St. Thomas More: Appeal for Grace

"Give me the grace to long for Your holy sacraments,

and especially to rejoice in the presence of Your Body,

sweet Savior Christ, in the holy Sacrament of the altar."

~ St. Thomas More ~

St. Faustina: Strength and Light From the Eucharist

"I spend every free moment at the feet of the hidden God. He is my Master; I ask Him about everything; I speak to Him about everything. Here I obtain strength and light; here I learn everything; here I am given light on how to act toward my neighbor. From the time I left the novitiate, I have enclosed myself in the tabernacle together with Jesus, my Master. He himself drew me into the fire of living love on which everything converges."

~ From Divine Mercy In My Soul, The Diary of St. Mary Faustina Kowalski ~

Prayer to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus

O most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus, You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and You beat for us still. Now as then You say, Desiderio desideravi—"With desire I have desired." I worship You then with all my best love and awe, with my fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will. O my God, when You do condescend to allow me to receive You, to eat and drink You, and Thou for a while dost take up Your abode within me, O make my heart beat with Your Heart. Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all disorder, of all deadness. So fill it with You that neither the events of the day nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it, but that in Your love and Thy fear it may have peace.

Fr. William Doyle: A Man of Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament

The Moment of Benediction:

"The priest turns and raises aloft the Sacred Host. In loving adoration, in reverent awe, the invisible angels fall prostrate. The bell tinkles softly, fragrant clouds of sweet-smelling incense ascend on high, and in the remotest corner of the vast church every head is bowed in adoration. It is a solemn moment, a moment when the silent streams of grace pour down upon our souls. God’s hands are lifted up to bless us; His sacred face is turned upon us, and He waits oh ! so eagerly for us to ask some favour that He may win our hearts by His generosity. Let us ask, then, confidently and show our trust in God’s great goodness by the boldness of our requests."

~ Fr. William Doyle, SJ ~

Above all, Fr Doyle was a man of prayer. He was one of the first people in Ireland to start the devotion of spending a holy hour in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. He regularly arose at night to pray, especially on Thursday nights in imitation of Christ in Gethsemane. He was of course a renowned spiritual director and retreat giver, and saw the importance of retreats for laity, a position that not all priests agreed with at the time.

~ All above content is from an admirable new blog: Remembering Fr William Doyle SJ ~

St. Faustina: Sustained by Holy Communion

"I find myself so weak that were it not for Holy Communion I would fall continually. One thing alone sustains me, and that is Holy Communion. From it I draw my strength; in it is all my comfort. I fear life on days when I do not receive Holy Communion. I fear my own self. Jesus concealed in the Host is everything to me. From the tabernacle I draw strength, power, courage and light. Here, I seek consolation in time of anguish. I would not know how to give glory to God if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart." (1037)

~ From Divine Mercy in My Soul, The Diary of St. M. Faustina Kowalska ~

St. Peter Julian Eymard: Imitate St. Joseph's Faith and Perfect Adoration

"We cannot help but marvel at the faith of Saint Joseph. Tormenting doubts harass his soul and he is on the point of leaving Mary. But an angel appears to him and all his doubts and fears vanish. On the angel's word He accepts the mystery of the Incarnation. In the ensuing years his faith was to be frequently put to the test. At Bethlehem he had to content himself with a stable for a home where the Incarnate Word might be born. Soon after, he was forced to flee in order to save the Infant God, and when later he returned to the tiny village of Nazareth it was to live there unknown and in dire poverty. All these trials only tempered his faith. Although he sees only the Child's wretchedness and poverty, his faith pierces the shroud and uncovers the hidden God within this weak baby frame. Because his faith was so strong, Joseph's mind and heart bowed in perfect adoration. Imitate his faith as you kneel before the humble Christ annihilated in the Eucharist. Pierce the veil which covers this furnace of love and adore the hidden God. At the same time respect the veil of love and make the immolation of your mind and heart your most beautiful homage of faith."

~ St. Peter Julian Eymard ~

Prayer to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus

PRAYER TO THE EUCHARISTIC HEART OF JESUS

Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,

gracious companion of our exile,

I adore Thee.

Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,
lonely Heart,
humiliated Heart,
abandoned Heart,
forgotten Heart,
despised Heart,
outraged Heart,
Heart ignored by men,
Heart which loves our own hearts;
Heart pleading for our love,
Heart so patient in waiting for us,
Heart so eager to listen to our prayers,
Heart so anxious for our requests,
Heart, unending source of new graces,
Heart so silent, yet desiring to speak to souls,
Heart, welcome refuge of the hidden life,
Heart, teacher of the secrets of union with God,
Heart of Him Who sleeps but watches always,
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Jesus Victim, I desire to comfort Thee;
I unite myself to Thee;
I offer myself in union with Thee.

I regard myself as nothing in Thy Presence.

I long to forget myself in order to think only of Thee,

to be despised and forgotten for love of Thee.

I have no desire to be understood or loved by anyone but Thee.

I will keep silent in order to listen to Thee,

and I will abandon myself in order to lose myself in Thee.

Grant that I may thus satisfy Thy thirst for my salvation,

Thy burning thirst for my holiness,
and that once purified I may give Thee a sincere and pure love.

I am anxious not to tire Thee further with waiting:

take me, I hand myself over to Thee.

I give Thee all my actions,

my mind to be enlightened,

my heart to be directed,

my will to be stabilized,

my wretchedness to be relieved,

my soul and body to be nourished by Thee.

Eucharistic Heart of my Saviour,

Whose Blood is the life of my soul,

may I myself cease to live
and Thou alone live in me. Amen.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
As though you have already come, I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you;
never permit me to be separated from you.

Msgr. Charles Pope: Worthy Reception of Holy Communion

Blessed Dina Belanger: Drawn to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus

"The Eucharistic Heart in the Host draws me more and more.

If I merely pass near the chapel, I feel an irresistible force inviting me in.

Close to the tabernacle, I experience an indefinable joy.
When the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, I feel totally taken over, paralyzed, by this gentle Eucharistic Heart.

When I leave the chapel, I have to tear myself away from the divine Prisoner.

Yet, I never cease to live in Him;

all this takes place in the Heart of the Most Blessed Trinity, an immense distance from the earth;

but Jesus wants me to enjoy Him in his Eucharist and to grieve when I am far from his consecrated Host."

~ Blessed Dina Belanger ~

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Love and Reparation

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee.

I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and insconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.

I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.

~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque ~

St. Francis de Sales: When You Have Received Jesus in Holy Communion

"When you have received Him,

stir up your heart to do Him homage;

speak to Him about your spiritual life,

gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present for your happiness;

welcome Him as warmly as possible,

and behave outwardly in such a way

that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence."

~ St. Francis de Sales ~

Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession

Eucharistic procession from Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral, with background music sung by the Daughters of St. Paul ("O Sacrum Convivium," from the album "Adoration"). Translation of Latin hymn follows.

O Sacred Banquet,
in which Christ is consumed,
the memory of his passion is recalled,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
Alleluia!

(Antiphon to the Magnificat, Liturgy of the Hours,

Evening Prayer II of the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord.)

Pope John Paul II: Practice and Encourage Eucharistic Adoration

"...It is the responsibility of Pastors to encourage, also by their personal witness, the practice of Eucharistic adoration, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in particular, as well as prayer of adoration before Christ present under the Eucharistic species."

~ Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia ~

St. Maximilian Kolbe: If Angels Could be Jealous of Men...

"If angels could be jealous of men,

they would be so for one reason:

Holy Communion."

~ St. Maximilian Kolbe ~

(Highlights of the First Holy Communion Mass at Sacred Heart in Medford, Oregon on May 16, 2009.)

Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Virgin Immaculate,
perfect lover of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament,
we ask you to obtain for us the graces we need
to become true adorers of our Eucharistic God.

Grant us, we beg of you,
to know Him better,
to love Him more,
and to center our lives around the Eucharist,
that is, to make our whole life a constant prayer
of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition
to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
Amen.

V. Pray for us, 0 Virgin Immaculate,
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of
Jesus Christ may come among us!

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: Eucharistic Adoration

"From the depth of my nothingness,

I prostrate myself before Thee,

O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus,

to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power."

"Let every knee bend before Thee,

O greatness of my God,

so supremely humbled in the Sacred Host.

May every heart love Thee,

every spirit adore Thee

and every will be subject to Thee!"

~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque ~