The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Prayers before Communion
Prayers before Communion.
ACT OF FAITH.
“Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains.”— Cant. ii. 8.
AH! my dearest Saviour, what wonderful and almost insurmountable difficulties thou hadst to break through, in order that thou mightest come and unite thyself to me in this holy Sacrament! Being God, it was necessary to become a man; being infinite, to become an infant; being Lord of all, to become a slave; from the bosom of thy eternal Father, thou must pass into the womb of a virgin, from heaven into a stable, and from thy throne of glory to an infamous gibbet. And this morning again from thy heavenly home thou dost come to dwell in my heart.
“Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices.”— Cant. ii. 9.
O my soul, behold thy dear Jesus all burning with that same love which he bore thee, when he died for thee on the cross ! Behold him now under the sacramental species ! Like an ardent lover he gazes upon thee from the consecrated Host, and desires to have thee answer to his love. From there, although himself unseen, he sees thee; he watches thee closely, thou that goest this morning to feed on his sacred flesh, that he may discover what thy thoughts are, what thou lovest best, what thou desirest, what thou wouldst have from him, and what offering thou hast to present him in return.
Courage, O my soul, and prepare thyself to receive Jesus, first, by faith, saying: It is then true, O my beloved Redeemer, that in a few moments thou wilt: come into my heart ? O my God, hidden and unrecognised by the most of men, I believe that thou art really present in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar. I confess thee with my whole heart, and adore thee in this Sacrament, as my Lord and Saviour, and to confess this truth I would gladly give my life. Thou dost come to enrich me with thy graces, and to unite me wholly to thyself: how great then should be my confidence in a visit so loving as this!
ACT OF CONFIDENCE.
O MY heart, open wide to receive him ! Thy Jesus can enrich thee with all good, he loved thee so much; hope, then, for great favours from thy Saviour, who comes to thee so full of tenderness and love. Yes, dearest Jesus, thou art my hope. This is what I look for from thy love — that since thou givest thyself entirely to me this day, thou wilt enkindle in my heart a beautiful flame of pure love, and excite in me a sincere desire to please thee, that for the time to come my only wish may be to do what is pleasing to thee.
ACT OF LOVE.
O MY God, my God, thou alone art the true friend of my soul. Couldst thou do more to win my love than thou hast done for me? Thou hast not only been willing to die for me, O my Divine Saviour, but thou hast even been pleased to institute this holy Sacrament, in order to give me thyself altogether, and thus unite thyself intimately with so mean and ungrateful a creature as I am. But this is not all — thou dost invite me thyself to receive thee, and this is thine ardent desire. O infinite, O incomprehensible love! a God desires to give himself wholly to me! O my soul, dost thou believe this? What art thou doing then? Hast thou nothing to say? O yes, my God ! infinite God! worthy of all love, thou alone dost deserve the love of all thy creatures. I love thee with my whole heart. I love thee above all things; I love thee more than my life. O! why can I not see thee loved by all, cherished by all hearts as thou deservest? I love thee, O my God! and in the fervour of my love, I unite my poor heart with the hearts of all the Seraphim and with the heart of Mary, and wish that I might have the same love for thee which all the Saints bear thee, the same with which thy holy Mother is inflamed. I love only thee, for thou alone deservest all my love. O blessed Mary, mother of holy love, help me to love my God as thou desirest to see him loved.
ACT OF HUMILITY.
So then, my soul, in a few moments thou art going to nourish thyself with the sacred flesh of Jesus Christ. Art thou then worthy to receive it? O my God, who am I, and who art thou? Indeed, I know well who thou art, thou that givest thyself to me; but thou, Lord, knowest thou who I am — I that am to receive thee?
Is it possible, O my Jesus, that thou, who art purity itself, art so desirous to come and dwell in this soul, which has so often been the dwelling of thine enemy, and loaded with so many sins? I acknowledge, O Lord, all thy majesty and my own deep misery. I blush and am ashamed to appear before thee; I would in reverence withdraw from thee, but if I leave thee, my life, whither shall I turn? Where should I seek help? what will become of me? No, no ! I will not leave thee. I will rather draw nearer and nearer to thee every day. Thou lovest to have me receive thee for my food, and ever invitest me. Well, then, I come, O my dearest Saviour ! Yes ! ashamed and deeply humbled by my sins, but full of confidence in thy mercy and thy love for me, I come to receive thee into my heart this day.
ACT OF SORROW.
IT grieves me deeply, O God of my soul, that hitherto I have not loved thee, that, instead of loving thee, I have frequently even offended and displeased thy infinite goodness in order to satisfy my wicked inclinations. I have abandoned thee, in contempt of thy grace and of thy friendship: in a word, I have lost thee, O my God, and that wilfully. I am sorry for it; yes, Lord, my whole soul is full of grief. I hate and detest all the sins that I have committed, both mortal and venial; I detest them more than any other evil, because they have offended thee, who art infinitely good. I hope that thou hast already forgiven me, but if it be not so, O forgive me before I receive thee: cleanse, O my God, with thy precious blood, this soul into which thou art coming soon to dwell.
ACT OF DESIRE.
HAVE courage, my soul. See! the happy moment has arrived, and thy Jesus is coming to dwell in thy heart. Behold the Lord of heaven and of earth, thy Saviour and thy God, who is drawing nigh to thee, who intends to visit thee. Prepare thyself then to receive him lovingly, invite him with your desires, and say to him: Come, O Jesus, come into this heart that longs for thee; but before thou givest thyself to me, I will first give myself to thee; see! I give up to thee this poor heart, receive it, and hasten to take possession of it.
Come, O my God,come promptly and without delay! My only and infinite good, my treasure, my life, my paradise, my love, my all! O that I could receive thee with that same love wherewith all the holiest and most ardent souls have received thee until now, and with which the most holy Virgin Mary received thee. I unite this communion of mine with theirs.
O most holy Virgin Mary, my mother, see! I am now going to receive thy divine Son. I wish I might have thy heart in this moment, and that love with which thou didst receive him. Give thy Jesus this morning to me, as thou didst give him to the shepherds and the three holy kings. I desire to receive him from thy pure hands. Tell him that I am thy devoted servant; then he will love me more, and unite me more closely in this happy moment to himself.
When the Priest elevates the most Sacred Host, repeat with him three times the following words:
O LORD, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof, but say only the word, and my soul shall be healed.
Then, with your eyes modestly cast down, but your head erect, open your mouth, and advance your tongue a little and thus receive the Holy Sacrament. Be sure not to make any hasty movement with your mouth, but let the Priest himself lay it upon your tongue. Endeavour to swallow the holy Host by means of the moisture on your tongue without touching it with your teeth, and least of all with your finger. If other communicants-are still coming, and need to occupy your place, then, shortly after receiving, but not immediately, retire and make room for them; otherwise, especially when the Communion is given out of Mass, you may remum until the Priest gives his benediction.
Other Prayers before Communion.
PRAYER OF ST. AMBROSE.
O COMPASSIONATE Lord Jesus Christ, I, a sinner, nothing presuming on my own merits, but. trusting in thy mercy and goodness, draw near with awe and trembling to the table of thy sweetest banquet. For my heart and my body are stained with many sins, my mind and my tongue have not been kept with fitting diligence and circumspection. Wherefore, O compassionate Godhead, O dread and awful Majesty, I, thy wretched creature, who am fallen into a great strait, betake myself to thee, the Fountain of mercy; to thee I hasten that I may be healed; beneath thy protection I take my refuge; I long to have thee for my Saviour, before whom as my judge 1 can in nowise stand. To thee, O Lord, I now show my wounds; before thee I lay bare all this my shame. I know my sins, so many and so great, by reason of which I am afraid. I hope in thy mercies, which are past numbering. Look on me with the eyes of thy mercy, O Lord Jesus Christ, everlasting king, God and man, who wert crucified for man. Graciously hear me who hope in thee; have mercy on me who am full of miseries and of sins, O thou full and overflowing Fountain of pity and of mercy. Hail, thou saving Victim, offered for me and all mankind upon the tree of the Cross. Hail, thou noble and precious Blood, which dost ever flow forth from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ, to wash away the sins of the whole world. Remember thy creature, O Lord, whom thou hast redeemed with thine own Blood. I grieve that I have sinned; I do earnestly desire to amend what I have done amiss. Wherefore, O merciful Father, take away from me all my iniquities and my sins, that, being cleansed in soul and body, I may worthily receive the holy Food of the holy; and grant that the sacred taste of thy Body and Blood which I, unworthy, am about to receive, may be to me the remission of my sins, the perfect expiation and cleansing of all my faults, the putting to flight of evil thoughts, the quickening and renewal of all good feelings, the healthful energy of all good works, the most assured protection of my body and soul from all the snares of my enemies. Amen.
PRAYER OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS.
O ALMIGHTY everlasting God, behold I draw near to the Sacrament of thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; I draw near, as one sick to the Physician of life, as one defiled to the Fountain of mercy, as one blind to the light of eternal splendour, as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Wherefore, I implore the fulness of thine infinite bounty, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal all my sickness, to wash away my defilements, to give light to ray blindness, to enrich my poverty and to clothe my nakedness, so that I may receive the Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, with such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith, such purpose and intention, as may avail to the welfare and salvation of my soul. Grant me, I beseech thee, to receive not only the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of my Lord, but also the very Reality and Substance of the Sacrament. O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the Body of thine only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ, that very Body which he took of the Virgin Mary, that I may be truly incorporated into his mystical Body, and so numbered amongst its members. O most loving Father, grant me at last to behold unveiled, and for evermore, the same thy beloved Son whom I purpose to receive now in my pilgrimage, beneath the veils of the Sacrament; who liveth and reigneth, God
through everlasting ages. Amen. ACT OF FAITH.
O JESUS ! the truth and the life, with firm faith, I believe that this admirable Sacrament contains in very deed thy divinity with all thy power, wisdom, and infinite goodness, thy most sacred humanity with all its perfections and sanctity, thy soul with all its Lowers, thy true and loving body, entire and glorious. believe thy whole self to be contained in each Host, and in the smallest portion thereof. I believe all this because thou, who art the sovereign and supreme truth, hast said: “ This is my Body.” I believe in this mystery, O my Saviour! with humility and simplicity since thou hast revealed it to us, and by thy Church hast proposed it to our belief. I hold that faith which the holy Fathers and Doctors of thy Church have held and taught for more than eighteen hundred years. Therefore, though the testimony of my senses is wanting, though heretics deny thy clear and express teaching, I nevertheless believe in the infallible words, O Jesus ! which thou hast spoken, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived, since thou art the eternal wisdom of the Father, and the fountain of all truth.
“ I believe all the Son of God has spoken, Than Truth’s own word there is no truer token.”
ACT OF REVERENCE.
IF I consider thy majesty and omnipotence, O Lord, I must fear and tremble. Was not Ozias suddenly struck dead for touching the Ark of the Covenant, which was but a figure of the Holy Eucharist, and shall I dare to touch with my impure lips thy sacred Body, the living and all-holy ark? The Israelites, struck with terror, dared not approach the smoking mountain of Sinai to obtain the Law, and shall I, a sinner, presume to ascend to the mountain of thy glory, to draw near to thy most holy sacrament, and to receive my Legislator, the Lord of heaven and earth? I should certainly not dare to approach, O Lord, did not*thy majesty command, and kindly, and with a gentle voice, invite me to draw near. Since, therefore, thou sayest, Come ye all to me, behold I come to refresh my soul. Thou hast said, Suffer little children to come unto me; here then am I, who, through the merits of thy death, have become like to a little child in humility and innocence.
ACT OF HUMILITY.
TRULY, O Lord, when I reflect upon my nothingness I am wholly confounded. I am neither an Angel nor an Archangel, but a creature formed of clay and of the slime of the earth, and these blessed spirits tremble and veil their faces before thee. I am not like John the Baptist sanctified in his mother’s womb, but one conceived and born in sin. yet he considered himself unworthy even to loose the latchet of thy shoe — what therefore, should I feel? Behold, O Lord, with sincere humility, I am prostrate at the feet of thy majesty, knowing and acknowledging my unworthiness, and confessing that though I should prepare for a thousand years, I should still be infinitely unworthy to approach this divine sacrament. For thou here present art the Lord, I am thy servant; thou art the Creator, I the work of thy hand; thou the All-Holy, I a sinner. Since therefore, thou invitest me, and dost threaten me with death if I eat not of thy flesh; I come to thee, and even because I am miserable and poor, I hasten all the more ’ to the fountain of every good. As the hart pants after the fountains of waters, so does my soul long after thee, O my God! Come, Lord, my heart is open to thee, unite it to thyself, since it languishes with thy love. Would that I possessed the ardent desires and virtues of all the saints, in order now to receive worthily the Lord of saints. Adorn me, O Jesus, with thy merits and the beauty of thy virtues, and then I shall be worthy even of so great a grace.
ACT OF HOPE.
O My Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth, thou art the hope of my youth, what canst thou deny me who givest me thyself? As thou hast promised, he that eats of this bread shall live for ever, I, relying on thy ineffable promises, hope through thv merits and the virtue of, this most efficacious Sacrament, to obtain from thee life, grace, and eternal glory. And why should I not hope in thee? Thou only hast power to bestow everything upon us, and thou art infinite goodness, grant therefore, through thy omnipotent bounty, what I ask of thee. I am sick, be then my physician, and heal me; I am blind, do thou who art the true light, enlighten me; I am a sinner, thou the fount of purity, cleanse me; I am ignorant, thou the Eternal Wisdom, teach me; I am tepid, thou a consuming fire, inflame me; save me, thou who savest all who hope in thee; I have hoped in thee, O Lord, I shall never be confounded.
ACT OF LOVE.
I SHOULD not satisfy thee, O my Jesus, in this happy Communion hour, were I to offer thee but this salutary fear which has led me to thy sacred feet, and this shame-stricken conscience which makes me tremble in thy holy presence. The visit thou art about to pay me is a visit cf love. O Lover of souls, truly that love of thine must have been infinite, which urged thee to do so much for us, which induced thee the day before thy Passion, to institute this adorable Sacrament of thy love, in which thou remainest for ever in our midst, and unitest us so intimately to thyself. O infinite love, why am I not in return all on fire with love of thee. Ah ! sweet Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, and that I greatly desire to love thee still more, and as a proof of this love I come to thee, and unite myself closely to thee. I offer thee all that is mine, my life and my soul, my body and my heart, entreating thee to accept them, and to light up therein the fire of thy love.
Another Preparation
INVOCATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, THE ANGELS, AND HOLY PATRONS.
THAT I may worthily receive my Saviour, assist me, O my holy Patrons, and all the saints, thou especially, O holy Virgin Mary, who didst deserve to conceive and bear this man-God in thy most pure womb, implore for me, for the love of thy Son, the grace of the Holy Spirit, that I may receive him worthily into my heart. My holy Angel Guardian, and all you holy Angels, assist me now, and as you see me destitute of virtues and merits, clothe me, I beseech you, with virtues, and adorn me with merits, that I may not appear at the divine feast without a nuptial garment, and thus deserve to be excluded from it. O holy N. whose feast we celebrate to-day, obtain for me from the Lamb of God, that even my hidden sins may be blotted out, and that, washed in the blood of the Lamb, I may with joy and fruit refresh my soul with his most pure flesh; implore for me that the love of Jesus may light up my lukewarm heart, and inflame it wholly with his love. Amen.
“ Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.” — Matt. xi. 28.
THESE are thy words, O Christ the Eternal Truth, and they are words of so great tenderness, and so full of sweetness and love, that they encourage me, but my sins terrify me, and my unclean conscience keeps me back from approaching to so great mysteries. The sweetness of thy words invites me, but the multitude of my offences weigh me down. Thou commandest me to approach thee with confidence, if I would have part with thee; and to receive the food of immortality, if I desire to receive life and glory everlasting. "Come,” sayst thou, "to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you." (Matt. xi. 28.) O sweet and amiable word in the ear of a sinner, that thou, O Lord, my God, shouldst invite the poor and needy to the communion of thy most sacred Body! But who am I, Lord, that I should presume to come to thee? Behold, the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; and thou sayst, come you all to me.
What means this most loving condescension, and so friendly an invitation? How shall I dare to approach, who am conscious to myself of no good in which I can presume? How shall I introduce thee into my house, who have so oftentimes provoked thy indignation? The angels and archangels stand with a reverential awe; the saints and the just are afraid; and thou sayst, come you all to me. Unless thou, O Lord, didst say it, who could believe it to be true? And unless thou didst command it, who would dare attempt to approach?
Trusting then, O Lord, in thy goodness, and in thy great mercy, I come sick to my Saviour, hungry and thirsty to the Fountain of life, needy to the King of heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature to his Creator, and one in desolation to his loving Comforter. But whence is this to me, that thou shouldst come to me? Who am I that thou shouldst give thyself to me? How dares such a sinner appear before thee? And how dost thou vouchsafe to come to a sinner? Thou knowest me, and thou knowest that I have nothing of good in me, which can entitle me to this favour. I confess, therefore, my unworthiness, I acknowledge thy bounty, I praise thy goodness, and I give thee thanks for thy excessive charity. For it is of thy own mercy thou dost this, not for my merits; that thy goodness may be better known to me; that greater charity may be imparted, and humility more perfectly recommended. Since, therefore, this is what pleaseth thee, and thou hast commanded it should be so, thy merciful condescension pleaseth me also; and I wish that my iniquity may be no obstacle.
O Lord, in the simplicity of my heart, with a good and firm faith, and in obedience to thy command, I come to thee with hope and reverence; and I do verily believe that thou art here present, God and man. It is then thy will that I should receive thee, and through love unite myself to thee. Wherefore I implore thy mercy: and I beg of thee to give me for this a special grace, that I may be wholly melted away in thee, and overflow with thy love, and seek no more any comfort from anything else. For this most high and most excellent sacrament is the health of soul and body, the remedy of all spiritual diseases, by which my vices are cured, my passions are restrained, temptations are overcome or lessened, a greater grace is infused, virtue receives an increase, faith is confirmed, hope strengthened, charity inflamed and enlarged. For thou hast frequently bestowed, and still oftentimes dost bestow, many good things in this sacrament on thy beloved who communicate devoutly, O my God, the support of my soul, who art the repairer of human infirmity, and the giver of all interior comfort. For thou impartest unto them much consolation, to support them in their many troubles; and thou liftest them up from the depth of their own dejection, to the hope of thy protection; and thou dost recreate and enlighten them interiorly with a certain new grace; in such sort that they who, before communion, were perplexed, and felt no affection in themselves, after being fed with this heavenly meat and drink, find themselves changed for the better. And thou art pleased to deal thus with thy elect, to the end that they may truly acknowledge, and plainly experience how great is their infirmity when left to themselves, and how much they receive from thy bounty and grace. For of themselves they are cold, tepid, and indevout; but by thee they are made fervent, cheerful, and devout. For who is he that approaching humbly to the fountain of sweetness, does not carry away with him some little sweetness? Or who, standing by a great fire, does not receive from it some little heat? Now thou art a fountain always full and overflowing: thou art a fire always burning, and never decaying. Wherefore if I cannot draw out of the fulness of the fountain, nor drink my fill, I will at least set my mouth to the orifice of this heavenly well, that so I may draw from thence, some small drop to refresh my thirst, to the end that I may not be wholly dried up. And if I cannot as yet be all heavenly, and all on fire, like the cherubim and seraphim, I will, however, endeavour to apply myself to devotion, and to prepare my heart for the acquiring of some small flame of divine fire, by the humble receiving of this life-giving sacrament. And whatever is wanting to me, O good Jesus, most blessed Saviour, do thou in thy bounty and goodness supply for me, who hast vouchsafed to call all unto thee, saying, "Come to me all you that labour and are burdened , and I will refresh you .” (Matt. xi. 28.)
I labour indeed, in the sweat of my brow, I am tormented with grief of heart, I am burdened with sins, I am troubled with temptations, and am entangled and oppressed with many evil passions; and there is no one to help me, no one to deliver and save me, but thou, O Lord God, my Saviour; to whom I commit myself, and all that is mine, that thou mayst keep me, and bring me to everlasting life. Receive me for the praise and glory of thy name, who hast prepared thy body and blood for my meat and drink. Grant, O Lord God, my Saviour, that with the frequenting this thy mystery, the affection of my devotion may increase.
Lord, all things are thine that are in heaven, and on earth. I desire to offer up myself to thee as a voluntary oblation, and to remain for ever thine. Lord, in the sincerity of my heart, I offer myself to thee this day, to be thy servant evermore, to serve thee, and to become a sacrifice of perpetual praise to thee. Receive me with this sacred oblation of thy precious body, which I offer to thee this day, in the presence of thy angels invisibly standing by that it may be for mine and all the peopled salvation.
Lord, I offer to thee all my sins and offences, which I have committed in thy sight, and that of thy holy angels, from the day that I was first capable of sin until this hour, upon thy propitiatory altar, that thou mayst burn and consume them all with the fire of thy charity, and mayst remove all the stains of my sins, and cleanse my conscience from all offences, and restore to me thy grace, which I have lost by sin, by fully pardoning me all, and mercifully receiving me to the kiss Of peace. I offer also to thee all the good I have done, though very little and imperfect, that thou mayst make it better, and sanctify it; that thou mayst be pleased with it, and make it acceptable to thee, and perfect it more and more; and mayst, moreover, bring me, who am a slothful and unprofitable wretch, to a good and happy end.
I offer to thee also, all the goodly desires of thy devout servants; the necessities of my parents, brethren, sisters, and all those that are dear to me; and for all such as for the love of thee, have been benefactors to me or others, or who have desired and begged of me to offer up prayers and masses for themselves and all that belonged to them, whether they live as yet in the flesh, or whether they are now departed out of this world, that they all may be sensible of the assistance of thy grace, of the benefit of thy comfort, of thy protection from all dangers and of a deliverance from their pains: and that being freed from all evils, they may with joy give worthy thanks to thee. I offer up also to thee my prayers, and this sacrifice of propitiation for them in particular, who have in anything wronged, grieved, or abused me, or have done me any damage or displeasure. And for all those, likewise, whom I have at any time grieved, troubled, injured, or scandalized by word or deed, knowingly or unknowingly; that it may please thee to forgive us all our sins and offences one against another: Take, O Lord, from our hearts all jealousy, indignation, wrath, and contention, and whatsoever may hurt charity, and lessen brotherly love. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on those that crave thy mercy; give grace to them that stand in need thereof, and grant that we may attain to life.