior.org and the other is St. Martin of Tours, a parish in Louisville, Kentucky. I have just begun to explore the solace and spiritual enrichment of this form of Eucharistic adoration. I encourage others to try it.