“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
It is so important to prepare properly to receive our Lord in the Eucharist! It is so easy for Communion to become routine and forget the incredible gift that we are receiving. There are so many natural distractions, as well as spiritual ones. The demons so badly want to deprive our Lord of the love He deserves. They will try to distract you before, during, and after receiving the Eucharist. There are many ways that we can prepare ourselves well to fight the distractions and receive our Lord in a pleasing way!
Prepare
First, pray every day. By praying every day, you will grow in virtue and make your soul a more pleasing place for our Lord to dwell! We should strive to imitate Mary, in whom Christ dwelt for 9 months.
Second, do some penance. Penance helps strengthen your will so that you can more freely and easily choose God. Penance, along with daily prayer, will help you have the strength needed to resist distractions during Communion.
Third, get to Mass early so that you have time to prepare yourself better to receive Him! Stay after Mass for a few minutes of undistracted prayers of thanksgiving for the great gift of Communion!
Fourth, right before Communion make a fervent act of love! Tell Christ you love Him and desire to be united to Him! Afterwards, thank Him fervently for this great gift. Especially if you have young children, it can be difficult to pray throughout the entire Mass. But making a few fervent acts of love and devotion throughout the Mass, in between taking care of children, is so pleasing to Christ!
Fifth, offer your Communion for a specific intention. There is so much grace available when you receive our Lord well!
Finally, consider thinking of the Eucharist as a time God is coming to be with you. He is drawing near to you! He desires to be near you and dwell in you! He is trying to fill you up with Himself, so you never hunger or thirst for anything! He is our ultimate fulfillment!
I hope this list will help you to receive our Lord with great love and devotion every time!
