Thought for the Day – 22 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love for Thee.”
PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/21/thought-for-the-day-21-august-frequent-communion/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/06/22/thought-for-the-day-22-june-frequent-communion/
Thought for the Day – 22 June – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“For the practice of daily Communion, however, we should have the approval of our Confessor.
We should be fully determined to preserve ourselves free from every sin, especially from grave sin, for otherwise, we could not approach the Eucharistic banquet (if anyone receives Jesus with mortal sin on his soul, he commits a terrible sacrilege).
This practice, moreover, should help us to avoid every deliberate imperfection and venial sin and should inspire in us, a lively spirit of Christian charity.
“Receive Communion everyday,” said St Augustine, “because it will help you everyday … but you must live in a manner which will entitle you to communicate daily” (De Verbo Domini – Sermon 28).
Frequent Communion, therefore, will enable us to set out upon the road to perfection, without relaxing in our resolution and without any false scruples.
“Two kinds of people,” wrote st Francis de Sales, “should receive Communion frequently – the perfect and the imperfect; the perfect in order to preserve their holiness; the imperfect, in order to reach perfection.” (Introduction to the Devout Life c 2).
Let us ask the advice of our regular Confessor.
We shall be fortunate if we can approach the Sacred Banquet everyday, or at least very often, for we shall be sure that we are on the path to holiness.”
PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/21/thought-for-the-day-21-august-frequent-communion/
Thought for the Day – 20 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“The purifying and reforming action of frequent Confession is completed by the practice of receiving Communion, as frequently as possible.
Sacramental Confession gives us the grace of God, while Holy Communion gives us the Author of that grace, Jesus Christ, living and really present, Who comes to dwell in our poor hearts.
How can anybody who goes frequently to Confession and Communion sin?
How can any man cast himself once more into the clutches of the devil after experiencing the heavenly consolation of the Eucharist?
Do not protest that we are not worthy to go to Holy Communion frequently…
It is true that we are not worthy but, we have a great need of this divine nourishment.
If we wait until we are worthy, we shall never approach the Sacred Banquet but, if we realise our need of Jesus, we shall want to receive Him everyday.
This was the practice of the early Christians, who were persevering in prayer and in the ‘Breaking of Bread’ that is, in receiving Holy Communion.
From the divine Eucharist, they gained the courage to endure martyrdom.
A good life is a slow martyrdom – we, who must be virtuous, have a continual need of Holy Communion, the food of the strong!”
PART ONE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/29/thought-for-the-day-29-september-frequent-confession-and-communion-part-one/
Thought for the Day – 21 August – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Frequent Communion
“Even as our bodies need their daily sustenance of good to restore the energy which they have lost, so it is with out souls.
The nourishment of the soul, is the grace of God.
There is no better way of acquiring and increasing this grace, than by Holy Communion because, Communion gives us Jesus Himself, Who is the origin of grace.
Spiritual perfection consists in union with God.
We can achieve perfect union with God in Holy Communion, by means of which, we live the life of Jesus.
“He who eats me, he also shall live because of me.” (Jn 6:58)
Anyone who loves Jesus fervently, receives Holy Communion everyday.
If a man does not do this, it is a sign that he does not love Jesus perfectly.
The early Christians were “continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread in their houses;” (Cf Acts 2:46) in other words, they received Communion everyday.
It was Jesus, in the Blessed Eucharist Who nourished their faith and gave them the strength to endure Martyrdom.
This custom prevailed in many places up to the time of St Jerome and St Augustine, who wrote “This is your daily bread; receive it daily in order to benefit daily from it” (De Verbo Domini, Serm 28).
To those who believe that they were unworthy to receive everyday, St Ambrose said: “A man who is unworthy to receive everyday, will still be unworthy in a year’s time” (Bk 5, De Sacramentis, c 4).
We should not stay away from daily Communion because of our unworthiness, nor because of our lapses into sin.
“Because I am always sinning,” said St Ambrose, “I am always in need of medicine” (Ibid).
Humility is the basic virtue necessary in a Christian but it should not be a reason for abstaining from Holy Communion.
St Thomas Aquinas commented that, although it may be pleasing to God to stay away from Holy Communion out of humility, He is far better pleased with the love and confidence of a soul, which receives Him. (Cf Summa Theologiae, III, q 8, a 10 ad 3).
The Church, like Jesus, desires us to receive Communion daily, although it only binds us under pain of sin, to receive once a year during Paschaltide, in accordance with the decree of Innocent III, which was confirmed by the Council of Trent.
We are also required to receive the Blessed Eucharist, if we are in danger of death.”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci
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