The two most important actions that we can carry out on this side of eternity are the following: receiving Holy Communion and going to Confession and receiving sacramental absolution. Why? The reason should be clear as day: these are two of the most intimate encounters with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the reception of the most Holy Eucharist, we receive Jesus Himself in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity—nourishment and strength for our spiritual journey towards our eternal home, Heaven.
CONFESSION.
Whereas by going to the Sacrament of Confession once again we encounter Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as our Divine Physician. Jesus came to both nourish us and to heal us of our iniquities and sicknesses that we contract due to our own personal sins. Through the messages of Jesus to Saint Faustina we should have a limitless trust in the infinite mercy of God. The worse sin is the lack of TRUST in the limitless mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Paul reminds us in these consoling words: “Where sin abounds the mercy of God abounds all the more.” (Romans 5). From the Diary of Saint Faustina, the greatest sinner can become the greatest saint upon one indispensable condition: TRUST, limitless TRUST in the infinite mercy of Jesus.
OUR DISPOSITION IN RECEVING HOLY COMMUNION.
As Catholics we have the unique and greatest privilege of being able to receive Jesus, the Bread of life. (Jn 6), the Bread of the angels even on a daily basis. If we so desire. In the Our Father we actually pray these words related to the daily reception of Holy Communion: “Give us this day our daily bread.” The graces we receive upon the reception of Holy Communion depends upon our interior disposition. (Theologians term this dispositive grace). The graces we receive can be paltry, mediocre, and limited, or they can be limitless like all the waters of the ocean flooding into our souls. If you like, the fault is not in Holy Communion but in the recipient of Holy Communion—often our lack of disposition, distractions, and downright laziness.
PREPARATION.
It is incumbent upon us to prepare our souls to receive the Eucharistic Lord with the best of dispositions. However, this is of paramount importance, we should also make an honest and concerted and constant effort to make a more fervent, passionate, loving and confident thanksgiving after the Eucharistic Lord has deigned to visit our humble dwelling place—our immortal souls. In the reception of Holy Communion, the Lord, the very Creator of the universe, has entered into our souls, let us strive on a daily basis to improve, to upgrade, to perfect our thanksgiving after He has descended from heaven to earth to dwell in the very depths of our soul. There is no greater action, this side of eternity for us mortal creatures than to receive Jesus, the Eucharistic Lord. One Holy Communion is worth more than the entire created universe. Holy Communion is Jesus, the Bread of Life, God Himself!
THANKSGIVING AFTER RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION.
This being the case, we would like to offer various suggestions on how to ameliorate our thanksgivings after the Eucharistic Lord has deigned to enter our humble abode.
APPRECIATION
This first point must be emphasized to the highest degree: Never take the Lord for granted; avoid routine and becoming jaded and nonchalant and lackadaisical in the reception of the Bread of Life. The following should be our motto in every reception of Holy Communion: “Receive the Eucharistic Lord as if it were for the first time, the last time, the only time in your life.” This attitude of gratitude and appreciation should characterize our eucharistic state of being always!
THANKSGIVING
Upon the entrance of Jesus into your soul your heart should burst out and explode with a hymn of thanksgiving. In the words of the Psalmist: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.” May we never imitate the 9 lepers, who after having been healed immediately and totally by Jesus the Divine Physician went their merry old way without a word of gratitude. But may we be the one leper who ran back to Jesus and thanked Jesus profusely. Let us learn and imitate this grateful leper—who indeed we are!
PRAISE
Saint Ignatius of Loyola in his consideration, First Principle and Foundation in the Spiritual Exercises (#23) instructs us that the first and primary purpose of our existence is to praise and reverence God our Creator. What better time and manner to praise God then when we have received Him in the depths of our souls in Holy Communion. Praise Him with songs, canticles, psalms and a great way in the eucharistic prayer of praise, the Divine praises expressed at the conclusion of Eucharistic adoration….”Blessed be God, blessed be His Holy Name, blessed be Jesus Christ true God and true man, blessed be the Name of Jesus, Blessed be His most sacred Heart, blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar, blessed be the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, blessed be Mary, the great Mother of God, blessed be her holy and immaculate conception, blessed be her glorious assumption, blessed be Saint Joseph her most chaste spouse, blessed be God in His angels and his saints.” This Eucharistic hymn of praise and thanksgiving should resound in the very depths of your soul upon receiving the Eucharistic Lord and savior.
ANOTHER PRAYER OF PRAISE
Given that praise and adoration are actually the highest forms of prayer that we can offer to Almighty God we offer another one, short but very pleasing to God and this short prayer of praise can be repeated over and over. God never tires of our acts of praise. “O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.” If you like you can even sing this short prayer— “He who sings well prays twice.” (Saint Augustine)
BARTIMAEUS THE BEGGAR
Saint Augustine states that we are all beggars before the Lord. However, Our Lord and God is both munificent and rich beyond measure. Bartimaeus, the beggar, suffered blindness, he cried out and Jesus, the Divine Physician, healed him. We are beggars and need the Lord Jesus desperately for everything but especially to avoid sin and to live in the state of grace. As the poet states: “In Him we live and move and have our being.” When the Eucharistic Lord has descended in the depths of our souls is the prime time to be transformed in the most needy and dependent of beggars. Many graces we never receive for the simple reason that we are negligent and lazy and fail to ask. (Mk. 10:46)
WORRIES, FEARS AND ANXIETIES
The Eucharistic Lord Jesus loves us and is our Best of Friends in all time, places and circumstances. None of us can say in all honesty that we are free of problems, worries, fears and insecurities. Quite the contrary, we live with worries. The fact of the matter is that if we do not bring our problems to the Lord they worsen; often the devil is behind this. He can turn the molehill into the mountain, blowing our problems out of proportion. The inspired words in the Letter of Saint Peter captures the message: “Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.” The Eucharistic Lord can resolve the biggest of your problems and words in a mere bat of the eye. Trust your cares to Him.
REST IN THE LORD
At the Last Supper, Jesus’ best Friend, John the Evangelist, rested his head on the Heart, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In our Communions and thanksgivings there is no reason why we cannot simply rest on and in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These consoling words of Jesus can help you upon receiving Him in Holy Communion: “Come to me all of you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will give you rest. Because my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mt 11:28-30)
REPARATION: SORRY, LORD JESUS
One of the most important messages that Jesus conveyed to Saint Margaret Mary in His apparitions revealing His Sacred Heart was His suffering at the ingratitude of so many. Jesus, revealing His Sacred Heart complained as such:” Behold the Heart that loves so much and receives only indifference, coldness and ingratitude.” After Holy Communion tell the Lord sorry for our coldness and indifference as well as that of the whole world. He desires fire— “I have come to cast fire on the earth and I am not at peace until that for be enkindled.”
LOVE
When all is said and done, what Jesus wants more than anything else in the world but especially gushing forth from the depths of our own hearts is that of love. Saint John of the Cross, the great mystical Doctor of the Church and Spiritual Director of Saint Teresa of Avila stated: “In the twilight of our existence we will be judged on love.” Perhaps the best prayer that can rush from the depths of our hearts—especially when the Eucharistic Jesus is in our hearts—are these simple but most important words: JESUS, I LOVE YOU!!! After Holy Communion repeat these words over and over again. This will enkindle the fire of love in your hearts and set you ablaze in a cold and indifferent world.
OUR LADY OF THE EUCHARIST
Our reflection would be incomplete if we did not invite Mary, Our Lady of the Eucharist, into our thanksgiving toward Jesus, the Son of Mary. Mary received Jesus into her most pure and Immaculate Heart upon her Fiat: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” Then she went in haste to bring Jesus to others—her cousin Elizabeth in need. Our reception of the Eucharistic Lord Jesus and a fervent thanksgiving will necessarily launch us, catapult us, into the world so cold, blind, and indifferent to the love of God and to be true messengers of the love of God. Jesus said: “I have come to cast fire on the earth, and I am not at peace until that fire be enkindled.”
