1. What is Adoration? Adoration is the act of worshiping or honoring as a deity or as divine. Perpetual Adoration is prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, either reserved in the tabernacle or exposed in a monstrance, continued by successive worshipers day and night without intermission. Eucharistic Adoration is adoring or honoring the Eucharistic Presence of Christ. During Eucharistic Adoration, we "watch and wait", we remain "silent" in His Presence and open ourselves to His Graces which flow from the Eucharist ... By worshiping the Eucharistic Jesus, we become what God wants us to be. In its fullest essence ... Eucharistic Adoration is "God and Man reaching out for each other, at the same time!"
2. What is a Monstrance? A Monstrance, or Ostensorium, is a metal vessel usually gold or silver-plated with a transparent section in which the Sacred Host is placed in its lunette when exposed for adoration or carried in procession. It varies in shape and ornamentation, popular models being tower-shaped or round; a metal circlet surrounded with rays or bars resting on a stem rising from a heavy base, many ornamented with jewels.
3. What does Monstrance mean? Monstrance means, basically, to see or to view.
4. Why is the host in the monstrance bigger than the one that we receive at communion but not as big as the one that you hold up and break during mass? Is the size of the host significant of something? There is no real significance to this at all. The size is determined by practical reasons like how big is the size of host in any particular monstrance and secondly, how large does it need to be in order for it to be adequately seen. Some monstrances are really large with a small host showing, they try and compensate for the smallness of the size of the host with a larger decoration on the monstrance.
5. Is there a special name for the host that goes into the Monstrance?
No, it is simply a consecrated host.
6. What happens to the host after adoration is over? After adoration the consecrated host is either consumed or placed in the tabernacle with the rest of the reserve Blessed Sacrament. If it is a large consecrated host, then it is broken up to be distributed later in communion.
7. Is there any other postures or gestures we should make while at adoration, like walking out backwards and not turning your back to the Blessed Sacrament? When one is entering a place where Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is happening, the correct posture is to enter the space, and before either kneeling or sitting, to genuflect on one knee. Some people kneel on both knees and bow their head all the way to the ground. This is a personal pious action and not required. While in prayer with the exposed Blessed Sacrament the correct posture is to kneel or to reverently sit. When exiting, the correct posture is to genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance and then exit as usual. One does not have to walk out backwards, it is not even a suggestion. It is the way some people choose to show their piety.There is another prayer posture that is seen on occasion, that of full prostration. That means that a person lies face down before the Blessed Sacrament. It is an extreme expression of submission and supplication. However, it is not required or mandated.