The word Magnificat is very well known to believers. It is a hymn that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, sang during her visit to Elizabeth. In it, Jesus praises the Lord for all the blessings he shows the entire human family.
He begins it with the words: “My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior, because he has looked at the humiliation of his servant. Maria also experiences and implements what she sang throughout her life. This is also an encouragement for us, so we, too, desire to remain in constant communion with God’s Son, Jesus Christ, throughout our lives. How we can do this, says the American spiritual writer Vinny Flynn in the seventh mystery of the Eucharist: There are no limits to how many times we can receive. Here he discusses the idea of spiritual Holy Communion, that is, apart from the period when we can really receive the sacrament of the Eucharist, we can also receive it spiritually, by the very desire of this sacrament. We can unite our hearts with the heart of Jesus present in the Eucharist. The saints give us wonderful role models. St. Francis de Sales decided to receive spiritual communion at least every fifteen minutes to connect all the day’s events with receiving the Eucharist at Holy Mass. Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe not only received the Eucharist. But he attended the Blessed Sacrament very often. It was more than ten times a day. Even that was not enough for him, and, like Francis Sales, he decided to receive spiritual communion at least every quarter of an hour. “Sometimes,” he explains, “spiritual communion brings the same graces as sacramental.” However, we must not forget, brothers and sisters; that regular sacramental communion cannot be replaced.
Our spiritual communion must always aim at sacramental communion. The essence of communion is union with Holy Communion, which unites us with God, and spiritual communion helps us stay there. Saint Catherine of Siena testifies to us that spiritual communion has real value compared to the sacrament. Suddenly, she saw that Christ held two chalices. I pour your sacraments into this silver chalice. We may say – That is history, which Saint Padre Pio advises us: “During the day… call on Jesus even in the midst of duties… He will come to you and will always be united to your soul by means of his grace and holy love.” Fly in spirit before the tabernacle when you cannot physically stand there. Pour out the emotional desires of your soul there, and receive the lover of souls evens more than you could receive him sacramental.’
So what do we do? Shall we decide on spiritual communions? Certainly, yes! But how do we start? Above all, we choose to make a good spiritual communion whenever we cannot receive the sacrament at Holy Mass by praying Saint Alphonsus: “My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Above all, I love you and long to possess you in my soul. Since I cannot receive your sacramental, at least come into my heart spiritually. I embrace you because you are already here, and I completely unite with you. Never let me be separated from you.” We can also use others or our prayers.
Spiritual, Holy Communion means stopping momentarily to meet the dream in the depths of the heart. St. John Vianney advises: Spiritual communion acts on the soul as the wind acts on an extinguishing fire full of ashes. When you feel that your love for God is cooling, quickly make a spiritual communion. Furthermore, spiritual Holy Communion means that we invite God to do what He wants: to come into our hearts with all heaven and lift us through the veil into the eternity of His love.
Let us commit ourselves to it fervently, so that our life may become a great Magnificat and always be united with the Lord as his and our Mother Mary.
