An act of spiritual communion

Today is the memorial of St Alphonsus of Liguori (1696-1787), founder of the Redemptorist Order.  He assumed some degree of renewed fame during the Covid epidemic when it was not generally possible for many to attend Mass or receive Holy Communion for months at a time.  As a result, many discovered (or re-discovered) the prayer of ‘spiritual communion’ which is attributed to St Alphonsus. It goes as follows:

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.

[source: ETWN]

I find it a good prayer during the week in between the Eucharist on Sunday or special days.  It can be said, alone, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament or at home or in some other place. Perhaps, a time will come when some of us will not have access to holy communion or in-person attendance at Mass due to circumstances including prolonged ill-health or incapacity. We may treasure and enjoy those times, now, when we can receive the Body and Blood of Jesus.

In the aftermath of the bloody wars and controversies that raged for much of the 17^th Century across Europe, St Alphonsus emerged as a deeply practical and pastoral priest whose mission was to bring the good news of God’s love to the people. This love of God is expressed, above all, in the Eucharist. A taster of what St Alphonsus wrote about the Eucharist may be gleaned from these quotations cited on the Apostolate of Eucharistic Devotion website:

In a quarter of an hour’s prayer, spent in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, you will perhaps gain more than in all the other spiritual exercises of the day...

Certainly amongst all devotions, after that of receiving the sacraments, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament holds the first place, is the most pleasing to God, and the most useful to ourselves...

Be also assured that Jesus Christ finds means to console a soul which remains with a recollected spirit before the Most Blessed Sacrament, far beyond what the world can do with all its feasts and pastimes...

But, here is the quotation that particularly struck me:

Good friends find pleasure in one another’s company. Let us know pleasure in the company of our best Friend, a Friend who can do everything for us, a friend who loves us beyond measure. Here in the Blessed Sacrament we can talk to him straight from the heart.

Postscript

The observant reader may notice that depictions of St Alphonsus often show an elderly priest bent over with the effects of illness. Some may also be aware that he is the patron saint of those who suffer from arthritis and rheumatism (and I assume that this also includes bad lower back pain!). This gives some of us a special reason to befriend St Alphonsus and seek his intercession. In the spirit of his teaching, we can bring our own pains and limitations directly to Jesus in the Holy Mass and before the Most Blessed Sacrament, where everything can be offered up in love and trust.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help -
Church of St Alphonsus of Liguori, Rome