Appendix II. On Spiritual Communion

345. Spiritual Communion is called a pious desire of receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist when it cannot be received in reality. Hence for it there is required: 1. an act of Faith, by which the one about to communicate spiritually sets before himself Christ truly present in the Eucharist; 2. an act of the mind, by which he imagines to himself in his mind that he is now approaching the sacred table and receiving the Host from the hand of the Priest ¹; 3. an act of desire, by which he longs to receive Christ in the Sacrament and to be united with Him with his whole heart. This Communion was very much among the delights of the Saints, and is commended by the Council of Trent, sess. 13, c. 8. It is very useful to the pious faithful. For if God rewards a pious desire for any virtue, how much more the desire of possessing Him Himself! Therefore it must be diligently insinuated and most vehemently commended by Confessors to their faithful penitents. Spiritual Communion can be made at every time and in every place, both morning and evening. Yet the more opportune time is the time of Mass itself, namely when the Priest communicates; for then, since the most august Sacrament is exhibited to the eyes and represented more vividly to the mind, it will more ardently inflame hearts with divine love. - Scavini, etc.

¹ This imaginative representation is by no means necessary. For the chief part of this very useful and most sweet practice consists in this: that someone, turning over in his mind both those things which moved the immense charity of our Lord to prepare this heavenly banquet for us, and those things which invite and impel us to participate in it, should burst forth into an ardent desire of enjoying this table; and, dwelling upon an affection of this kind together with acts of faith, humility, and love, should ask with great confidence the most abundant benignity of the Lord and Savior that He deign mercifully to bestow even now that abundance of graces which He is accustomed to impart when, by His presence, He invisibly visits our soul. For otherwise imaginative representations do not come easily to all; and if perhaps they are languid, those affections also will languish and miserably wither in which the chief, indeed the whole, fruit of this pious exercise consists.