The practice rests on the Church's ancient teaching that the Eucharist may be received sacramentally and spiritually, and that the desire for the sacrament already draws down its fruit in a soul in the state of grace. St. Alphonsus Liguori made it a cornerstone of his Eucharistic teaching and composed the act most widely used. Pope St. John Paul II commended it in the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, urging the faithful to cultivate a constant desire for the sacrament. It is a private devotion and never a substitute for sacramental Communion, which remains the norm for those who are able to receive; anyone conscious of grave sin must first be reconciled in confession before receiving sacramentally.

Recollect yourself for a moment wherever you are. Make an act of faith in the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, an act of contrition for your sins, and then an act of desire — asking Jesus to come into your heart since you cannot at this moment receive him sacramentally. Remain a little while in silence as if you had just received Communion, thanking him and offering him the day. St. Alphonsus's act may be used: 'My Jesus, I believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to receive Thee into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as if Thou wert already there and unite myself wholly to Thee. Never permit me to be separated from Thee.'

About 5 minutes

eucharistic