Worship the Lord
Prayers:
Making an Act of Spiritual Communion
The Way of Perfection
“When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you.”
St. John Vianney
“If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion, let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion, which we can make every moment; for we ought to have always a burning desire to receive the good God. Communion is to the soul like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out, but that has still plenty of hot embers; we blow, and the fire burns again.”
St. Leonard of Port Maurice
“In order to facilitate a practice of such great excellence, ponder what I have to say. When the priest is about to give himself Communion in holy Mass, do you, keeping composed externally and internally, excite in your heart an act of true contrition, and humbly striking your breast, in token that you acknowledge yourself unworthy of so great a grace, make all those acts of love, of self-surrender, of humility, and the rest, which you are accustomed to make when you communicate sacramentally, and then desire with a lively longing to receive your good Jesus, veiled in the sacrament for your benefit. And to kindle your devotion, imagine that most holy Mary, or some saint, your holy advocate, is holding forth to you the sacred particle; figure yourself receiving it, and then, embracing Jesus in your heart, reply to Him, over and over again, with interior words prompted by love: “Come, Jesus, my Beloved, come within this my poor heart; come and satiate my desires; come and sanctify my soul; come, most sweet Jesus, come!” This said, be still; contemplate your good God within you, and, as if you really had communicated, adore Him, thank Him, and perform all those interior acts to which you are accustomed after sacramental Communion.”
“If you practice the holy exercise of spiritual Communion several times each day, within a month you will see your heart completely changed.”
Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis
“Even in cases where it is not possible to receive sacramental communion, participation at Mass remains necessary, important, meaningful and fruitful. In such circumstances it is beneficial to cultivate a desire for full union with Christ through the practice of spiritual communion, praised by Pope John Paul II and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life”.
ACTS OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
At Thy feet, O my Jesus, I prostrate myself
and I offer Thee repentance of my contrite heart,
which is humbled in its nothingness and in Thy holy presence.
I adore Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love, the ineffable Eucharist.
I desire to receive Thee into the poor dwelling
that my heart offers Thee.
While waiting for the happiness of sacramental communion,
I wish to possess Thee in spirit.
Come to me, O my Jesus, since I, for my part, am coming to Thee!
May Thy love embrace my whole being in life and in death.
I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee. Amen.
Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val
As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness
of assisting at the holy Mysteries, O my God!
I transport myself in spirit at the foot of Thine altar;
I unite with the Church, which by the hands of the priest,
offers Thee Thine adorable Son in the Holy Sacrifice;
I offer myself with Him, by Him, and in His Name.
I adore, I praise, and thank Thee,
imploring Thy mercy, invoking Thine assistance,
and presenting Thee the homage I owe Thee as my Creator,
the love due to Thee as my Savior.
Apply to my soul, I beseech Thee, O merciful Jesus,
Thine infinite merits; apply them also to those
for whom I particularly wish to pray.
I desire to communicate spiritually, that Thy Blood may purify,
Thy Flesh strengthen, and Thy Spirit sanctify me.
May I never forget that Thou, my divine Redeemer, hast died for me;
may I die to all that is not Thee,
that hereafter I may live eternally with Thee. Amen.
O Immaculate Queen of Heaven and Earth,
Mother of God and Mediatrix of every grace:
I believe that Thy dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
is truly, really, and substantially contained
in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
I love Him above all things and I long to receive Him into my heart.
Since I cannot now receive Him sacramentally,
be so good as to place Him spiritually in my soul.
O my Jesus, I embrace Thee as One who has already come,
and I unite myself entirely to Thee.
Never permit me to be separated from Thee. Amen.
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