Blessed Virgin Mary's Sentiments About Receiving Holy Communion

I wish thee also to hear, my dearest daughter from my own mouth, what were my sentiments when in mortal life I was about to receive holy Communion. In order that thou mayest better understand what I say, reflect on all I have commanded thee to write about my gifts, merits and labors in life.

 

I was preserved from original sin and, at the instant of my Conception, received the knowledge and vision of the Divinity, as thou hast often recorded. I knew more than all saints; I surpassed the highest seraphim in love; I never committed any fault; I constantly practiced all the virtues in a heroic degree and in the least of them I was greater than all the saints in their highest perfection; the intention and object of my actions were most exalted and my habits and gifts were noble without measure; I imitated my most holy Son most closely; I labored faithfully; I suffered with eagerness and co-operated with the doings of the Lord exactly as was becoming to me; I ceased not to exercise my love and gain new supereminent merits of grace.

 

Yet I thought myself to have been fully repaid by being allowed to receive Him even once in the holy Eucharist; yea, I did not consider myself worthy of this one favor.

 

Reflect then what should be thy sentiments, and those of the rest of the children of Adam, on being admitted to the reception of this admirable Sacrament.

 

And if for the greatest of saints one holy Communion is a superabundant reward, what must the priests and the faithful think, when they are allowed to receive it so frequently?

 

Open thy eyes in the deep darkness and blindness which overwhelm men around thee, and raise them up to the divine brightness in order to understand these mysteries.

 

Look upon all thy works as insufficient, all thy sufferings as most insignificant, all thy thanksgiving as falling far short of what thou owest for such an exquisite blessing as that of possessing in the holy Church, Christ my divine Son, present in the holy Sacrament in order to enrich all the faithful.

 

If thou hast not wherewith to show thy thanks for this and the other blessings which thou receivest, at least humiliate thyself to the dust and remain prostrate upon it; confess thyself unworthy in all the sincerity of thy heart. Magnify the Most High, bless and praise Him, preserving thyself at all times worthy to receive Him and to suffer many martyrdoms in return for such a favor.
 

~  Virgin Mother of God to Venerable Mary of Agreda, from  City of God ~

The Pain of Jesus When Souls Are Indifferent About Receiving Holy Communion

"Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love."

~ Jesus to Saint Faustina; excerpt 1447 from  The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska ~

St. John Bosco: The Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Protect the World

"Were it not for the Blessed Virgin and the Blessed Sacrament, the world would now be in ruins. Those who want to work in the light - that is, along the way to heaven – must draw closer to these two sources of light, or at least one of them. Those who walk away from them move in darkness and in the shadow of death."

"Trust all things to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Help of Christians and you will see what miracles are."

~ St. John Bosco ~

~ St. John Bosco:  Related post ~

Cardinal Raymond Burke: Holy Communion Kneeling and on the Tongue

 "The Holy Father is giving a very clear lesson by his own insistence that the faithful receive Communion kneeling and on the tongue. He's teaching us something. This is a decision which he obviously made with much thought and for good reasons, and so to me it's the case to teach the faithful once again about due reverence on receiving Holy Communion and to encourage them to consider a return to that traditional form of Communion kneeling and receiving Holy Communion on the tongue."

~ Cardinal Raymond Burke ~

St. Thomas Aquinas: Prayer Before Holy Communion

Almighty and ever-living God,

I approach the sacrament

of Your only-begotten Son

Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I come sick to the doctor of life,

unclean to the fountain of mercy,

blind to the radiance of eternal light,

and poor and needy to the Lord

of heaven and earth.

Lord, in your great generosity,

heal my sickness,

wash away my defilement,

enlighten my blindness,

enrich my poverty,

and clothe my nakedness.

May I receive the Bread of angels,

the King of kings and Lord of lords,

with humble reverence,

with the purity and faith,

the repentance and love,

and the determined purpose

that will help to bring me to salvation.

May I receive the sacrament

of the Lord's Body and Blood,

and its reality and power.

Kind God,

may I receive the Body

of Your only-begotten Son,

Our Lord Jesus Christ,

born from the womb of the Virgin Mary,

and so be received into His mystical body

and numbered among His members.

Loving Father,

as on my earthly pilgrimage

I now receive Your beloved Son

under the veil of a sacrament,

may I one day see Him face to face in glory,

Who lives and reigns with You for ever.

Amen.

~ Saint Thomas Aquinas ~

Fr. Leo Clifford, O.F.M.: Reflections on Holy Communion

Archbishop Timothy Broglio: Participation in the Mystery of the Eucharist

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, speaks about the Eucharist.

The Most Blessed Sacrament: Mystery of Love

You loved me from all eternity,

therefore you created me.

You loved me after you had made me,

therefore you became man for me.

You loved me after you became man for me,

therefore you lived and died for me.

You loved me after you had died for me,

therefore you rose again for me.

You loved me after you had risen for me,

therefore you went to prepare a place for me.

You loved me after you had gone to prepare a place for me,

therefore you came back to me.

You loved me after you came back to me,

therefore you desired to enter into me and be united to me.

This is the meaning of the Blessed Sacrament.

The mystery of love.

~ Archbishop Goodier ~

When You Miss One Holy Communion

When You Miss One Holy Communion has already been posted on one of my other blogs, Grateful for Purgatory, but its message is too important not to repeat it.

WHEN YOU MISS ONE HOLY COMMUNION

It is well for you to consider what you lose every time that you pass up Holy Communion.

1. You miss a personal visit with Jesus, Author of all spiritual energy and of all holiness;

2. You lose a special increase of sanctifying grace, which makes your soul more pleasing to God;

3. You lose a quota of sacramental grace which entitles you to special help in times of temptation and in the discharge of your daily duties;

4. You lose a precious opportunity of having all of your venial sins wiped away;

5. You miss the special preserving influence which each Holy Communion confers against the fires of passion;

6. You miss the opportunity of having remitted a part, or all, of the temporal punishments due to your sins;

7. You lose the spiritual joy, the sweetness and particular comfort that come from a fervent Holy Communion;

8. You lose a part of the glory that your body might enjoy at its resurrection on the Last Day;

9. You lose the greater degree of glory you would possess in Heaven for all eternity;

10. You may lose: a) complete victory over some fault or passion; b) some particular grace long prayed for; c) the conversion or salvation of some soul; d) deliverance of a relative or friend from Purgatory; e) many graces for others, both the living and the dead.

Will a few extra minutes of sleep repay you for all these losses?

What riches hundreds of thousands of Catholics deprive themselves daily by neglecting Mass. It in itself is the best preparation for Holy Communion. At the hour of death our greatest consolation will be the Masses we have heard and the Holy Communions received.

With Ecclesiastical Approval
Chicago, December 6, 1940

(Source)

~ Related post: Blessed Mother Leads Us To Jesus ~

The Example of the Saints: Thanksgiving After Holy Communion

"The saints chose, when possible, to set no time limit on thanksgiving after Communion, which consequently might last for them at least half an hour. St. Teresa of Jesus told her daughters, 'Let us entertain ourselves lovingly with Jesus and not waste the hour that follows Communion. It is an excellent time to deal with God and put before Him the matters that concern our soul… As we know that the good Jesus remains within us until our natural warmth has dissolved the breadlike qualities, we should take great care not to lose so beautiful an opportunity to treat with Him and lay our needs before Him.' "

"Let us, also, resolve to do everything possible so that thanksgiving after Holy Communion last at least fifteen minutes and nothing take precedence over it. These minutes during which Jesus is physically present to our souls and within our bodies are heavenly minutes in no wise to be wasted."

"The Apostle, St. Paul wrote, "Glorify and bear God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:20). There is no time in which these words, taken literally, apply so well as during the time immediately after receiving Holy Communion. How insensitive, then, for someone to receive Communion and leave church at once as soon as Mass is over, or as soon as he has received Our Lord! We may remember the example of St. Philip Neri, who had two altar boys with lighted candles go to accompany a man who had left the church right after his Communion. What a beautiful lesson! For the sake of good manners, if for no other reason, when a person receives a guest he pauses to give his attention to him and takes interest in him. If this guest is Jesus, then we will only have reason to be sorry that His bodily presence within us scarcely lasts fifteen minutes or a little more. In view of this, St. Joseph Cottolengo personally used to oversee the baking of hosts for Mass and Communion. To the sister assigned to this he gave the following instruction: 'Make the hosts thick so that I can linger a long time with Jesus. I do not want the Sacred Species to be quickly consumed.' "

"Are we not perhaps acting contrary to the example of the saints when we regard our period of thanksgiving as too long and perhaps feel impatient to get it over with? But, oh how we should watch ourselves here! For if it is true that at every Communion Jesus 'gives us a hundredfold for the hospitality we show Him,' as St. Teresa of Jesus declares, then it is also true that we must answer a hundredfold for neglecting this hospitality. A confrere of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina told how one day he went to Confession to the holy friar, and, among other things, confessed to omitting his thanksgiving after Holy Mass because, he said, some ministry impeded him. While Padre Pio was lenient in judging the other faults, when he heard him confess this omission, his countenance became stern and he said firmly, 'Let us see to it that our being unable is not just being unwilling. I always have to make my thanksgiving; otherwise I pay dearly.' "

~ Fr. Stefano Manelli: excerpts from his book, Jesus Our Eucharistic Love ~

St. John Chrysostom: Believe the Word of God!

"Let us submit to God in all things and not contradict Him, even if what He says seems contrary to our reason and intellect; rather let His words prevail over our reason and intellect. Let us act in this way with regard to the (eucharistic) mysteries, looking not only at what falls under our senses but holding on to His words. For His word cannot lead us astray. . . When the word says, `This is My Body', be convinced of it and believe it, and look at it with the eyes of the mind. . . How many now say, `I wish I could see His shape, His appearance, His garments, His sandals.' Only look! You see Him! You touch Him! You eat Him! He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment. "

~ St. John Chrysostom ~

St. Ody of Cluny Stressed the Need for Worthy Reception of the Eucharist

The "devotion" to the Body and Blood of Christ which Odo in the face of a widespread neglect of them which he himself deeply deplored always cultivated with conviction deserves special mention. Odo was in fact firmly convinced of the Real Presence, under the Eucharistic species, of the Body and Blood of the Lord, by virtue of the conversion of the "substance" of the bread and the wine. He wrote: "God, Creator of all things, took the bread saying that this was his Body and that he would offer it for the world, and he distributed the wine, calling it his Blood"; now, "it is a law of nature that the change should come about in accordance with the Creator's command", and thus "nature immediately changes its usual condition: the bread instantly becomes flesh, and the wine becomes blood"; at the Lord's order, "the substance changes" (Odonis Abb. Cluniac. occupatio, ed. A. Swoboda, Leipzig 1900, p. 121). Unfortunately, our abbot notes, this "sacrosanct mystery of the Lord's Body, in whom the whole salvation of the world consists", (Collationes, XXVIII: PL 133, 572), is celebrated carelessly. "Priests", he warns, "who approach the altar unworthily, stain the bread, that is, the Body of Christ" (ibid., PL 133, 572-573). Only those who are spiritually united to Christ may worthily participate in his Eucharistic Body: should the contrary be the case, to eat his Flesh and to drink his Blood would not be beneficial but rather a condemnation (cf. ibid., XXX, PL 133, 575). All this invites us to believe the truth of the Lord's presence with new force and depth. The presence in our midst of the Creator, who gives himself into our hands and transforms us as he transforms the bread and the wine, thus transforms the world.

~ Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, September 2, 2009 ~

Jesus in the Eucharist Meets With Sacrilege, Indifference and Ingratitude

franciscanfriars June 19, 2009
Jesus allowed His Sacred Heart to be pierced so that we can be saved. But so often this greatest of gifts is met with Sacrilege, Indifference and Ingratitude. Listen as Father explains how great a tragedy this is and why we should love Our Lord ever more. Ave Maria!
To Download Audio go to http://airmaria.com?p=5356

Pope St. Pius X: Holy Communion for Children

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Favorite Devotion of the Saints

"Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist. Only he gives the fullness of life to humanity!" - Pope Benedict XVI

"Hear Mass daily; it will prosper the whole day. All your duties will be performed the better for it, and your soul will be stronger to bear its daily cross. The Mass is the most holy act of religion; you can do nothing that can give greater glory to God or be more profitable for your soul than to hear Mass both frequently and devoutly. It is the favorite devotion of the saints." - St. Peter Julian Eymard

"Everyday, Jesus humbles himself just as He did when He came from His heavenly throne into the Virgin's womb; everyday He comes to us and lets us see Him in abjection, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar." - St. Francis of Assisi

"The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament of the Lord's Passion, since It contains Christ Himself and his Passion." - St. Thomas Aquinas

"Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven." - Pope Pius X

St. Bonaventure: This Heart of Our Lord

"Lord Jesus Christ,

pierce my soul with Your love

so that I may always long for You alone,

who are the Bread of angels

and the fulfillment of the soul's deepest desires.

May my heart always hunger for you,

so that my soul may be filled with the sweetness of Your Presence."

~ Saint Bonaventure ~

The Happiness of Receiving Jesus in Holy Communion

"That same Jesus is with us in our churches who at His birth was laid on straw and adored by the Magi, who fled into Egypt, who was sought for by the Blessed Virgin and found in the Temple, who changed water into wine, who restored sight to the blind, made deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. Beloved Christian, you esteem Simeon happy in having been permitted to take the Infant Jesus in his arms; and were you to receive a grace like him, no doubt you would exclaim: 'Now dost Thou dismiss Thy servant in peace: because my eyes have seen Thy salvation.'

"You consider Zacheus happy because Our Lord vouchsafed to enter his house and eat with him; you deem St. John happy because he rested on the breast of our Saviour at the Last Supper; and, above all, you regard St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary so very happy because they nourished and supported Our Dear Lord. But are you not as happy as they? Are you not even happier? You do not hold Our Lord in your arms as Simeon did, but you receive Him into your heart in Holy Communion; you do not rest on the bosom of St. John, but the Saviour rests in your heart after Holy Communion; you do not nurse and support Our Lord like St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, but you have a still greater happiness, for the Saviour Himself nourishes you and gives Himself to you as your food. O Love! O Love! O who can understand the love of God for men!"

~ From The Blessed Eucharist, by Fr. Michael Muller, C.S.S.R. ~

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 ~

Msgr. Charles Pope: Worthy Reception of Holy Communion

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 ~