It is the most important act of the devotion of reparation, it is the one to which all the others concur.
To fully understand the meaning and scope of Holy Communion, a relationship must be established between the miraculous communion of the fall of 1916, guided by the Angel's words regarding the intention of reparation, and the communion of the first nine Fridays of the month as requested by the Sacred Heart in Paray-le-Monial (appearances of Jesus in 1673, 1674, and 1675 and of the Virgin Mary and Jesus in 1688 to Margaret Mary Alacoque).
However, what happens to the faithful for whom receiving Communion during the first five Saturdays of the month in a row is nearly impossible because they do not have Mass in their parish that day? Father Goncalves prepared this question for Lucia, seeking an answer from Heaven whenever possible:
“If the conditions cannot all be fulfilled on Saturday, can they be fulfilled on Sunday? People in the country, for example, very often cannot do so (on Saturday), because they live far away...”
Our Lord gives the answer to Sister Lucia on the night of May 29 to May 30, 1930:
“The practice of this devotion will be equally accepted on the Sunday following the first Saturday, when, for just reasons, my priests will allow it.”
Therefore, it is not only communion, but also praying the Rosary and meditation on the Holy Rosary, which can be postponed until Sunday, for just reasons, as determined by priests. It is easy to ask for this permission in a confession. Let us emphasize once again the catholic character of this response: it is his priests and not the individual conscience to whom Jesus entrusts the care of granting this additional facility.
Who will be able, after such concessions, to claim, on the day of judgement, that he could not fulfil the requests of the Virgin Mary?
Spiritual communion
Act of Spiritual Communion Prayer
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
[Once present in my heart] Trusting in your mercy, I embrace You and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Saint John Mary Vianney, the “Curé d'Ars” (i.e. the parish priest of Ars), – who was born on May 8, 1786 in the French town of Dardilly (near Lyon), and died on August 4, 1859 in Ars-sur-Formans (Ain) – said: “If we are deprived of Sacramental Communion, let us replace it, as far as we can, by spiritual communion, which we can make every moment; because we must always have an ardent desire to receive Jesus. Communion is to the soul like blowing a fire that is beginning to go out, but that has still plenty of hot embers; we blow, and the fire burns again.”
Saint Catherine of Siena, – who was born on March 25, 1347 in Siena, Toscana and died April 29, 1380 aged 33 in Rome – had a vision of Jesus holding two chalices. Jesus told her: “In this golden chalice, I put your sacramental communions and, in this silver one, your spiritual communions. The two chalices please me.”