The Spirit of Medjugorje
Medjugorje Message March 25, 2024
"Dear children! In this time of grace, pray with me for the good to win in you and around you. In a special way, little children, pray united with Jesus on His Way of the Cross. Into your prayers put this humanity which wanders without God and without His love. Be prayer, be light, and be witnesses to all those whom you meet, little children, so that the merciful God may have mercy toward you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
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Featured article from August, 2005's Spirit of Medjugorje
The Two Precious Vessels
By June Klins
Our Lady, in Her messages, tells us that we should make the Eucharist the center of our lives. When I first began to follow the messages of Medjugorje, I mistakenly interpreted this to mean that Our Lady says we should go to Mass every day. Nancy Latta, who translates for Fr. Jozo, explained that Our Lady would never say that because some people cannot go to Mass every day, and Our Lady would not want these people to feel guilty that they are not living the messages. Once we had a missionary from Mississippi come to our church to talk and he said that in his diocese there are so few priests that they can only have Mass one Sunday a month. I was flabbergasted that this situation would exist right here in the United States. And given that this is true in other areas of the United States, it is certainly true in other areas of the world. We, who have access to daily Mass, often take it for granted that everyone has this privilege. I am very blessed to be able to live in a city that has daily Mass available in the morning, at noon and after work. "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." (Mt. 12:48) But for those who are not blessed to live in an area with daily Mass or cannot get to daily Mass because of a schedule conflict, the Lord has provided an alternative.
That alternative is called "Spiritual Communion." St. Alphonsus Liguori, in his book The Holy Eucharist wrote: "A Spiritual Communion, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, consists in an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him." St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alphonsus both teach that Spiritual Communion produces effects similar to sacramental Communion, according to the dispositions with which it is made, the greater or less earnestness with which Jesus is desired, and the greater or less love with which Jesus is welcomed and given due attention.
"How pleasing these Spiritual Communions are to God," St. Alphonsus writes, "and the many graces which He bestows through their means, was manifested by Our Lord Himself to Sister Paula Maresca, the foundress of the convent of St. Catherine of Sienna in Naples, when (as it is related in her life) He showed her two precious vessels, the one of gold, the other of silver. He then told her that in the gold vessel He preserved her Sacramental Communions, and in the silver one her Spiritual Communions."
"All those who desire to advance in the love of Jesus Christ," St. Alphonsus continues, "are exhorted to make a Spiritual Communion at least once in every visit that they pay to the Most Blessed Sacrament...This devotion is far more profitable than some suppose, and at the same time nothing can be easier to practice. Blessed Jane of the Cross used to say that a Spiritual Communion can be made without anyone remarking it, without fasting, without the permission of our director, and we can make it at any time we please; an act of love does all." Isn’t that an awesome thought?!
The little blue Pieta book of prayers gives the following prayer that can be said when making a Spiritual Communion: "O Jesus, I turn toward the holy tabernacle where You live hidden for love of me. I love you, O my God. I cannot receive you in Holy Communion. Come nevertheless and visit me with Your grace. Come spiritually into my heart. Purify it. Sanctify it. Render it like unto Your own. Amen. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."
The Cure of Ars said, "A Spiritual Communion acts on the soul as blowing does on a cinder-covered fire which was about to go out. Whenever you feel your love of God growing cold, quickly make a Spiritual Communion."
How awesome our God is, to provide us with Spiritual Communion. Of course, Sacramental Communion, is the preferred means to receive Our Lord. I can’t help but see the similarity of the silver and gold vessels to the silver rosaries which turn gold in Medjugorje and elsewhere. Could the message here be that frequent reception of Spiritual Communion will eventually lead to a more frequent reception of Sacramental Communion? St. John Bosco once said, "There are two things the devil is deadly afraid of – frequent Communions and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament."
In this Year of the Eucharist, may we take advantage of all the Eucharistic treasures Our Lord has provided for us. "Let holy Mass be your life." (Our Lady of Medjugorje, 4/25/98)
Editor’s note: I was prompted to write this article after I received the story of the two vessels in the mail from two different people in the same week, and then read in St. Alphonsus’ book a day or two later – a story I had never heard before 3 times in one week! The Holy Spirit made it pretty clear that He wanted our readers to know about this!
