Communion and Thanksgiving

Having the right intention in receiving Communion means having these good purposes: to please God, to achieve greater union with him through charity, and to apply this divine remedy to one's moral weaknesses. The sacrament should not be received out of routine, vainglory, or human respect.

We are bound, under serious obligation, to receive holy Communion at least once a year-ordinarily during Easter time-and when we are in danger of death.

Holy Communion may be received a second time on a given day, when and if one attends holy Mass, or when one in danger of death receives the Blessed Sacrament as Viaticum.

•Complete the Mass with an intense thanksgiving. Devote a few minutes to private prayer. In this way, your Mass will have direct influence on your work, your family life, your dealings with others, and the manner in which you will spend the rest of your day. In short, the Mass should not be an isolated event of the day; rather, it should be the inspiration and the dynamo for all your actions.

•Turn the whole day into a continuous preparation for the holy sacrifice of the Mass-working and praying-and, at the same time, into a never-ending act of thanksgiving. For a Christian, all honest activities can be turned into prayer.

•Imitate the piety of the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask it of her. While our Lord offered and immolated his flesh, Mary offered and immolated her spirit. Participate in each Mass as if it were your last.
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13.  Catechism of the Catholic Church (=CCC), 1387, Librería Editrice Vaticane, 1994.

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