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 ~