Spiritual Communion

Verily, verily, I say to you, he that believes in Me has eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. I am the Living Bread, which came down from Heaven. If any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world. <small>(St. John 6, 47-48; 51-52).</small>

In this time of trials when souls need the Bread of Life more than ever, many Christians are deprived of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, of Holy Communion. In His Infinite Love, God offers us Spiritual Communion, a simple and easy practice that can be done at any time of the day and several times a day. In necessity, this spiritual reception of Our Lord takes the place of real communion, just as the baptism of desire can substitute for sacramental baptism when it is impossible to receive the sacrament. Through this means, in fact, the Soul and the Divinity of Jesus are abundantly communicated to the soul that desires Him.

Spiritual communion consists in:

an ardent desire to receive Our Lord present in the Eucharist when, for valid reasons, one is unable to receive Him sacramentally.
an act of faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
an act of gratitude for the infinite benefits that Jesus has acquired for us through His Passion.
an act of love towards God present in the Holy Host.

Spiritual communion will be all the more perfect and useful as the acts of love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament will be more fervent.

“Give me a soul that knows how to love, and it will feel what I say. It is very easy to make spiritual communion several times each day, since it does not require fasting and priestly ministry or a long time to do it, and so it can be repeated as many times a day as one wants.” (Saint Augustine)

Method

Kneel before God with great recollection (if infirmity does not prevent you from doing so). Unite yourself with all the Masses that are celebrated throughout the world. Unite yourself especially with Jesus who, out of love for you, is truly present in the Sacred Host. Humbly striking your breast to show that you recognize yourself unworthy of such great grace, make an act of contrition with all your heart:

ACT OF CONTRITION

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.

Excite in your heart an ardent desire to receive Jesus Christ. To rekindle your devotion, imagine that the Blessed Virgin, your Guardian Angel, your Patron Saint, leads you to the Holy Table. Ask the Blessed Virgin to purify your soul to better receive Jesus.

Les désirs de la Communion

Some suggested formulas for Spiritual Communion:

I believe, O my Redeemer, that You are truly present and alive in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You, I repent of having offended You. Come into my soul which desires You. I embrace You, my love, I give myself all to You, do not let me ever separate myself from You. (Saint Alphonsus Liguori)
O Mary, my good Mother, I come to You with an ardent prayer: in a few moments I will receive my God, the God You love so much! But in order to receive Him well, I need virtues, and I have none. You, my good Mother, who are so rich in all kinds of goods, give me Your faith, Your hope, Your charity, Your obedience, Your humility, Your simplicity, in a word, all Your virtues, to make my heart more beautiful and to make it pleasing to my Jesus.
Eternal Father, I offer You the precious Blood of Jesus Christ for the atonement of my sins and the needs of the Holy Church. Prostrate before You, I adore You, O God hidden in the Host. My heart surrenders itself entirely to You. O Jesus, hidden in the Eucharist, please grant to the ardour of my desires the happiness of seeing You one day in Heaven and contemplate Your ineffable glory. O Mary, receive in Your Mother’s arms Jesus, who is being immured on the altar and who is going to descend into my heart. Adore Him, thank Him, console Him, beg Him, offer Him, love Him for my sake.
I desire You a thousand times O my Jesus. When will You come to satisfy my soul that sighs after You! I would like to fly to Your tabernacle to console You for the outrage that so many men cause You by rejecting You and, by my repentance and my love, to make You forget my own ingratitude.
O my good Angel, go, I implore You, where my Jesus rests. Tell this divine Savior that I love Him with all my heart. Invite this divine Prisoner of Love to come into my soul, to make His sojourn there.
O Jesus whom I would so much like to receive, I adore You, I love You, I desire You.
I adore You, O true Body of my Savior Jesus Christ, who was attached to the Cross for me. I adore You, O precious Blood of my Savior Jesus Christ, who was shed on Calvary.
My beloved Jesus, I believe that it is You that I am going to receive. I firmly believe, but increase my faith.
My Jesus Host, I adore You and bless Your sovereign domain.
It is You my beloved Jesus that I am going to receive. You, very great! very good! very holy! And it is I, weak creature, feeble, guilty, who will have this happiness! Oh, I’m not worthy! Jesus, my sweet Jesus, convert me!
It is because I love You, O my Jesus, that I hate all the sins of my life. How I wish to change them into repentance of love.
I expect everything from You, O Father, everything: Your grace and forgiveness here on earth, Your glory and the enjoyment of Your face one day in heaven.
I love You, O my Jesus, and I desire to receive You with all the fervor of Your divine Mother and all Your Saints!

Say three times as you strike your breast:

Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come into my heart: say but the word, and my soul shall be healed!

Recollect yourself deeply and welcome Jesus who descends into your heart.

AFTER COMMUNION:

Spiritual communion ends with thanksgiving and praise to the good Lord. Ask Him for the graces you need while acknowledging yourself unworthy of God’s favors. Promise Him to love and serve Him better.

Here are a few suggestions:

My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. Thank You for having loved me so much!
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. Forgive me for having loved You so little so far.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want to love You more and more each day.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want to love You above all things.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want to fully realize Your will on my life and become a saint.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I give myself entirely to You.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want all that You want.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I surrender myself blindly to You.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want to lose myself in You.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want to transfigure myself in You.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want to make others love You.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I would like to love You for all those who do not love You.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I want to console You for the ingratitude of men.
My beloved Jesus Host, I love You with all my heart. I would like to die consumed with love for You.

Thanksgiving

It is therefore true, Redeemer of men, that You dwell in me, and that I am in possession of Your Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. I adore You, O my God, from the depths of my soul, and I unite my adoration to those whom the Angels and Saints render to You in heaven. O God of love, yes, I love You with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my strength. I thank You for the great favor You have done me to give Yourself to me. I give myself to You without reservation. Accept, divine Jesus, this offering that I make to You of all that I am and of all that I possess; dispose of me according to Your good pleasure and grant me the grace never to displease You.

Conclusion:

O good Jesus, do not leave me, stay with me to teach me zeal, devotion and love. I want to be docile into Your hands as an active, prompt and generous instrument.

I offer You, O Jesus, my resolution. (Formulate your good desire) I want to make this sacrifice. I will offer it to You at Your next visit. I offer You my body with all its senses, my soul with all its faculties, my heart with all its affections.

O Jesus, before leaving Your sanctuary, please give me Your holy blessing, that I may avoid evil and accomplish good with the help of Your grace. May I be strengthened by Your presence in me, that I may overcome my enemies and be preserved from all danger to soul and body.

-May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, descend upon us through Mary Mother of God and dwell in us forever. Amen.