It has been weeks since the large majority of American Catholics have received the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. The hunger and desire to receive Him once more is growing in many hearts. But rather than sit helplessly, mourning your physical separation from the sacraments, why not lean into what you can do to deepen your faith from home?
Here’s one important thing to do: spiritual communion. This is a desire to draw near to Christ and be close to him in any moment, even when we are not receiving him in the Blessed Sacrament. It’s a practice many saints have followed, and you can do the same.
“St. Thomas Aquinas makes this point, that normally the most efficacious channel by which we are sanctified is by the sacramental system. … But God is not obliged to only follow the sacramental system. He can, so-to-speak, circumvent the sacramental system and communicate his graces in another way,” explained Fr. Ed Broom in an interview with Morning Air® on Relevant Radio®.
There are many prayers that you can use to make a spiritual Communion and you can say it anywhere at anytime. You need not be participating in a Mass broadcast to make a spiritual communion, though this is an excellent time to do so! Make a spiritual communion at any time throughout the day, and even many times during the day, when you desire to draw nearer to Christ and invite him to come into your soul.
St. Teresa of Jesus said, “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.”
This is not a substitute for receiving the True Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, of course, but it is a wonderful practice for the faithful, especially in times when we are separated from the Holy Mass. Many saints had the practice of saying the prayer several times throughout the day, even when they received Christ’s Body and Blood on a daily basis. St. Francis de Sales and St. Maximilian Kolbe were known to make a spiritual communion about every 15 minutes!
St. Josemaría Escrivá said this of spiritual Communion: “What a source of grace there is in spiritual communion! Practice it frequently and you’ll have greater presence of God and closer union with him in all your actions.”
So what are you waiting for? Invite Christ to dwell in your soul and unite your every move to him.
“I have found that spiritual communion has given me a greater intimacy with Christ so the next time I receive him sacramentally it’s going to take that event to the next level,” said John Harper, host of Morning Air.
Spiritual Communion
by St. Alphonsus Liguori
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
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