One of the things I'm learning throughout this Lent, is the importance of frequent Spiritual Communion. There has actually been several times this Lent where I'm really struggling, and then I'll make an act of Spiritual Communion and everything is suddenly at peace. I'm working on getting into the habit of making Spiritual Communions frequently, and I just remembered an episode of Restoring the Faith where they said that prior to this outbreak, the Tradition of Spiritual Communion was on the verge of extinction. This makes me wonder if the lack of the practice of Spiritual Communion is one of the many factors contributing to the crisis in the Church, especially among the lay people? I certainly can see a huge improvement in myself as I work on making Spiritual Communions more frequently. Have any of the Saints touched on Spiritual Communion and its importance?
Just received this in an email from Sr. Emmanuel: Saint Anthony Marie Claret: "I will have a chapel erected in my heart, and in it, day and night, I shall worship the Good Lord by giving Him spiritual worship". Saint Leonardo da Porto Maurizio: "If you practice the holy exercise of spiritual communion several times a day, after a month you will see your heart completely changed." Saint José Maria Escrivà: "What a source of grace is spiritual communion! If you practice it frequently, you will have more of God's presence and greater union with Him in your works." Saint John Vianney: "A spiritual communion acts on the soul like a gust of wind on embers that are on the verge of dying out. Every time you see your love for God growing cold, quickly make a spiritual communion!" St. John Paul II: "It is very profitable to cultivate in our minds the constant desire for the Holy Eucharistic Sacrament. That is where the practice of spiritual communion stems from."
