“He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.” (John 6, 57).
First Prelude: Imagine you hear Jesus saying: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me and I in him.”
Second Prelude: O Jesus, grant that I may receive Thy Sacred Body and Blood with ever greater fervor, that Thou mayest dwell in me by Thy grace, and that I may attain to a more intimate union with Thee.
First Point
Jesus Desires to Impart His Graces to Us Most Generously in Holy Communion
Our union with Jesus in Holy Communion is most wonderful. Christ is in us and we are in Him. O love, O inexpressible union! Above this, Holy Communion provides us with many other graces, and the greater our desire, the more copiously these streams of grace will flow to us in Holy Communion. By means of Holy Communion supernatural life is preserved and furthered in its growth; the soul is strengthened and encouraged in all the good required of it, corresponding to the demands of all conditions and occupations of life. O infinitely precious gift, what art thou to the soul that knows Thy worth and is capable of sustaining Thy effects! Over all things blessed are Thy blessings, for time and for eternity.
The Lord, as it were, surpasses Himself in this Mystery, in doing His utmost to advance the soul by means of Holy Communion to a high degree of perfection. St. Francis de Sales said: “Our loving Saviour sets all things aright in our souls; He cleanses and invigorates everything.” Let us place no obstacle in His way; let us not frustrate His loving designs, but let us grant Him full liberty to proceed according to His pleasure, and before long we shall experience the wonderful effects of His promise: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him” (John 6, 57). With His aid, we shall soon be able to say with the apostle, “I live—now not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2, 20).
Are our thoughts, words and actions worthy of our Divine Saviour, Who so often enters our heart?
Second Point
Jesus Desires of Us a Careful Preparation for Holy Communion
If Jesus desires to transform our hearts in Holy Communion, and implant therein all virtues, He demands on our part a solicitous preparation. We must manifest, above all, the sincere and fervent desire to cleanse our hearts of self-love and all affection for creatures. Not infrequently we deceive ourselves concerning the sincerity of our desires, and while our lips utter petitions for grace, our soul experiences a secret resistance in following the inspirations of grace magnanimously. We pray for humility, but wish to be spared all humiliations; we desire to love God, but recoil from the cross, the surest mark of God’s affection for us. We beg for the spirit of prayer, for intimacy with our Divine Saviour, and while He, like a loving friend, desires to associate with us, we squander our affections and our confidence on creatures, who are often more despicable than we ourselves.
Oh, how differently did the saints understand to correspond to the designs of Jesus in Holy Communion! The love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament constituted the center of their affections. Through the power of this heavenly Manna they attained to that consummate purity of heart, to that contempt of self, to that height of love of God and of neighbor, which we so much admire in them. The Blessed Sacrament was their light, their guide, the nourishment and strength of their perfection, the victorious weapon with which they fought bravely, vanquishing the world, the devil and the flesh. Let us, then, hasten to the throne of grace and confidently implore in fervent prayer as the greatest gift, constant, faithful and persevering co-operation with divine grace. If we confidently have recourse to Jesus and endeavor to correspond to His sacred designs, we, too, shall soon experience that we can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth us.
Affections: O my Saviour, prostrate at Thy feet, I offer Thee the homage of my adoration, love, and gratitude which are justly Thy due. I pray Thee, give me that ardent desire for intimate union with Thee, so pleasing to Thy Sacred Heart, and so effective in rendering my soul worthy of Thy special gifts. I have cause, O Jesus, to humble myself profoundly before Thee, since my desire is still weak and my heart, cold and faint, because of my slight solicitude in co-operating with Thy grace and my sloth which impedes my progress continually. But today I take the firm resolution, with the assistance of Thy grace, to neglect nothing that is conducive to my spiritual progress. By this earnest act I wish to manifest my appreciation of the infinite love Thou didst bestow upon me by the institution of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Resolution: I will courageously struggle against the fault that most hinders the effects of Holy Communion in my soul.
Spiritual Bouquet: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.”
O Jesus, living in Mary…
First Prelude: Imagine you hear Jesus saying: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me and I in him.”
Second Prelude: O Jesus, grant that I may receive Thy Sacred Body and Blood with ever greater fervor, that Thou mayest dwell in me by Thy grace, and that I may attain to a more intimate union with Thee.
First Point
Jesus Desires to Impart His Graces to Us Most Generously in Holy Communion
Our union with Jesus in Holy Communion is most wonderful. Christ is in us and we are in Him. O love, O inexpressible union! Above this, Holy Communion provides us with many other graces, and the greater our desire, the more copiously these streams of grace will flow to us in Holy Communion. By means of Holy Communion supernatural life is preserved and furthered in its growth; the soul is strengthened and encouraged in all the good required of it, corresponding to the demands of all conditions and occupations of life. O infinitely precious gift, what art thou to the soul that knows Thy worth and is capable of sustaining Thy effects! Over all things blessed are Thy blessings, for time and for eternity.
The Lord, as it were, surpasses Himself in this Mystery, in doing His utmost to advance the soul by means of Holy Communion to a high degree of perfection. St. Francis de Sales said: “Our loving Saviour sets all things aright in our souls; He cleanses and invigorates everything.” Let us place no obstacle in His way; let us not frustrate His loving designs, but let us grant Him full liberty to proceed according to His pleasure, and before long we shall experience the wonderful effects of His promise: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him” (John 6, 57). With His aid, we shall soon be able to say with the apostle, “I live—now not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2, 20).
Are our thoughts, words and actions worthy of our Divine Saviour, Who so often enters our heart?
Second Point
Jesus Desires of Us a Careful Preparation for Holy Communion
If Jesus desires to transform our hearts in Holy Communion, and implant therein all virtues, He demands on our part a solicitous preparation. We must manifest, above all, the sincere and fervent desire to cleanse our hearts of self-love and all affection for creatures. Not infrequently we deceive ourselves concerning the sincerity of our desires, and while our lips utter petitions for grace, our soul experiences a secret resistance in following the inspirations of grace magnanimously. We pray for humility, but wish to be spared all humiliations; we desire to love God, but recoil from the cross, the surest mark of God’s affection for us. We beg for the spirit of prayer, for intimacy with our Divine Saviour, and while He, like a loving friend, desires to associate with us, we squander our affections and our confidence on creatures, who are often more despicable than we ourselves.
Oh, how differently did the saints understand to correspond to the designs of Jesus in Holy Communion! The love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament constituted the center of their affections. Through the power of this heavenly Manna they attained to that consummate purity of heart, to that contempt of self, to that height of love of God and of neighbor, which we so much admire in them. The Blessed Sacrament was their light, their guide, the nourishment and strength of their perfection, the victorious weapon with which they fought bravely, vanquishing the world, the devil and the flesh. Let us, then, hasten to the throne of grace and confidently implore in fervent prayer as the greatest gift, constant, faithful and persevering co-operation with divine grace. If we confidently have recourse to Jesus and endeavor to correspond to His sacred designs, we, too, shall soon experience that we can do all things in Him Who strengtheneth us.
Affections: O my Saviour, prostrate at Thy feet, I offer Thee the homage of my adoration, love, and gratitude which are justly Thy due. I pray Thee, give me that ardent desire for intimate union with Thee, so pleasing to Thy Sacred Heart, and so effective in rendering my soul worthy of Thy special gifts. I have cause, O Jesus, to humble myself profoundly before Thee, since my desire is still weak and my heart, cold and faint, because of my slight solicitude in co-operating with Thy grace and my sloth which impedes my progress continually. But today I take the firm resolution, with the assistance of Thy grace, to neglect nothing that is conducive to my spiritual progress. By this earnest act I wish to manifest my appreciation of the infinite love Thou didst bestow upon me by the institution of the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Resolution: I will courageously struggle against the fault that most hinders the effects of Holy Communion in my soul.
Spiritual Bouquet: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.”
O Jesus, living in Mary…
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