Mental or interior prayer (as distinct from vocal prayer, which normally is expressed by set formulas) begins with a serious consideration of the truths of the Faith, with a view to their practical application to our daily lives. During mental prayer, you grow in the knowledge of your faith and acquire principles of right living by applying yourself to prolonged …
Prayer is necessary because (1) God has commanded us to pray, and (2) it is an unconditional means of obtaining grace. The need for prayer is rooted in man’s very nature as a creature of God who receives gifts from His generosity. 1. Prayer is necessary because God has commanded us to pray. The First Commandment of God binds man …
The four purposes of prayer are: (1) adoration, (2) thanksgiving, (3) repentance, and (4) petition. 1. Adoration. Our first and foremost duty is to acknowledge God’s supreme dominion over us, as our Creator and Father; our absolute dependence on Him, as His creatures and children; and His supreme excellence. The worship of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is called …
We should pray with (1) attention, (2) a spirit of humility, (3) a deep desire for the graces we need from God, (4) a loving trust in God’s goodness, (5) resignation to God’s will, and (6) perseverance. 1. We should pray with attention by forming in our minds the intentions of praying well and of fixing our minds on God. …
The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament of unity because it unites the faithful more closely with Jesus and with one another. By receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we are taken up into a close union with Him and with one another. In this sacrament, the unity of all those who believe in Jesus …
In the Eucharist, Jesus nourishes properly prepared Catholics with His Body and Blood, the Bread of Life, so that they may become more pleasing to God and may be strengthened in their love of God and neighbor. In the Eucharist we become more pleasing to God. In this great celebration of our faith, we relive the experience of Jesus and …
Yes. One of the principal effects received from the Holy Eucharist at Holy Communion is the intensification and strengthening of supernatural life. Being a sign of nourishment, the Holy Eucharist is meant to do for the soul what material food does for the body, and that is to preserve life and to protect it. As material food enables us to …
Yes, Holy Communion unites our souls to Jesus’ divine and human natures. It is an article of faith that the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is truly, really, and substantially the Body and Blood of Christ, together with His soul and divinity. Therefore, when we receive Holy Communion, we receive the real, physical Body and Blood of Christ, together with …
Yes, Holy Communion is a source of the Theological Virtue of charity. The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament which most fittingly increases man’s love for God, because it was begun and inspired by God’s love for man. St. John pointed to that love when he wrote: “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world …
Yes, since Holy Communion increases sanctifying grace in our souls, it also increases our love of neighbor. In Holy Communion, we are united directly to Jesus Christ, and through Him, to the Father and to the Holy Spirit, Who are in Him. We also are united with Him and through Him to all His members, and especially to those who …