Making a Spiritual Communion

Spiritual Communion is a pious exercise commended by the Council of Trent and practiced by many saints.    Spiritual Communion consists of a burning desire to receive Jesus in the sacrament, and to attain a loving union with Him, as if He had been actually received sacramentally   Spiritual Communion leads the soul to perfection, brings manifold blessings and consolations, and contains graces and benefits similar to those received in sacramental Communion.

St. Alphonsus Liguori provides the following prayers for making a Spiritual Communion:

"My Jesus, I believe that Thou art really present in the Most Holy. Sacrament. I love Thee, and I desire Thee; come to my soul. I embrace Thee; and I beseech Thee never to allow me to be separated from Thee again." Or more briefly thus: "My Jesus, come to me; I desire Thee; I embrace Thee; let us remain ever united together." 

St. John Vianney has a shorter prayer for Spiritual Communion:

"O my God, come to me, so that You may dwell in me and I may dwell in you."

St. Alphonsus teaches further that "spiritual Communion may be practiced several times a day: when we make our prayer, when we make our visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and especially when we attend Mass at the moment of the priest's Communion. The Dominican Sister Blessed Angela of the Cross said: "If my confessor had not taught me this method of communicating spiritually several times a day, I should not have trusted myself to live."