Tuesday, August 28, 2007


Holy Communion


Below are excerpts from the book Light and Peace which I thought were excellent regarding Holy Communion. Again, one who is in mortal sin and has not confessed his sin and received sacramental absolution is not permitted to receive Holy Communion, but Christ's Body was given to us who are imperfect, though striving to come closer to Him...


"Frequent communion is the most efficacious of all means to unite us to God. 'He that eateth my flesh,' said our divine Saviour, 'abideth in Me and I in him.'"...

"St. Francis de Sales says there are two classes of persons who should often receive holy communion; the perfect, to unite themselves more closely to the Source of all perfection; the strong that they may not become weak, the weak that they may become strong; the sick that they may be cured, and those in health that they may be preserved from sickness. You tell me that your imperfections, your weakness, your littleness make you unworthy to receive communion frequently; and I assure you it is precisely because of these that you ought to receive it frequently in order that He who possesses all things may give you whatever is wanting to you."...

"Rev. Father Margottet, a Jesuit died at Nice, April 1st, 1835, shortly after his return from Portugal where he had suffered a most cruel captivity with the courage that faith alone can inspire. During the last months of his life he took great pleasure in conversing with a certain young man who visited him regularly to be instructed and edified by his pious discourse. One day this young man confided to him the confusion he felt in availing himself of his director's permission to receive holy Communion several times a week. This was due especially to the thought that St. Aloysius, whilst a novice of the Society of Jesus, went to Communion on Sundays only. 'Come, come, my dear sir,' laughingly replied the good Father, 'continue your frequent Communions---you need them much more than St. Aloysius did.' It is indeed an error to consider holy Communion a reward of virtue, and, in a measure, a guage of perfection, whereas it is above all a means to attain perfection, and the one pre-existing virtue required in order to employ this means is the desire to profit by it."...


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

a couple of good books about The Eucharist, if you havent read them:

With us Today http://www.amazon.com/Us-Today-Presence-Christ-Eucharist/dp/0970610602/ref=sr_1_47/105-7599416-5876400?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188410757&sr=8-47

and

God is near us

http://www.amazon.com/God-Near-Us-Eucharist-Heart/dp/0898709628/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-7599416-5876400?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188411058&sr=1-1

Anonymous said...

Might I add a bit to the book list?

Eucharistic Miracles
by Joan Caroll Cruz

and
201 Inspirational Stories of the Eucharist
compiled by Sister Patricia Proctor, OSC