Spiritual Communion Prayer
Also known as: Act of Spiritual Communion My Jesus, I Believe
English Text
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. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
Translation tradition: Traditional English (attributed to St. Alphonsus Liguori)
Scripture: John 6:56; Matthew 26:26
When to pray: When unable to receive Holy Communion sacramentally; during Eucharistic Adoration; at a non-Catholic wedding; by those not yet received into the Church.
History & Background
This prayer for spiritual communion is attributed to St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787), the Doctor of the Church and founder of the Redemptorists, who composed several forms of the act of spiritual communion in his spiritual writings, particularly in his Visits to the Most Blessed Sacrament. The theology of spiritual communion — receiving Jesus in desire when sacramental communion is impossible — was taught by St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae III, q.80, a.1) and affirmed by the Council of Trent (Session 13, 1551). Pope Francis cited the spiritual communion explicitly and encouraged Catholics to practice it during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020) when public Masses were suspended. The prayer gained worldwide attention and a surge in online searches during that period.
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