Compiled by
Paul Gerard Horrigan
This HTML edition is
provided free for noncommercial and devotional use.
With ecclesiastical
approval.
CONTENTS
I. PRAYERS BEFORE
HOLY COMMUNION
II. PRAYERS AFTER
HOLY COMMUNION
I
PRAYERS
BEFORE HOLY COMMUNION
Prayer for Help
O
my God, help me to make a good communion. Mary, my dearest Mother, pray to
Jesus for me. My dear Guardian Angel, lead me to the altar of God.
Act of Faith
O
God, because Thou hast said it, I believe that I shall receive the Sacred Body
of Jesus Christ to eat, and His precious Blood to drink. My God, I believe this
with all my heart.
Act of Humility
My
God, I confess that I am a poor sinner ; I am not worthy to receive the
Body and Blood of Jesus on account of my sins. Lord, I am not worthy that Thou
shouldst enter under my roof ; say but the word, and my soul shall be
healed.
Act of Sorrow
My
God, I detest all the sins of my life. I am sorry for them, because they have
offended Thee, my God, Who art so good. I resolve never to commit sin anymore.
My good God, pity me, have mercy on me, forgive me. Amen.
Act of Adoration
O
Jesus, great God, present on the Altar, I bow down before Thee, I adore Thee.
Act of Love and Desire
Sweet
Jesus, I love Thee, I desire with all my heart to receive Thee. Most sweet Jesus,
come into my poor soul, and give me Thy flesh to eat and Thy blood to drink.
Give me Thy whole self, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, that I may live
forever with Thee.
Act of Faith
Awake,
slumbering soul, to bless the Lord for all His mercies. Remember that thy God
became man for thee ; and remember that the same God Who was born for
thee, Who lived thirty-three years for thee, Who died for thee, and is now in
heaven on His throne, is also really and truly present in the most Holy
Sacrament, nay, is now standing before the door of thy heart, therein to take
His abode.
Indeed
so it is, O my God ! I believe it firmly that in receiving the sacred Host
I will receive that very Jesus, Who has redeemed the world.
Act of Adoration
O
my soul, what art thou doing ! Yet a little while, and the God that made
heaven and earth will come to dwell within thee. O God, what can I do, but most
humbly adore Thee ! So come then, Mary, my tender mother ; come, all
ye Angels and Saints, and help me to adore my Jesus. Obtain for me a lively
faith, and a profound veneration for the Sacrament I am about to receive.
Act of Hope
O
Jesus, dearest hope of my soul, I rely on Thy divine promises with unshaken
confidence. I hope in Thee with all the hope of my soul. I hope firmly that
Thou, Whom I am about to receive, will sanctify my body and soul. So come then,
my only hope ; come and enrich me !
Act of Love
O
Jesus, center of my love ! God of my heart, how worthy art Thou of my
love, and of all the pure affections of my heart ! O God, I love Thee with
all the faculties of my soul. Thou art my Creator ; Thou art my
Redeemer ; Thou art my Sanctifier ; Thou art my only God. O
Love ! O Love ! O eternal Love ! O that I could praise and
bless, and love Thee as the Angels and Saints do in heaven !
O
God, inflame my love, that it may be worthy of Thee !
Mary,
mother of pure love, pray that I may love my God with all my strength.
Act of Contrition
My
loving Jesus, by my sins I have crowned Thee with a crown of thorns ; I
have fastened Thee to the cross ; I have drenched Thy lips with vinegar
and gall ; I have thrust the spear into Thy side ; I have caused Thee
to die. How could I be worthy to receive Thee ? But my God, Thou art
infinite goodness. For an act of true penance, for a hearty tear of contrition
and love Thou forgivest all my sins, restorest me to Thy favor, and makest me
once more Thy child. Oh, in truth Thou art my God, infinitely kind, infinitely
great, faithful and loving. Ah, how great is Thy goodness in giving Thyself to
me – a miserable sinner ! O that I had never offended Thee ! O Jesus,
purify with Thy most Precious Blood this sin-stained soul of mine till it is
made a fit tabernacle for Thy majesty.
Act of Humility
O
Lord, Thou art that God, before Whom heaven and earth fade into nothingness.
Oh, how unworthy then am I to appear in Thy sight ! Yet I hasten to
receive Thee, for this is Thy will and command. Let the Seraphim, let the
Saints, let the ever blessed Mary satisfy for my defects and want of devotion.
O Lord, I am not worthy to love, and receive Thee, but Thou deservest to be
loved, and received by me.
Act of Desire
So
come then, Thou bread of Angels, and satisfy the cravings of my soul. Come,
Thou glowing furnace of charity, and inflame my soul with the fire of Thy
divine love. Come, divine Shepherd, and guide me. Come my hope, my life, my
joy, and source of all of my happiness. Come, Thou Comforter of the
sorrowful ; Thou solace and refreshment of the weary ! Come, and
delay not ; come, and heal my miseries ! Come, Jesus, come !
R. P. QUADRUPANI:
Act of Confidence
It
is obedience, O my God ! that leads me to Thy Holy Table: the tender words
by which Thou hast invited us would not have sufficed to draw me, for in the
troubled state of my soul I cannot be sure they are addressed to me. Misery and
infirmity are claims for admission to Thy Feast, but nothing can dispense from
the nuptial garment. Therefore when I turn my eyes on myself, after having
raised them to Thee, I doubt, I hesitate, I tremble ; for if I go from
Thee I flee from life, and if I approach unworthily, to my other sins I add the
crime of sacrilege. But Thy merciful wisdom, O my God, whilst foreseeing our
every need, has forseen all our weaknesses and has prepared helps for us
against both presumption and distrust. For if Thou hast not willed that,
certain of Thy grace, we should ever advance with the assurance of the Pharisee
and say like him: I come to the altar of the Lord because I know I am just in
His eyes : neither hast Thou permitted that a sacrament of love should
become for us a torture and an unavoidable snare. I therefore obey, O my God,
and in the darkness that envelops me I wish to follow implicitly the guidance
of him whom Thou hast appointed to lead me to Thee. I shall approach the Holy
Table without wishing for any other warrant than the words spoken by my
confessor, or rather by Thee: You may receive Holy Communion. I accept, O my
God ! -- be it a well merited punishment or a salutary trial, -- this
privation of light and sensible devotion, this coldness and distraction, which
accompany me even into Thy presence when all the faculties of my soul should be
absorbed and confounded in sentiments of adoration and of love. Faith, hope, and
charity seem to be extinct in my heart, but I know that Thou never withdrawest
these virtues when we do not voluntarily renounce them.
Act of Faith
Notwithstanding,
then, the doubts that cross my mind, I wish to believe, O my God ! and I
do believe all that Thy holy Church has taught me. I have not forgotten that
brilliant light of Faith which Thou didst cause to illumine my soul in the days
of mercy in order that the precious remembrance of it should serve me as
support in the days of trial and temptation.
Act of Hope
In
spite of these vague fears that seem to extinguish hope within my soul, I know
that although Thou art the mighty and strong God before whom the cherubim veil
themselves with their wings, the just and all-seeing God who discovers blemishes
in the purest souls, still Thou wishest to be in the most Holy Sacrament only
the Victim whose Blood effaces the sins of the world ; the Good Shepherd
who hastens after the strayed sheep and carries it tenderly and unreproachfully
back to the fold ; the divine Mediator who comes not to judge but to save.
All this I know, O my God ! and therefore I hope.
Act of Love
Notwithstanding
the coldness and insensibility that benumb my soul, I know that I love Thee, O
my God ! since my will prefers Thy service to all the joys of this world,
since Thy grace is the sole good to which I aspire, and because I suffer so
much by reason of my lack of sensible love for Thee.
Act of Desire
No,
I am not indifferent, Thou knowest, O my God ! that I am not indifferent
to this Most Holy Sacrament which I approach unmoved by any sensible
feeling : for Thou seest that although I find in Holy Communion neither
relish nor consolation, I would yet make any sacrifice in order to receive it.
Act of Contrition
I
feel neither hatred nor horror of sins to which the world does not attach shame
and contempt ; I experience no sensible sorrow for the sins I have
committed, but I know, O my God ! that, with the assistance of Thy grace,
my will denounces them, for I am resolved to commit them no more. I have taken
this resolution because sin displeases Thee and because all that swerves from
eternal order is abhorrent to Thy infinite sanctity. I believe, then, that I am
contrite, O my God ! because I believe in Thy promises, and if Thou dost
not always grant us the consolation of realizing our contrition, Thou wilt
never refuse its justifying virtue to those who humbly implore it ; and
this I do.
No,
my God, I shall not pray Thee to grant me sensible enjoyment, not even that of
Thy spiritual gifts: what I implore of Thy grace is to keep my will ever turned
towards Thee and never to permit it to fall or wander anew on the earth. Lord ! into Thy hands I commend my
spirit.
ST. LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE:
Prayer
Arise,
my soul ; revive thy faith, which tells thee that thy God became man, that
same Jesus Who was born in the stable of Bethlehem, that Jesus Who rose
triumphant from the grave, that Jesus Who now sits glorious at the right hand
of the Father, is now present with thee in the Most Holy Sacrament. O
Faith ! O Faith ! what greater thing can be said and believed ?
God is here, in order to enter my heart and become entirely mine – the Almighty
God !
Act of Faith
My
Jesus, Thou Truth infallible, since it is part of Thy revelation, I believe
that Thou art present, soul, body, and divinity, in the consecrated host. I
believe that in Communion I receive the same Jesus Who died, and Who rose
again ; and that in Him I receive the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Act of Adoration
O
my soul, what art thou about ? What thoughts engage thee ? In a few
minutes, thy God will enter within Thee ! O God, I profoundly humble
myself, and I adore Thee. I adore Thee, beloved Jesus, in the Sacrament. Most
holy Virgin, ye angels, saints, and souls who love God, adore with me my
Jesus ; make up for my defect of worship, beseech for me living faith and
profound veneration, now that I approach and receive Jesus Christ.
What
can be wanting to thee, O my soul, now that the Almighty comes to visit
thee ? He comes to illuminate thee, to unite Himself heart to heart with
thee, in order to give thee a lively pledge of that glory which He keeps
prepared for thee in heaven. Up ! arise ! enlarge thy heart, increase
thy confidence ; know that so much as thou hath promised to hear thee,
and, bound by His word, He can give thee every good thing ; it costs Him
no more than the opening of his hand. Thy Jesus is to thee as a Father ;
much He loveth thee, and wishes to bestow on thee every sort of benefit. Thy
Jesus, who is faithful, hath promised to hear thee, and, bound by His word, He
will do thee great favors. Well, then, to grow rich in soul you need only to
seek His graces, and ardently to hope.
Act of Hope
My
Jesus, my hope, confiding in Thy promises through the blood which Thou hast
shed for me, I hope, O Infinite Pity, I hope that in receiving Thee, Thou wilt
sanctify my soul, and enkindle within it heavenly desires ; so that I may
live and die loving only Thee, O Infinite Good. Yes, O my dearest God, God of
all my hopes, Sanctifier of souls, sanctify me.
What
more could God do, in order to get loved by thee ? God has made Himself
man, was born in a stable, died upon a cross and dwells in the Sacrament for
love of thee. Nay, that infinite love invites thee to receive Him, calls thee
to Himself with a desire so strong that He cannot endure thy delays. O
ingenious devices of love ! The great God of infinite beauty and majesty
wishes this morning to confer upon me such a favor as He hath never bestowed on
the seraphim. He purposes to come to dwell in my heart ; He wishes to
unite Himself to me. And thou, my soul, dost thou not burn and flame with love
toward a God Who is all love toward thee ?
Act of Love
O
my Jesus, my love, God of my soul, how good Thou art, how loving, how every way
dear and worthy to be loved ! My God, I love Thee with all my soul, my
life, my heart, my mind, and all my faculties and strength. I love Thee more
than myself, Thou one object of all my desires, my beginning and my last end. O
that I had infinite tongues with which to praise and bless Thee ! O that I
could at any sacrifice carry Thy most holy name through the world, to make Thee
known and loved ! O God ! I would willingly waste myself away in
labors for the love of Thee. I desire to burn with love, I desire to bless
Thee, to thank Thee, to love Thee, with the love that the most holy Mary bore
to Thee ; I desire to love Thee more than all created beings united. I
love Thee, my Jesus, my treasure, my Father, my life, my hope, my heaven. Spouse
of my soul, I love Thee, because Thou deservest to be loved – because Thou art
God ! Ah, Lord ! would that I were all love, would that I did nothing
but love Thee ! My soul, created by God to love God, love Him then, love
thy God ; my heart, which can find no peace or satisfaction out of God,
drive from thee every mere earthly attachment, and give welcome to thy God. Ah,
Mary, mother of holy love, obtain for me to love my God !
How
shouldst thou burn, my soul, to receive a God of infinite purity, holiness, and
majesty, thou art an abyss of vice, ingratitude, and sins ! Hast thou
forgotten all thou hast done against thy God ? Ah, how often hast thou
been more cruel, more afflicting to Jesus than Calvary itself ! Jesus has
been crucified in thee, so often as thou hast mortally sinned.
Act of Contrition
Dear
Lord Jesus, by my sins I have crowned Thee with thorns, I have nailed Thee on
the cross, I have given Thee gall to drink, I have pierced Thy side, I have put
Thee to death ! I am not worthy to live, far less to receive Thee. I
deserve that the earth should swallow me, that heaven should hurl thunderbolts
on my head, that all created things should turn in anger upon me. But, O my
God, how good Thou art ! How often have I trodden under foot Thy blood, insulted
Thy name, dishonored Thy authority ; yet not only dost Thou pardon me, but
Thou art the first to propose to be at peace with me ; and for an act of
penitence, for one tear of grief and affection, Thou forgivest me all my sins,
Thou replacest me in Thy favor, and Thou makest me anew Thy friend and Thy son.
And this is God – that it is that is meant by God ! Oh, how I rejoice when
I think that Thou art God ; that is, infinite liberality, infinite
magnanimity, infinite fidelity, infinite love ; an abyss of infinite
glories, attributes, and perfections ! It suffices to say that Thou art
good and in giving Thyself to me Thou knowest how to ordain for Thy greater
glory, and for the greater good of my soul, even my very bygone sins. Glory to
Thee ! Ah, I could wish to die of grief for having offended so good a God.
I am sorry that I have offended Thee ! Forgive me, O my Lord. I do not
heed my own interest ; I only desire that Thou, great God, shouldst be
honored and glorified by me, without ever being again offended by me. Wash, O
beloved Jesus, my soul with Thy blood, and make it become a fit abode for Thy
divine Majesty. O most holy Mary, obtain for me tears of true contrition.
My
soul, thou art about to feed upon the blessed body of Jesus. And hast thou well
considered what thou art, and who God is ? If thou wert a seraph of love,
if thou hadst the love felt by all the angels, the virtues of all the saints,
wouldst thou even then be worthy of even once receiving God ?
An Act of Humility
Behold,
O my Jesus, the hour is come when Thou shalt be put into the power of this
great sinner. O have patience with me ; endure me by the bowels of Thy
compassion ! Ah, Lord, Thou art that God before the splendor of Whose
holiness heaven and earth vanish into nothing. I confess the truth, in looking
at Thy Majesty and at my unworthiness ; I am so confounded and ashamed,
that I should wish to hide myself in the abyss of my own nothingness. Yes, I
must needs approach to receive Thee, for Thou incitest and commandest me, and
like a son, I must obey Thee, O my King. Let the seraphim make up, let the
saints make up, let Mary make up – above all, let Thine own infinite goodness
make up for all my shortcomings in right devotion and love. O Lord, if I do not
deserve to receive Thee and to love Thee, Thou deservest to be received and
loved by me !
Dispose
of me for Thine own honor, make me worthy of so great a favor, give me all that
I am wanting in, make me altogether Thine.
The
hour is come, my soul, the blessed moment is come, when thou hast to receive
thy dearest Jesus. Behold the King of kings, behold the Lord of lords, behold
the Friend, behold the Father, behold the Spouse, behold the Joy of paradise,
behold the Delight of heaven, behold thy God Himself, behold all the Most Holy
Trinity in the Divine Sacrament ! Ecce
Sponsus venit, exite obviam ei. “Behold the Bridegroom cometh ; go
forth to meet Him.”[1] But how, my
soul, how standest thou thus so frozen, without one burning desire to feed upon
that sacred body ? Ah, should not the overflowing of the divine compassion
all enkindle thee with love ? And here Shepherd, guide me. Come, O my
Father, my Spouse, my Treasure, my Life, my Bliss, and my Rest. Come, Thou one
end of all my longings. Come, light of souls, refreshment of hearts, consoler
of the sorrowing. Come, Thou expected One of all nations, sighed for by the
holy patriarchs, desire of the eternal hills, joy of angels, delight of heaven,
beatitude of the saints. Come, art thou all frozen ! If it wert to do only
once in all thy life, with what fervor wouldst thou not do it ! But now,
while the Infinite Goodness waits ever ready at thy pleasure, thou goest up so
tepid, so dull of heart, to receive a God so great ! Enamoured souls have
burned with desire of this Communion, and have run like thirsty stags to that
fount divine. Up, up, my soul ; awake, kindle in thyself a most ardent
longing to receive Jesus ; sigh after that Supremest Good, desire Him,
call on Him with tears and with sighs, and with a heart in flames of holy love.
An Act of Desire
Come,
O thou divine food, and nourish my hungry soul. Come, furnace of charity, and
kindle me ; come, flaming fire of love, inflame me by thy flames. Come,
heavenly for Thou hast wounded me with love ; come, delay not, for my
heart is failing, and I feel that life would not be life without Thee. Arise
for pity, O my Jesus, and come.
Most
holy Virgin, already I am at hand, and about to receive thine and my Jesus.
From thy hands I purpose to receive Him. Hold Him forth to me, as thou didst to
the shepherds, and the holy kings and to holy Simeon. Prepare me to receive Him
with love. Give Him to me quickly, and pray to Him to fill me with His dearest
benediction ; and do thou accompany it with thine.
An Act of Offering
I
protest, O my God, that I purpose to unite this my Communion with the Communion
of most holy Mary, of Thy apostles, of thy saints, and of all the just who
receive Thee this morning, or who shall ever receive Thee in time to come. My
desire and purpose is, to make all their devout acts, all their preparations,
all their thanksgivings ; and I mean to offer the whole in union with
those virtues, that merit, that holiness, with which Thou, O my Jesus, didst
receive Thyself in the sacrament, at the Last Supper. May the Church triumphant
and militant now supply my defects of love, and worship, and thanks.
Psalm 83
How
lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts : my soul longeth and fainteth
for the courts of the Lord.
My
heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.
For
the sparrow hath found her a house : and the turtle a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young :
Even
Thine altars, O Lord of hosts : my king and my God.
Blessed
are they that dwell in Thy house, O Lord : they shall praise Thee for ever
and ever.
Blessed
is the man whose help is in Thee : in his heart he hath disposed to ascend
by steps, in the vale of tears, in the place which he hath set.
For
the lawgiver shall give a blessing : they shall go from strength to
strength : the God of gods shall be seen in Sion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.
Behold,
O God, our protector : and look upon the face of Thy Christ.
For
one day in Thy courts : is better than a thousand.
I
had rather be despised in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of
sinners.
For
God loveth mercy and truth : the Lord will give grace and glory.
He
will not withhold good things from them that walk in innocence: O Lord of
hosts, blessed is the man that hopeth in Thee.
Glory
be to the Father, etc.
Psalm 84
Thou
hast blessed Thy land, O Lord: Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
Thou
hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people : Thou hast covered all their
sins.
Thou
hast softened all Thine anger : Thou hast turned away from the wrath of
Thine indignation.
Convert
us, O God our Saviour : and turn away Thine anger from us.
Wilt
Thou be angry with us for ever : or wilt Thou stretch out Thy wrath from
generation to generation ?
Thou
shalt turn again, O God, and quicken us : and Thy people shall rejoice in
Thee.
Show
us Thy mercy, O Lord : and grant us Thy salvation.
I
will hearken what the Lord God shall say within me : for He will speak
peace unto His people :
And
unto His saints : and unto them that are converted in heart.
Surely
His salvation is nigh unto them that fear Him : that glory may dwell in
our land.
Mercy
and truth have met together : justice and peace have kissed each other.
Truth
is sprung out of the earth : and justice hath looked down from heaven.
For
the Lord shall give goodness : and our earth shall yield her fruit.
Justice
shall walk before Him : and shall set His steps in the way.
Glory
be to the Father, etc.
Psalm 85
Incline
Thine ear, O Lord, and hear me : for I am needy and poor.
Preserve
my soul, for I am holy : O my God, save Thy servant, that trusteth in
Thee.
Have
mercy upon me, O Lord : for unto Thee have I cried all the day. Give joy
to the soul of Thy servant, for unto Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.
For
Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild ; and plenteous in mercy unto all that
call upon Thee.
Give
ear, O Lord, unto my prayer : and attend to the voice of my petition.
I
have called upon Thee in the day of my trouble : for Thou hast heard me.
Among
the gods there is none like unto Thee, O Lord : and there is none that can
do works like unto Thy works.
All
the nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O
Lord : and shall glorify Thy name.
For
Thou art great, and doest wondrous things : Thou art God alone.
Lead
me, O Lord, in Thy way, and I will walk in Thy truth : let my heart
rejoice that it may fear Thy name.
I
will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart : and I will glorify
Thy name for ever.
For
great is Thy mercy toward me : and Thou hast delivered my soul out of the
lower hell.
O
God, the wicked are risen up against me ; and the assembly of the mighty
have sought after my soul : and they have not set Thee before their eyes.
And
Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and merciful : long-suffering,
and of much mercy, and true.
O
look upon me, and have mercy on me : give Thy strength unto Thy servant,
and save the son of Thine handmaid.
Show
me a token for good : that they who hate me may see, and be
confounded : because Thou, O Lord, hast helped me, and hast comforted me.
Glory
be to the Father, etc.
Psalm 115
I
believed, and therefore did I speak : but I was humbled exceedingly.
I
said in mine excess : All men are liars.
What
shall I render unto the Lord : for all the things that He hath rendered
unto me ?
I
will take the chalice of salvation ; and call upon the name of the Lord.
I
will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the presence of all His people :
precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
O
Lord, I am Thy servant : I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid.
Thou
hast broken my bonds in sunder : I will offer unto Thee the sacrifice of
praise, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
I
will pay my vows unto the Lord in the sight of all His people : in the
courts of the house of the Lord, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.
Glory
be to the Father, etc.
Psalm 129
Out
of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord : Lord, hear my voice.
O
let Thine ears consider well : the voice of my supplication.
If
Thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities : Lord, who shall abide it ?
For
with Thee there is merciful forgiveness : and because of Thy law I have
waited for Thee, O Lord.
My
soul hath waited on His word : my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From
the morning watch even until night : let Israel hope in the Lord.
For
with the Lord there is mercy : amd with Him is plenteous redemption.
And
He shall redeem Israel : from all his iniquities.
Glory
be to the Father, etc.
Ant.
Remember not, O Lord, our offences, nor those of our parents ; nor take
Thou revenge of our sins : Spare us, good Lord, spare Thy people whom Thou
hast redeemed with Thy most Precious Blood, and be not angry with us for ever.
Lord,
have mercy.
Christ,
have mercy.
Lord,
have mercy.
Our
Father (inaudibly).
V. And lead us not into
temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. I said : O Lord, be
Thou merciful unto me.
R. Heal my soul, for I have
sinned against Thee.
V. Return, O Lord, for a little
space.
R. And be entreated in favor of
Thy servants.
V. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be
upon us.
R. As we have hoped in Thee.
V. Let Thy priests be clothed
with justice.
R. And let Thy saints rejoice.
V. From my secret sins cleanse
me, O Lord.
R. And from those of others
spare Thy servant.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let
us pray
O merciful Lord, incline Thine ears to our prayers, and enlighten our
hearts by the grace of Thy Holy Spirit : that we may worthily receive Thy
holy Mysteries, and love Thee with an everlasting love.
O
God, unto whom every heart is open, every desire known, and from whom no secret
is hid : cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Thy Holy
Spirit, that we may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee.
Inflame,
O Lord, our reins and our hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit : that
we may serve Thee with a chaste body, and please Thee with a pure mind.
We
pray Thee, O Lord, that the Comforter who proceedeth from Thee may illumine our
minds, and lead us, as Thy Son hath promised, into all truth.
May
the power of Thy Holy Spirit, O Lord, be present with us to cleanse us from all
evil and defend us from all adversities.
O
God, who didst teach the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of Thy Holy
Spirit : grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all
things, and evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort.
Visit,
O Lord, we beseech Thee, and cleanse our consciences, that Thy Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ, when He cometh, may find in us a mansion prepared for Himself,
who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
world without end. Amen.
Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas
Almighty,
Everlasting God, lo, I draw near to the Sacrament of Thine Only-begotten Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ. As sick, I come to the Physician of Life ; unclean, to
the Fountain of Mercy ; blind, to the light of eternal Brightness ;
poor and needy, to the Lord of heaven and earth. I implore Thee, therefore, out
of the abundance of Thy boundless mercy, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal my
sickness, to wash my defilements, to enlighten my blindness, to enrich my
poverty, and to clothe my nakedness ; that I may receive the Bread of
Angels, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, with such reverence and humility,
such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith, such purpose and
intention, as is expedient for the health of my soul. Grant, I beseech Thee,
that I may receive not only the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord,
but also the whole grace and virtue of that Sacrament. O most merciful God,
grant me so to receive the Body of Thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, which He took of the Virgin Mary, that I may be found worthy to be
incorporated into His mystical Body, and accounted among His members. And, O
most loving Father, grant that whom now I purpose to receive under a veil I may
at last behold with unveiled face, even Thy beloved Son, who with Thee and the
Holy Spirit ever liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
Prayers of St. Ambrose
I.
O
great High-Priest, the true Pontiff, Jesus Christ, who didst offer Thyself to
God the Father a pure and spotless Victim upon the Altar of the Cross for us
miserable sinners, and didst give us Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to drink,
and didst ordain this Mystery in the power of Thy Holy Spirit, saying, Do this
for the commemoration of Me : I pray Thee, by the same Thy Blood, the
great price of our salvation ; I pray Thee, by that wonderful and
unspeakable love wherewith Thou deignedst so to love us, miserable and
unworthy, as to wash us from our sins in Thine own Blood : teach me, Thine
unworthy servant, by Thy Holy Spirit, to approach so great a Mystery with that
reverence and honor, that devotion and fear, which is due and fitting. Make me,
through Thy grace, always so to believe and understand, to conceive and firmly
to hold, to think and to speak, of that exceeding Mystery, as shall please Thee
and be good for my soul.
Let
Thy good Spirit enter my heart, and there be heard without utterance, and
without the sound of words speak all truth. For Thy Mysteries are exceeding
deep, and covered with a sacred veil. For Thy great mercy’s sake, grant me to
approach Thy holy Mysteries with a clean heart and a pure mind. Free my heart
from all defiling and unholy, from all vain and hurtful thoughts. Fence me
round about with the holy and faithful guard and mighty protection of Thy
blessed Angels, that the enemies of all good may go away ashamed. By the virtue
of this mighty Mystery, and by the hand of Thy holy Angel, drive away from me
and from all Thy servants the hard spirit of pride and vainglory, of envy and
blasphemy, of impurity and uncleanness, of doubt and mistrust. Let them be
confounded that persecute us ; let them perish who are bent upon our ruin.
II.
King
of virgins and Lover of chastity and innocence, extinguish in my frame, by the
dew of Thy heavenly blessing, the fuel of evil concupiscence, that I may be
pure both in soul and in body. Mortify in my members the lusts of the flesh and
all harmful emotions, and give me true and persevering chastity with Thine
other gifts which please Thee in truth, so that I may with chaste body and pure
heart offer unto Thee the sacrifice of praise. For with what contrition of
heart and fountain of tears, with what reverence and awe, with what chastity of
body and purity of soul, should not that divine and heavenly Sacrifice be
celebrated, wherein Thy Flesh is indeed eaten, where Thy Blood is indeed drunk,
wherein things lowest and highest, earthly and divine, are united, where the holy Angels are present, and where
Thou art in a marvellous and unspeakable manner both Sacrifice and
Priest !
III.
Who
can worthily be present at this Sacrifice, unless Thou, O God, makest him
worthy ? I know, O Lord, yea, truly do I know, and this do confess to Thy
loving-kindness, that I am unworthy to approach so great a Mystery, by reason
of my numberless sins and negligences ; but I know, and truly with my own
heart do I believe, and with my mouth confess, that Thou canst make me worthy,
who alone canst make that clean which proceedeth from that which is unclean,
and sinners to be just and holy. By this Thine Almighty power I beseech Thee, O
my God, to grant that I, a sinner, may assist at this Sacrifice with fear and
trembling, with purity of heart and plenteous tears, with spiritual gladness
and heavenly joy. May my mind feel the sweetness of Thy most blessed Presence,
and the love of Thy holy Angels, keeping watch around me.
IV.
Mindful
then, O Lord, of Thy worshipful Passion, I approach Thine Altar, sinner though
I am, to join in offering unto Thee that Sacrifice which Thou hast instituted
and commanded to be offered in remembrance of Thee for our well-being. Receive
it, I beseech Thee, O God most High, for Thy holy Church, and for the people
whom Thou hast purchased with Thine own Blood. Let not, through my
unworthiness, the price of their salvation be wasted, whose saving Victim and
Redemption Thou didst Thyself vouchsafe to be. Also behold in pity, O Lord, the
sorrows of Thy people, which I bring before Thee ; the perils of Thy
servants, the sorrowful sighing of prisoners ; the miseries of widows and
orphans, and all that are desolate and bereaved ; the necessities of
strangers and travellers ; the helplessness and sadness of the weak and
sickly ; the depressions of the languishing ; the weakness of the
aged and of children ; the trials and aspirations of young men ; and
the vows of virgins.
V.
For
Thou hast mercy upon all, O Lord, and hatest nothing that Thou hast made.
Remember how frail our nature is, and that Thou art our Father and our God. Be
not angry with us for ever, and shut not up Thy tender mercies in displeasure.
For it is not for our just works that we present our prayers before Thy face,
but for the multitude of Thy tender mercies. Take away from us, O Lord, our
iniquities, and mercifully kindle in us the fire of Thy Holy Spirit. Take away
from us the heart of stone, and give us a heart of flesh, a heart to love and
adore Thee, a heart to delight in, to follow, and to enjoy Thee. And we entreat
Thy mercy, O Lord, that Thou wouldst look down graciously upon Thy family, as
it pays its vows to Thy most holy name ; and that the desire of none may
be in vain, and the petitions of none unfulfilled, do Thou inspire our prayers,
that they may be such as Thou delightest to hear and answer.
VI.
We
pray Thee also, O Lord, Holy Father, for the souls of the faithful
departed : that this great Sacrament of Thy love may be to them health and
salvation, joy and refreshment. O Lord, my God, grant them this day a great and
abundant feast of Thee, the living Bread, who camest down from heaven and
givest life unto the world ; even of Thy holy and blessed Flesh, the Lamb
without spot, who takest away the sins of the world ; that Flesh, which
was taken of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and conceived by the Holy Spirit ;
and of that Fountain of mercy which, by the soldier’s lance, flowed from Thy
most sacred Side ; that they be thereby fed and satisfied, refreshed and
comforted, and may rejoice in Thy praise and in Thy glory. I pray Thy loving
mercy, O Lord, that on the bread and wine to be offered unto Thee may descend
the fulness of Thy blessing and the sanctification of Thy Divinity. May there
descend also the invisible and incomprehensible Majesty of Thy Holy Spirit, as
it descended of old on the sacrifices of the Fathers, which shall make these
oblations Thy Body and Blood ; and may this offering be acceptable unto
Thee, through Him who offered Himself a sacrifice to Thee, O Father, even Jesus
Christ, Thine only Son our Lord.
VII.
I
entreat Thee also, O Lord, by this most holy mystery of Thy Body and Blood,
wherewith we are daily fed, and cleansed, and sanctified in Thy Church, and are
made partakers of the one Supreme Divinity, grant unto me Thy holy virtues,
that filled therewith I may with a good conscience draw near unto Thy holy
Altar, so that these heavenly mysteries may be made unto me salvation and life ;
for Thou hast said with Thy holy and blessed lips : The Bread which I will
give is My Flesh, for the life of the world. I am the living Bread which came
down from heaven. If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever. O most
sweet Bread, heal the palate of my heart, that I may taste the sweetness of Thy
love. Heal it of all infirmities, that I may find sweetness in nothing out of
Thee. O most pure Bread, having all delight and all savor, which ever
refreshest us, and never failest, let my heart feed on Thee, and may my inmost
soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor. The Angels feed on Thee
fully ; let pilgrim man feed on Thee after his measure, so that, refreshed
by this nourishment, he may not faint by the way. Holy Bread ! Living Bread !
Pure Bread ! who didst come down from heaven, and who givest life to the
world, enter into my heart and cleanse me from all impurity of flesh and
spirit. Come into my soul ; heal and cleanse me within and without ;
be the protection and continual health of my soul and body. Drive far from me
all foes that lie in wait : let them flee afar off at the presence of Thy
power ; that, strengthened by Thee without and within, I may by a straight
way arrive at Thy kingdom, where, not as now in mysteries, but face to face, we
shall behold Thee ; when Thou shalt have delivered up the kingdom to God
Thy Father, and shalt be God All in all. Then shalt Thou satisfy me with
Thyself by a wondrous fulness, so that I shall never hunger nor thirst anymore
for ever. Who with the same God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, ever livest
and reignest world without end. Amen.
VIII.
O
gracious Lord Jesus Christ, I, a sinner, nothing presuming on my own deserts,
but trusting in Thy mercy and goodness, with fear and trembling approach to the
Table of Thy most sweet Feast. For my heart and body are stained with many
sins ; my thoughts and lips not diligently guarded. Wherefore, O gracious
God, O awful majesty, in my extremity I turn to Thee, the Fount of Mercy ;
to Thee I hasten to be healed, and take refuge under Thy protection ; and
Thee, before whom as my Judge I cannot stand, I long for as my Saviour. To
Thee, O Lord, I show my wounds, to Thee I lay bare my shame. I know my sins are
many and great, for which I am afraid. My trust is in Thy mercies, of which
there is no end. Look therefore upon me with the eyes of Thy mercy, O Lord
Jesus Christ, God and Man, crucified for man ; hearken unto me, whose
trust is in Thee ; have mercy upon me, who am full of sin and misery, O
Thou fount of mercy, that wilt never cease to flow. Hail, saving Victim,
offered for me and all mankind on the Cross of suffering and shame. Hail, noble
and precious Blood, flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, and washing away the sins of the whole world. Be mindful, O Lord,
of Thy creature, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thine own Blood. I repent that I
have sinned ; I desire to amend what I have done. Take therefore away from
me, O most merciful Father, all my iniquities and sins : that, being cleansed
both in body and soul, I may worthily taste the Holy of Holies ; and grant
that this holy feeding on Thy Body and Blood, of which, unworthy as I am, I
purpose to partake, may be for the remission of my sins, and the perfect
cleansing of all my offences, for the driving away of all evil thoughts and the
renewal of all holy desires, for the healthful bringing forth of fruit
well-pleasing unto Thee, and the most sure protection of my soul and body
against the wiles of all my enemies. Amen.
Act of Contrition
I
desire, O my Saviour, humbly to offer Thee the sacrifice of a troubled spirit
and a contrite heart. I grieve from my inmost heart that I have ever offended
Thee by my sins, Thee my God and my chief good, Thee who art so gracious to me,
and so oft refreshest me in Thy Blessed Sacrament. I grieve especially for the
sins of ... which Thou knowest, Thou searcher of our hearts, and which I, a
miserable sinner, do confess in the bitterness of my soul. Would that I had
never offended Thee ! Yet a contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt
not despise ; Thou who for love of us didst give to us Thine Only-Begotten
Son, to wash us from our sins in His own Blood.
Resolution of Amendment
I
desire, O Lord, earnestly longing for the help of Thy grace, to renew all my
baptismal vows to Thee, to renounce all that displeaseth Thee, and to walk more
perfectly in newness of life. I renounce the devil and all his works and pomps,
the glory of the world with all its covetous desires, all sinful excesses in
things lawful, and whatever may lead my heart from Thee or hinder my duty
towards Thee ; also, I renounce all the sinful lusts of the flesh, with
everything in thought, word, or deed, which displeaseth Thee, especially...,
from all which let it be Thy good pleasure to deliver me, and to turn the whole
stream of my affections to the love of Thee, that Thy will and Thy love may be
the sole rule and guide of my life, and I may love whatever Thou lovest, and
hate whatever Thou hatest.
Act of Faith
Of
a truth I firmly believe, O Good Jesus, and with lively faith confess, that
Thou Thyself, equal to God the Father in glory and in power, true God and Man,
art verily and indeed present in this Sacrament. For Thou, the very Truth
itself, hast said, This is My Body, This is My Blood. I believe whatever the
Son of God hath said. Nothing can be truer than this word of Him who is the
Truth. I do believe, Lord ; help my belief, increase my faith.
Act of Hope
O
Christ Jesus, I am sinful dust and ashes, but Thou callest to Thee all who
labor and are burdened, that Thou mayest refresh them. Art not Thou my
refuge ? To whom else shall I go ? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, Thou alone canst comfort me in every trouble. Lord, I am weak and sick,
but Thou art my salvation. Those who are well need not a physician, but those
who are sick. Therefore I come to Thee, my physician and my refuge, hoping that
this Communion may be to me the increase of Faith, Hope, and Charity ; a
firm defense against the snares of my enemies ; a help to the removal of
the fault and defect of ...., and to the bringing forth of works well-pleasing
unto Thee, especially...., and a pledge of future glory. This is the hope and
desire which I cherish in my heart, for Thou art compassionate and of tender
mercy, and in all Thy promises most faithful.
Act of Love
O
most Sweet Saviour Jesus Christ, how great was Thy love, which drew Thee from
the bosom of the Father to this vale of tears, to take our flesh and endure
infinite miseries and wrongs, yea, even the death of the Cross, and that only
for us miserable sinners and for our salvation. O how great was Thy Love !
Thou mightest have condemned us, and Thou didst rather choose to save us: we
were guilty, and Thou, the sinless One, didst endure our punishment to set us
free. Out of love it was that Thou camest down to take our flesh ; and
when about to depart from this world to the Father, Thou didst leave to us this
Sacrament as a pledge of Thy love, that after a new and wondrous manner Thou
mightest abide with us for ever ;
Thou whose delights are to be with the children of men. O Lord, how worthy art
Thou of love, who dost so much for love of us ! Wherefore I will love
Thee, O Lord, my Strength, my Refuge, and my Deliverer. O God, Thou art true
Love ! He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in Thee. I desire to receive Thee
in this Sacrament, that I may be more firmly united with Thee in the bond of
love. Who shall separate me from the love of Christ my Saviour ? O that
neither life, nor death, nor any creature may have power to do so.
Act of Humility
How
dare I approach Thee, O Lord ? Art Thou not, O God, my Lord, my Creator,
my Redeemer, the King of heaven and earth ? And who am I ? A poor worm
of the earth, and what is yet more unworthy, so often a disobedient and
ungrateful sinner against Thee ! Of a truth, Lord, I am not worthy that
Thou shouldst enter under my roof ; yet remember, O Lord, that, although
Thou wast Lord of all, yet Thou didst take upon Thyself the form of a servant,
and coming unto us didst converse familiarly with publicans and sinners ;
and lastly didst humble Thyself and become obedient unto death. Let this Thy
humility move Thee, I beseech Thee, not to despise me, vile and worthless as I
am, but graciously to come unto me, and mercifully to receive me, who come to
Thee.
Act of Reparation
O
Lord, my God and Saviour, who, as Thou didst endure for our salvation the
outrages of those who crucified Thee, so now deignest to bear with those who by
careless or unworthy Communions approach and touch Thee, not discerning Thee,
and endurest all irreverences rather than withhold Thy sacred Presence from our
Altars : I bewail these indignities, and most earnestly desire to prevent,
to the utmost of my power, whatever thus still grieves Thee. I beseech Thee,
accept this sorrow and this desire as the only offering I can make in
reparation of so great dishonor. O Lord, increase my faith, and preserve me
from the least profanation of this adorable Mystery, and kindle in me and in
the hearts of all Thy people, especially of all who celebrate or assist in its
ministration, such reverence and devotion that Thy most holy name may more and
more be honored and glorified in this Sacrament of love. Amen.
Offering of the Holy Mass
Accept,
Most Holy Trinity, this sacrifice fulfilled at one time by the Divine Word and
now renewed on this altar by the hands of Your priest. I unite myself to the
intentions of Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim, that I may be entirely offered
for Your glory and for the salvation of men. I intend through Jesus Christ,
with Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ to adore Your eternal majesty, to thank
Your immense goodness, to satisfy Your offended justice, and to beseech Your mercy
for the Church, for my dear ones, and for myself.
Acts of Faith, Hope and Love
Act of Faith
Jesus,
eternal Truth, I believe You are really present in the holy Host. You are here
with Your body, blood, soul, and divinity. I hear Your invitation: “I am the
living bread descended from heaven,” “take and eat ; this is my body.” I
believe, O Lord and Master, but increase my weak faith.
Act of Hope
Jesus,
sole Way of salvation, You invite me: “Learn from me.” But I resemble You so
little! Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall
be healed. Jesus, You pleased the Father; You are my Model. Draw me to
Yourself, and give me the grace to imitate You especially in the virtue I need
most.
Act of Love
O
Jesus Master, You assure me: “I am the Life,” “whoever eats my flesh will have
eternal life.” In Baptism and in confession You have communicated to me this
life of Yours. Now You nourish it by making Yourself my food.
Take
my heart ; detach it from the goods, pleasures, joys and vanities of the
earth. With all my heart and above all else I love You, infinite Good and
eternal happiness.
ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI:
Prayer before Holy Communion
My
Beloved Jesus, true Son of God, who didst die for me in the cross in a sea of
sorrow and ignominy, I firmly believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy
Sacrament ; and for this faith I am ready to give my life.
My
dear Redeemer, I hope by Thy goodness, and through the merits of Thy blood, that
when Thou dost come to me this morning, Thou wilt inflame me with Thy holy
love, and wilt give me all those graces which I need to keep me obedient and
faithful to Thee till death.
Ah,
my God ! true and only lover of my soul, what couldst Thou do more to
oblige me to love Thee ? Thou wert not satisfied, my love, with dying for
me, but Thou wouldst also institute the Most Holy Sacrament, making Thyself my
food, and giving Thyself all to me ; thus uniting Thyself most closely to
such a miserable and ungrateful creature. Thou dost Thyself invite me to
receive Thee, and dost greatly desire that I should receive Thee. O Infinite
Love ! A God gives himself all to me ! O my God, O Infinite love,
worthy of infinite love, I love Thee above all things ; I love Thee with
all my heart ; I love Thee more than myself, more than my life ; I
love Thee because Thou art worthy of being loved ; and I love Thee also to
please Thee, since Thou dost desire my love ! Depart from my soul, all ye
earthly affections ; to Thee alone, my Jesus, my treasure, my all, will I
give all my love. This morning Thou dost give Thyself all to me, and I give
myself all to Thee. Permit me to love Thee ; for I desire none but Thee,
and nothing but what is pleasing to Thee. I love Thee, O my Saviour, and I
unite my poor love to the love of all the angels and saints, and of Thy Mother
Mary, and the love of Thy Eternal Father ! Oh, that I could see Thee loved
by all ! Oh, that I could make Thee loved by all men, and loved as much as
Thou dost deserve !
Behold,
O my Jesus, I am now about to draw near to feed on Thy most sacred Flesh !
Ah, my God, who am I ? And who art Thou ? Thou art a Lord of infinite
goodness, and I am a loathsome worm, defiled by so many sins, and who have
driven Thee out of my soul so often.
Domine, non sum dignus. Lord, I am not worthy to
remain in Thy presence ; I ought to be in hell forever, far away, and
abandoned by Thee. But out of Thy goodness Thou callest me to receive
Thee : behold, I come, I come humbled and in confusion for the great
displeasure I have given Thee, but trusting entirely to Thy mercy and to the
love Thou hast for me. I am exceedingly sorry, O my loving Redeemer, for having
so often offended Thee in time past ! Thou didst even give Thy life for me ;
and I have so often despised Thy grace and Thy love, and have exchanged Thee
for nothing. I repent, and I am sorry with all my heart for every offence which
I have offered Thee, whether grievous or light, because it was an offence
against Thee, who art infinite goodness. I hope Thou hast already pardoned
me ; but if Thou hast not yet forgiven me, pardon me, my Jesus, before I
receive Thee. Ah, receive me quickly into Thy grace, since it is Thy will soon
to come and dwell within me.
Come,
then, my Jesus, come into my soul, that sighs after Thee. My only and infinite
good, my life, my love, my all, I would desire to receive Thee this morning
with the same love with which those souls who love Thee most have received
Thee, and with the same fervor with which Thy Most Holy Mother received
Thee ; to her Communions I wish to unite this one of mine. O Blessed
Virgin, and my Mother Mary, give me thy Son ; I intend to receive him from
thy hands ! Tell him that I am thy servant, and thus will he press me more
lovingly to his heart now that he is coming to me.
An Act of Faith
Behold, He cometh leaping
upon the mountains, skipping over the hills.[2]
Ah, my most
amiable Saviour, over how many, what rough and craggy mountains, hast Thou had
to pass in order to come and unite Thyself to me by means of this most holy
sacrament ! Thou, from being God, hadst to become man ; from being
immense, to become a babe ; from being Lord, to become a servant. Thou
hadst to pass from the bosom of Thy Eternal Father to the womb of a
Virgin ; from heaven into a stable ; from a throne of glory to the
gibbet of a criminal. And on this very morning Thou wilt come from Thy seat in
heaven to dwell in my bosom.
Behold, He standeth behind
our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices.[3]
Behold, O my soul, thy loving Jesus, burning with the same love with which he
loved thee when dying for thee on the Cross, is now concealed in the Most
Blessed Sacrament under the sacred species ; and what is he doing ? Looking through the lattices. As an
ardent lover, desirous to see you correspond to his love, from the Host, as
from within closed lattices, whence he sees without being seen, he is looking
at you, who are this morning about to feed upon his divine flesh ; he
observes your thoughts, what is it that you love, what you desire, what you
seek for, and what offerings you are about to make to him.
Awake,
then, my soul, and prepare to receive thy Jesus ; and, in the first place,
by faith, say to him : So, then, my beloved Redeemer, in a few moments
Thou art coming to me ? O hidden God, unknown to the greater part of men,
I believe, I confess, I adore Thee in the Most Holy Sacrament as my Lord and
Saviour ! And in acknowledgement of this truth I would willingly lay down
my life. Thou comest to enrich me with Thy graces and to unite Thyself entirely
to me ; how great, then, should be my confidence in this Thy so loving
visit !
An Act of Confidence
My
soul, expand thy heart. Thy Jesus can do Thee every good, and, indeed, loves
thee. Hope thou for great things from this thy Lord, who, urged by love, comes
all love to thee.
Yes,
my dear Jesus, my hope, I trust in Thy goodness, that, in giving Thyself to me
this morning, Thou wilt enkindle in my poor heart the beautiful flame of Thy
pure love, and a real desire to please Thee ; so that, from this day
forward, I may never will anything but what Thou willest.
An Act of Love
Ah,
my God, my God, true and only love of my soul, and what more couldst Thou have
done to be loved by me ? To die for me was not enough for Thee, my
Lord ; Thou wast pleased to institute this great sacrament in order to
give Thyself all to me, and thus bind and unite Thyself heart to heart with so
loathesome and ungrateful a creature as I am. And what is more, Thou Thyself invitest
me to receive Thee, and desirest so much that I should do so ! O boundless
love ! incomprehensible love ! infinite love ! a God would give
himself all to me ! -- My soul, believest thou this ? And what doest
thou ? what sayest thou ? O God, O God, O infinite amiability, only
worthy object of all love, I love Thee with my whole heart, I love Thee above
all things, I love Thee more than myself, more than my life ! Oh, could I
but see Thee loved by all ! Oh, could I but cause Thee to be loved by all
hearts as much as Thou deservest ! I love Thee, O most amiable God, and I
unite my miserable heart in loving Thee to the hearts of the Seraphim, to the
heart of the most blessed Virgin Mary, to the Heart of Jesus, thy most loving
and beloved Son. So that, O Infinite Good, I love Thee with the love with which
the saints, with which Mary, with which Jesus love Thee. And I love Thee only
because Thou art worthy of it, and to give Thee pleasure. Depart, all earthly
affections, that are not for God, depart from my heart. Mother of fair love,
most holy Virgin Mary, help me to love that God whom Thou dost so ardently
desire to see loved !
An Act of Humility
Then,
my soul, thou art even now about to feed on the most sacred flesh of
Jesus ! And art thou worthy ? My God, and who am I, and who art
Thou ? I indeed know and confess who Thou art that givest Thyself to
me ; but dost Thou know what I am who am about to receive Thee ? And
is it possible, O my Jesus, that Thou who art infinite purity desirest to come
and reside in this soul of mine, which has been so many times the dwelling of
Thy enemy, and soiled with so many sins ? I know, O my Lord, Thy great
Majesty and my misery ; I am ashamed to appear before Thee. Reverence
would induce me to keep at a distance from Thee ; but if I depart from
Thee, O my life, whither shall I go ? to whom shall I have recourse ?
and what will become of me ? No, never will I depart from Thee ; nay,
even I will ever draw nearer and nearer to Thee. Thou art satisfied that I should
receive Thee as food, Thou even invitest me to this. I come then, O my amiable
Saviour, I come to receive Thee this morning, all humbled and confused at the
sight of my defects ; but full of confidence in Thy tender mercy, and in
the love which Thou bearest me.
An Act of Contrition
I
am indeed grieved, O God of my soul, for not having loved Thee during the time
past ; what is still worse, so far from loving Thee, and to gratify my own
inclinations, I have greatly offended and outraged Thy infinite goodness :
I have turned my back upon Thee, I have despised Thy grace and
friendship ; in a word, O my God, I was deliberate in my will to lose
Thee. Lord, I am sorry, and grieve for it with my whole heart. I detest the
sins which I have committed, be they great or small, as the greatest of all my
misfortunes, because I have thereby offended Thee, O Infinite Goodness. I trust
that Thou hast already forgiven me ; but if Thou hast not yet pardoned me,
oh, do so before I receive Thee: wash with Thy blood this soul of mine, in
which Thou art so soon about to dwell.
An Act of Desire
And
now, my soul, the blessed hour has arrived in which Jesus will come and take up
his dwelling in thy poor heart. Behold the King of Heaven, behold thy Redeemer
and God, who is even now coming ; prepare thyself to receive him with
love, invite him with the ardor of thy desire.
Come,
O my Jesus, come to my soul, which desires Thee. Before Thou givest Thyself to
me, I desire to give Thee, and I now give Thee, my miserable heart ; do
Thou accept it, and come quickly to take possession of it. Come, my God !
hasten ; delay no longer. My only and Infinite Good, my treasure, my life,
my Paradise, my love, my all, my wish is to receive Thee with the love with
which the most holy and loving souls have received Thee ; with that with
which the most blessed Virgin Mary received Thee ; to their Communions I
unite this Communion of mine.
Most
holy Virgin and my Mother Mary, behold, I already approach to receive thy Son.
Would that I had the heart and love with which thou didst communicate !
Give me this morning thy Jesus, as thou didst give him to the shepherds and to
the kings. I intend to receive him from thy most pure hands. Tell him that I am
thy servant and thy client ; for he will thus look upon me with a more
loving eye, and now that he is coming, will press me more closely to himself.
Affections and Prayers
O
my Jesus ! what has induced Thee to give Thyself entirely to us for our
food ? After this gift, what more remains for Thee to give us in order to
oblige us to love Thee ? Ah, Lord ! give us light, make us understand
the excess of Thy love in becoming food in order to unite Thyself to poor
sinners ! But, if Thou givest Thyself entirely to us, it is just that we
too give our whole being to Thee. O my Redeemer ! how have I been able to
offend Thee, who hast loved me so tenderly, and who hast done so much to gain
my love ? Thou hast become man for my sake, Thou hast died for me, Thou
hast become my food ; tell me, what more couldst Thou have done ? I
love Thee, O infinite Goodness ! I love Thee, O infinite Love ! Lord,
come often to my soul ; inflame my whole heart with Thy holy love ;
grant that I may forget all things in order to think only of Thee, and to love
nothing but Thee. Most Holy Mary, pray for me, and, by thy intercession, make
me worthy to receive thy Son frequently in the Holy Sacrament.
Affections and Prayers
O
infinite love of Jesus, worthy of infinite love ! Ah ! my Jesus, when
shall I love Thee as Thou hast loved me ? Thou couldst do nothing more to
make me love Thee ; and I have forsaken Thee, O infinite Good ! for
the sake of vile and miserable goods ! Ah ! enlighten me, O my
God ! discover to me always more and more the greatness of Thy goodness,
that my whole soul may be enamoured of Thee, and that I may labor to please
Thee. I love Thee, O my Jesus ! my love, my all ; and I wish to unite
myself frequently to Thee in this sacrament, in order to detach myself from all
things, and to love Thee alone, who art my life. Through the merits of Thy
Passion, assist me, O my Redeemer ! O Mother of Jesus, and my
Mother ! do thou, too, assist me ; beg of him to inflame my whole
heart with his holy love.
Affections and Prayers
O
enamoured of souls, O my Jesus ! it is not in Thy power to give us greater
proofs of love in order to show us that Thou lovest us. And what more couldst
Thou invent to induce us to love Thee ? Ah ! grant, O infinite
Goodness ! that I may love Thee tenderly and with all my strength !
And who is there that has greater claims on the affections of my heart, than
Thou, my Redeemer, who, after having given Thy life for my salvation, hast
given me Thyself entirely in this sacrament ? Ah ! Lord, that I
always remembered Thy love in order to forget all things, and to love Thee
alone without interruption and without reserve ! I love Thee, O my Jesus,
above all things, and I wish to love Thee alone. Banish from my heart, I
entreat Thee, all affections which are not for Thee. I thank Thee for giving me
time to love Thee and to weep over the offences I have offered to Thee. My
Jesus, I desire that Thou mayest be the only object of my affections. Assist
me, save me, and let my salvation consist in loving Thee with my whole heart,
and in loving Thee always in this life and in the next. Mary, my Mother, obtain
for me the grace to love Jesus Christ ; pray to him for me.
Affections and Prayers
O
Jesus, my Redeemer, O love of my soul ! how much has it cost Thee to
remain with us in the sacrament ? To be able to remain on our altars, Thou
hadst first to suffer death ; afterward, in order to aid us by Thy
presence, Thou hadst to submit to so many grievous insults in this sacrament.
And, after all this, we are so slothful and negligent in visiting Thee, though
we know that Thou so ardently desirest our visits for the purpose of enriching
us with Thy graces when Thou seest us in Thy presence. Lord, pardon me ;
for I too have been one of these ungrateful souls. From this day forward, O my
Jesus ! I wish to visit Thee often, and to remain as long as I can in Thy
presence, to thank Thee, to love Thee, and to ask Thy graces ; for it is
for this purpose that Thou remainest on earth shut up in our tabernacles, and
made our prisoner of love. I love Thee, O infinite Goodness ! I love Thee,
O God of love ! I love Thee, O sovereign Good ! amiable above every
good. Grant that I may forget myself and all things, in order to remember only
Thy love and to spend the remainder of my life wholly occupied in pleasing
Thee. Grant that from this day forward I may relish no pleasure more than that
of remaining at Thy feet. Inflame my whole soul with Thy holy love. Mary, my
mother, obtain for me a great love for the Most Holy Sacrament ; and
whenever Thou seest that I am negligent, remind me of the promise I now make of
going every day to visit the Holy Sacrament.
Affections and Prayers
Since
then, my beloved Jesus, Thou remainest on our altars to hear the supplications
of the miserable who have recourse to Thee, hear the prayer which I, a
miserable sinner, present to Thee. O Lamb of God ! sacrificed and lifeless
on the cross, I am a soul redeemed by Thy blood ; pardon me all the
offences I have offered to Thee, and assist me by Thy grace, that I may never
lose Thee again. Impart to me, O my Jesus ! a portion of the sorrow which
Thou didst feel in the garden of Gethsemane for my sins. O my God ! that I
had never offended Thee ! My dear Lord, had I died in sin, I could never
more love Thee ; but Thou hast waited for me that I might love Thee. I
thank Thee for the time which Thou givest me : and since I can now love
Thee, I wish to love Thee. Give me the grace of Thy holy love, but of a love
which will make me forget all things, to think only of pleasing Thy most loving
heart. Ah, my Jesus ! Thou hast spent Thy whole life for me : grant
that I may spend at least the remainder of my life for Thee. Draw me entirely
to Thy love ; make me all Thine before I die. I hope for all graces
through the merits of Thy Passion. I also hope in thy intercession, O
Mary ! Thou knowest that I love thee : have pity on me.
Affections and Prayers
Ah,
my Jesus ! make Thyself known,
make Thyself loved. Thou art so amiable, Thou canst do nothing more to induce
men to love Thee ; how then does it happen that so few among them love
Thee ? Alas ! I have been
among these ungrateful wretches. I have been sufficiently grateful to
creatures, who have bestowed no gift or favor upon me : to Thee only, who
hast given me Thyself, have I been ungrateful, so as often to offend Thee
grievously, and insult Thee by my sins. But I see that, instead of abandoning
me, Thou continuest to seek after me, and to ask my love. I feel that Thou
continuest to propose to me this loving precept – “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart.” Since,
then, Thou didst wish to be loved even by me after my ingratitude, I desire to
love Thee. Thou wishest for my love, and at present through Thy grace, I desire
only to love Thee. I love Thee, my love, my all. Through that blood which Thou
hast shed for me, help me to love Thee. My beloved Redeemer ! I place all
my hopes in this blood, and also in the intercession of Thy most holy Mother,
whom Thou wishest to assist me by her prayers in the work of my salvation. O
Mary, my Mother ! pray to Jesus for me. Thou inflamest all thy lovers with
the divine love ; I love thee tenderly ; procure it also for me.
Loving Aspirations to Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament
Before Holy Communion
I.
Egredimini et videte, filiae
Sion, regem Salomonem in diademate, quo coronavit illum mater sua in die
desponsationis illius[4] --
“Go forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon in the diadem wherewith
his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals.”
O
daughters of grace, O ye souls who love God quit the darkness of the earth, and
behold Jesus, your king, crowned with a crown of thorns ; the crown of
contempt and suffering with which the impious synagogue, his mother crowned him
on the day of his espousals, -- that is to say, on the day of his death, by
means of which he espoused himself on the Cross to our souls. Go forth again,
and behold him all full of compassion and love, now that he comes to unite
himself to thee in this sacrament of love.
Has
it indeed, then, cost Thee so much, my beloved Jesus, before Thou couldst come
and unite Thyself to souls in this most sweet Sacrament ? Wert Thou indeed
obliged to suffer so bitter and ignominious a death ? Oh, come, then,
without delay, and unite Thyself to my soul also. It was at one time Thy enemy
by sin ; but now Thou desirest to espouse it by Thy grace. Come, O Jesus,
my spouse, for never more will I betray Thee ; I am determined to be ever
faithful to Thee. As a loving spouse, my whole thought shall be to find out Thy
pleasure. I am determined to love Thee without reserve ; I desire to be all
Thine, my Jesus, -- all, all, all.
II.
Fasciculus myrrhae Dilectus
meus mihi, inter ubera mea commorabitur[5] --
“A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved to me ; he shall abide between my
breasts.”
The
myrrh plant, when pricked, sends forth tears, and a healthful liquor from the
wounds. Before his Passion, our Jesus determined to pour forth his divine blood
from his wounds in so painful a way to give it afterwards all to us for our
salvation in this bread of life.
Come
then, O my beloved bundle of myrrh, O my enamored Jesus ; Thou art indeed
a subject of grief and pity to me when I consider Thee all wounded for me on
the Cross : but then, when I receive Thee in this most sweet Sacrament,
Thou becomest indeed to me more sweet and delicious than a bunch of the choicest
grapes can be to one who is parched with thirst : A cluster of cypress my Love is to me, in the vineyards of Engadai.[6]
Come, then, to my soul, and revive and satiate me with Thy holy love. Ah, what
sweetness do I feel in my soul at the thought, that I have to receive within
myself that same Saviour of mine who for my salvation was pleased to be drained
of all his blood, and sacrificed on a cross ! He shall abide between my breasts. No, my Jesus, never more will I
drive Thee hence ; and Thou shalt never more have to leave me. I am
determined ever to love Thee, and to be always united and closely bound up with
Thee. I will always belong to Jesus, and Jesus will be always mine :
forever, forever, forever He shall abide
between my breasts.
III.
Dum esset Rex in accubitu
suo, nardus mea dedit odorem suum[7] --
“While the King was at His repose my spikenard sent forth the odor thereof.”
When
Jesus comes to dwell in a soul in the Holy Communion, oh, how clearly does she
see and know her own nothingness by the bright light which the king of heaven
brings with him ! As the spikenard is the most lowly among plants, so does
the soul confess itself the most vile of all creatures ; and when thus
humbled, oh, how sweet is the odor which she breathes forth to her beloved
king ! and for this reason he invites her to unite herself to him in
closer and closer bonds.
If,
then, my soul, thou desirest that thy Jesus should repose in thee, consider thy own nothingness. Who art
thou ? what dost thou deserve ? Humble thyself as thou shouldst do,
by casting away from thyself all self-esteem which may keep Jesus at a distance
from thee, or prevent him from coming to repose in thee.
Come
to me, my dear Redeemer, come ; and by thy divine light make me to see my
own lowliness, my misery, my nothingness, that Thou mayest be enabled to repose
in me with satisfaction to Thyself, to separate Thyself no more from me.
IV.
Sentite de Domino in
bonitate[8] --
“Think of the Lord in goodness.”
My
soul, why art thou so timid and fearful at the sight of the goodness and
infinite love of thy Lord ? why such distrust ? Now that thou art
made worthy to receive within thee Jesus Christ, let thy sentiments correspond
to this grace, by confiding in that goodness of God, who gives thee all
himself. Truly his judgments are terrible but they are terrible only to the
proud and to the obstinate ; but to the humble and penitent, who desire to
love and please him, his judgments are all mercy and love, emanating from a
heart full of compassion and kindness. So that David, considering these
judgments of God, superabounds with hope : I have more than hoped in Thy judgments. These judgments made him
happy and consoled him : Thy
judgments are delightful ; I remembered Thy judgments, and was comforted.[9]
Ah ! our great God is only too loving and generous to those who seek him
with love : The Lord is good to the
soul that seeketh Him.[10]
How good is God to those who seek to unite their will to the divine will :
How good is God to Israel, to those that
are of a right heart.[11]
My
God, my love, my hope, my all, I desire Thee, and Thee alone, -- to love Thee,
to please Thee, and to do Thy will in all things. Let me always find
Thee ; make me agreeable to Thee ; and never let me leave Thee again.
So be it. Amen, amen.
V.
Vox Dilecti mei
pulsantis : Aperi mihi, soror mea, amica mea, columba mea, immaculata mea[12] --
“The voice of my Beloved knocking: Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My
undefiled.”
Such
are the words which Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament speaks to those who love and
desire him. Open to me, he says, O soul, thy heart, and there I will come to
unite myself to thee ; so that, being one with me, thou mayest become my
sister by resemblance, my friend by participation in my riches, my dove by the
gift of simplicity, my undefiled by the gift of purity, which I shall
communicate to thee. And then he goes on to say, Open to me, for my head is full of dew and my locks of the drops of the
night. As if he said: Consider,
my beloved, that I have waited for thee all the night of the bad life thou hast
led in the midst of darkness and error. Behold, now, instead of bringing
scourges to chastise thee, I come in the Blessed Sacrament, with my hair full
of heavenly dew, to extinguish in thee all impure desires towards creatures,
and to kindle in Thee the happy fire of my love. Come, then, O my beloved
Jesus, and work in me what Thou wilt. I renounce the love of all things, in
order to be all Thine, and that Thou mayest make me as Thou wouldst have me,
entirely united to Thy will.
VI.
Veniat Dilectus meus in
hortum suum, et comedat fructum pomorum suorum.[13]
“Let my beloved come into His garden, and eat the fruit of His apple-trees.”
Cornelius
à Lapide says that this is precisely the invitation that a soul desirous of the
Holy Communion makes to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Come, my beloved, she
says, into my poor heart, which at one unhappy time did not belong to
Thee ; but which now, by the help of Thy grace, has returned to
Thee : Come and eat the fruit of Thy
apple-trees. Come and taste in me those virtues which Thou dost bring with
Thyself when Thou comest to me. O my Lord, at least for the honor of Thy
majesty, purify my heart, adorn it, inflame it with Thy love, and make it
beautiful in Thy sight, that it may be a worthy dwelling-place for Thee.
VII.
Ad ubera portabimini[14] --
“You shall be carried at the breasts.”
It
is thus that Jesus from the sacred altars invites our souls. Come, he says, and
suck my divine milk, which I give you in this Sacrament, wherein I offer you my
own blood to drink. But what shepherd, says St. John Chrysostom,[15]
ever feeds his sheep with his own blood ? Even mothers give their children
to nurses to be fed. But Thou, O divine Pastor, art so enamoured of our souls
as to wish to nourish them with Thine own blood. St. Catharine of Sienna, then,
did well in approaching the holy Communion as if panting to suck the divine
milk, in the same way as an infant presses anxiously to suck the milk from its
mother’s breasts. And well might the Sacred Spouse say to her Beloved, Thy breasts are better than wine,[16]
signifying that she esteemed the milk of this sacrament, as the sacred
interpreters explain it, above all the pleasures of the world, which are
transitory and vain, as are transitory and vain also the joys and pleasures of
wine.
O
my beloved Jesus, since Thou wilt feed me this morning with Thine own blood in
the Holy Communion, it is but reasonable that I should willingly renounce all
the delights and pleasures which the world might give me. Yes, I give them all
up ; I protest that I choose rather to suffer all evils united to Thee,
than to enjoy all the goods of the world away from Thee. It is sufficient
happiness for me to please Thee, who art worthy of all that we can do to please
Thee. I will say, then, with St. Ignatius of Loyola, give me, I pray Thee, but
Thy love and Thy grace ; that is sufficient for me, and I am contented.
VIII.
Comedite, amici, et bibite,
et inebriamini, charissimi[17] – “Eat, O friends, and
drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved.”
The
“friends,” that is beginners, who scarcely enjoy the divine friendship, when
they receive the Holy Communion, feed indeed on the flesh of Jesus Christ, but
they eat with labor ; while those who are on the way to perfection eat
with less difficulty. But by the “dearly beloved” are meant the perfect, who,
inebriated with holy love, live almost out of the world, forgeting all things,
even themselves, and think only how they may love and please their God.
My
beloved Jesus, I am not yet perfect ; but Thou canst make me perfect. I am
not dear to Thee, and it is my own fault, because I have been ungrateful and
unfaithful ; but Thou canst make me become so, by inebriating me this
morning with Thy love. Thy kingdom come.[18]
Come, my beloved Lord, and take possession of my whole soul. Establish Thy
kingdom in me ; so that Thou alone mayest reign in me, that Thy love alone
may command me, and that Thy love only may I obey. Inebriate me, inebriate me
entirely ; make me forget all creatures, myself, my interests, and all,
that I may love nothing but Thee, my God, my treasure, all my good, my
all ; may I sigh for Thee alone, seek Thee alone, think of Thee alone, and
please Thee alone. Do this by the merits of Thy Passion. This only do I ask of
Thee ; this I hope.
IX.
Fulcite me floribus, stipate
me malis ; quia amore langueo[19] – “Stay me up with flowers,
compass me about with apples: because I languish with love.”
The
languor of the soul is when, forgetful of herself and her affairs, she thinks
only of seeking refreshment for her languishing love by holy desires, which are
the flowers, and by good works, which are the fruits of divine love.
O
my God, O Blessed Sacrament, since Thou wilt have me to be all Thine, make me
what Thou wouldst have me. Make me forget everything that does not belong to
Thy love. Increase in me always more and more the desire of pleasing Thee.
Grant that these flowers may not always remain flowers ; make them also
become fruits, by my doing and suffering something for Thee, who hast done and
suffered only too much for me. O God, O God of my soul, make Thyself loved, but
really loved, by me, -- not only in word, but in deed, -- before death comes
upon me.
X.
Dilectus meus candidus et
rubicundus, electus et millibus[20] – “My Beloved is white and
ruddy, chosen out of thousands.”
Our
beloved Jesus is all white by his purity, and all red by the flames of his
divine love.
My
spotless Lamb, all burning with love for me, when shall I make myself like to Thee,
pure as Thou art, O lily, burning with love of Thee as Thou dost burn with love
of me ? Yes, I do renounce all other love, and choose for myself Thy sweet
love, my God, my all. Begone, ye creatures ! what do you want with
me ? Go and enjoy the love of those who seek you. I wish only for my
God ; for God alone will I keep all my hearts and all my affections.
XI.
Benignitas et humanitas
apparuit Salvatoris nostri Dei[21] – “The goodness and
kindness of God our Saviour appeared.”
St.
Paul says that God, by making himself man, showed the world how far his
goodness towards us went. But by giving himself in this sacrament, he makes us
know the depth of the tenderness of his love towards our souls. “Does it not
seem madness to say, Eat my flesh, and drink my blood ?” St. Augustine
says, does it not seem a madness, Jesus Christ saying to us, as he said in that
blessed night,[22] Take and eat, this is My body ?[23]
O men, he says, to make you understand how much I love you, I will that you
should come and feed on my very flesh. O holy faith ! And who among us
would have been able to demand so much ? Who could have even thought of
it, if Jesus had not thought it and done it ? Some of the followers of
Jesus Christ, when they heard that from his mouth, that is, that he wished to
give them his body to eat, said that this was too hard a thing, and that they
could neither believe nor hear it : This
saying is hard, and who can hear it ?[24]
And they went so far as to leave him, because they would not believe it: but
yet it is of faith that so it is. But what else does Jesus Christ ask of us, by
all this he has done for us, but that we should love him ? as the Lord had
once before instructed his people: And
now, Israel, what does the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou... love
Him and serve Him with all thy heart ?[25]
O
my most loving Jesus, what dost Thou not give, what dost Thou not promise to
those that love Thee ? Thou dost promise them Thy love : I love those that love Me.[26]
Thou dost promise them Thy caresses, even when they have already turned their
backs upon Thee : Turn ye to Me, and
I will turn to you.[27]
Thou dost promise to come with the Father and the Holy Spirit to abide forever
in their souls: He who loveth Me shall be
loved of My Father, ...and We will come to him and make our abode with him.[28]
And what more hast Thou to promise and to give, to entice men to love
Thee ? My dearest Lord, I see how it is ; Thou dost wish also to be
loved by me : yes, I love Thee with all my heart ; and if I do not
love Thee, do Thou teach me to love Thee ; make me to love Thee, and to
love Thee above all things : “Give what Thou commandest, and command what
Thou wilt.”[29]
XII.
Nolite me considerare quod
fusca sim, quia decoloravit me sol[30] – “Do not consider me, that
I am brown ; for the sun has discolored me.”
The
heat of my passions, said the Sacred Spouse (and still more ought I to say it,
O my dear Jesus), has deformed and blackened me: I am black, but beautiful.[31]
But I am black by my own works ; I am beautiful by Thy merits, O my
Redeemer. I was black at one time, when I was alone and separated from
Thee ; but now that I am united to Thee, Thy grace, Thy beauty, Thy love
has made me beautiful.
Yes,
my Jesus, so do I hope. Mayest Thou be blessed forever. Never permit me to lose
Thee again, and to return to my former depravity. I love Thee, O infinite
beauty ; I wish also that my soul should be beautiful, always beautiful,
that it may be always pleasing in Thy divine sight, and that Thou mayest always
love it.
THOMAS A KEMPIS:
Prayer for Help
O
my God, help me to make a good Communion. Mary, my dearest Mother, pray to
Jesus for me. My dear Guardian Angel, lead me to the altar of God.
Act of Faith
O
God, because Thou hast said it, I believe that I shall receive the Sacred Body
of Jesus Christ to eat, and His precious Blood to drink. My God, I believe this
with all my heart.
Act of Humility
My
God, I confess that I am a poor sinner ; I am not worthy to receive the
Body and Blood of Jesus on account of my sins. Lord, I am not worthy that Thou
shouldst enter under my roof ; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.
Act of Sorrow
My
God, I detest all the sins of my life. I am sorry for them, because they have
offended Thee, my God, Who art so good. I resolve never to commit sin any more.
My good God, pity me, have mercy on me, forgive me. Amen.
Act of Adoration
O
Jesus, great God, present on the altar, I bow down before Thee, I adore Thee.
Act of Love and Desire
Sweet
Jesus, I love Thee. I desire with all my heart to receive Thee. Most sweet
Jesus, come into my poor soul, and give me Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to
drink. Give me Thy whole self, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, that I may live
forever with Thee.
II
PRAYERS AFTER HOLY
COMMUNION
Act of Faith
O
Jesus, I believe that I have received Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to drink,
because Thou hast said it, and Thy word is true.
Act of Adoration
O
Jesus, my God, my Creator, I adore Thee, because from Thy hands I came and with
Thee I am to be happy forever.
Act of Humility
O
Jesus, I am but dust and ashes, and yet Thou hast come to me, and my poor heart
may speak to Thee.
Act of Love
Sweet
Jesus, I love Thee ; I love Thee with all my heart. Thou knowest that I
love Thee and wish to love Thee daily more and more.
Act of Thanksgiving
My
good Jesus, I thank Thee with all my heart. How good, how kind Thou art to me,
sweet Jesus. Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Act of Offering
Jesus,
receive my poor offering. Jesus, Thou hast given Thyself to me, and now let me
give myself to Thee :
I
give Thee my body, that it may be chaste and pure.
I
give Thee my soul, that it may be free from sin.
I
give Thee my heart, that it may always love Thee.
I
give Thee every breath that I shall breathe, and especially my last ; I
give Thee myself in life and in death, that I may be Thine forever and ever.
O
Jesus, wash away my sins with Thy precious Blood.
O
Jesus, the struggle against temptation is not yet finished. My Jesus, when
temptation comes near me, make me strong against it. In the moment of temptation,
may I always say : “Jesus, mercy ! Mary, help !”
O
Jesus, may I lead a good life ; may I die a happy death. May I receive
Thee before I die. May I say when I am dying: “Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you
my heart and my soul.”
Listen now for a moment to Jesus
Christ ; perhaps He has something to say to you. There may be some promise
you have made and broken, which He wishes you to make again and keep. Answer
Jesus in your heart, and tell Him all your troubles. Then pray for others.
O
Jesus, have mercy on Thy Holy Church ; take care of it.
O
Jesus, have pity on poor sinners, and save them from hell.
O
Jesus, bless my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, and all I ought to
pray for, as Thy Heart knows how to bless them.
O
Jesus, have pity on the poor souls in Purgatory, and give them eternal rest.
Sweet
Jesus, I am going away for a time, but I trust not without Thee. Thou art with
me by Thy grace. I will never leave Thee by mortal sin. I do not fear that I
shall do so, though I am weak, because I have hope in Thee. Give me grace to
persevere.
O
blessed Virgin, Mother of my God and Saviour, recommend all these my petitions
to your Son. O all ye Angels and Saints of God, unite your prayer with
mine ; be ever mindful of me, and obtain from Him, and through Him, that
with you I may bless Him and love Him forever. Amen.
Prayer
Behold,
my cravings are appeased. Behold, all my longings are now satisfied. My God has
deigned to visit me. Now Jesus abides in my heart. Now I can say with the
apostle : I am no longer my own, but Christ’s ; I no longer live in
myself, but in Christ, and Christ lives in me. I belong entirely to Christ, and
Christ is mine.
Welcome,
beloved Jesus, I bless Thee for having come to dwell within me. Oh, how it
grieves me to think that Thou art come to abide in a heart that has caused Thee
so much sorrow and affliction ! O Lord, what dost Thou discover in me, but
a heart devoted to the perishable things of this world ! Wherefore, then,
hast Thou come to dwell in me ? Let me in the bitterness of self-reproach
say with St. Peter : “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” Go and
reside within those sinless, loving souls, who long for Thy coming. But no, O
my heavenly Guest, depart not from me ; for if I lose Thee, I am lost. O
God, Thou art my chief hope, and I will not be separated from Thee. I will
clasp Thee to my heart ; and oh, may I live and die in Thy tender
embrace ! Mary, my holy protectress, and all ye Angels and Saints, inspire
me with love like yours, that I may welcome my Jesus as I should.
Act of Thanksgiving
O
adorable Trinity, one God, most worthy of my love, I thank Thee with my whole
heart for having given Jesus to me, a poor sinner. And, O sweet Jesus, how can
I ever thank Thee sufficiently for having deigned to visit me ! O spotless
Virgin ! O all ye blessed citizens of heaven ! O all ye souls glowing
with purest love, enable me to thank my Lord incessantly for His infinite
goodness. O God, to Thee be thanksgiving, praise, adoration, and glory from all
creatures through endless ages.
Act of Petition
My
loving Lord, since Thou hast deigned to visit me that I may be enriched with
Thy graces, and since Thou hast commanded me to ask them of Thee, listen to me
now, I implore Thee. Bestow on me, O Jesus, an increase of faith, hope,
charity, and sorrow for my sins. Grant me humility, purity, patience, and every
other virtue ; cleanse me of all my sins. Detach my heart from the
perishable things of this world, and conform it to Thy divine Will.
Act of Oblation
O
Jesus, Thou hast given Thyself entirely to me ; and gratitude requires
that I should give myself wholly to Thee. Thou hast sanctified me by dwelling
in me ; henceforth I will, with Thy divine assistance, be entirely
consecrated to Thee. My eyes, which Thou hast opened to the true light, shall
be Thine. My ears, which have heard Thy gentle invitation, shall be Thine. And
this tongue, which has been touched by Thy adorable Body and Blood, shall be
Thine forevermore. May all my senses be devoted to Thy greater glory and honor ;
may they never again rebel against Thy holy Law. To Thee I offer all that I am
and have, O Jesus. Confirm me now in Thy holy grace ; let me never lose it
again, let me ever love and serve Thee here on earth, so as to be happy with
Thee in heaven. Amen.
Prayer after Holy Communion
Behold,
my longings are fulfilled ! Behold, my desires are satisfied ! Now
hath my God come to visit me ! Now Jesus dwelleth within me ! Now I
am no longer my own but Christ’s : I no longer live in myself, in Jesus,
and Jesus lives in me. I am altogether the possession of Jesus, and Jesus is
altogether mine.
O
Infinite Goodness ! A God – the God of heaven – hath touched the tongue,
and come within the breast, and sought the heart of a human creature, and one
so vile, so unworthy as I am ! My soul, of what art thou thinking ?
Behold thyself now in possession of that for which thou hast been
sighing ; behold thyself all hallowed by the presence of Jesus,
transformed into Jesus. Thou and Jesus art one. O union true and
wonderful ! My soul, my soul, art thou thus closely united to Jesus, and
yet sayest nothing to Him, and speaketh not with thy God Who is in thine arms,
within thy breast, at thy heart ? Up, up, arise, collect thyself, gather
up all the affections of thy spirit ; adore Him, and say to Him:
O welcome, dearest Jesus, to the mansion of my soul. Oh, how long have
I desired this hour ! But, oh, how I pity Thee, now that I see Thee placed
in this heart, more hard and cold than the stall where thou wast born ; a heart
more full of what is grief and anguish to Thee than Calvary was to Thy sacred
flesh ; for not once, but a hundred, and a thousand times, have I renewed
Thy death and Passion by my sins ! Lord, what dost Thou find in me but
hardness and obduracy against Thee, and affections all given to earthly
things ! Ah, my God, how is it Thou hast come to dwell in me ? I must
cry out with St. Peter, Depart from me, depart from me, O Majesty of God ;
depart from this soul of sin, which is not worthy to harbor God ; Exi a me, quia homo peccator sum, Domine.[32]
Go, and rest within those pure and fervent souls who welcome Thee so tenderly.
But, no, O my most precious blessing ; no, let it never be so ; do
not leave me, for if Thou art far from me, I am lost. O God, my hope, I will
not let Thee go ! O blessing, for which I have sighed, I press Thee to my
heart, and I wish to live and die thus embracing Thee. O most holy Mary, O
angels, saints, and souls that love your God! lend me your affections, that I
may fitly welcome and cherish this presence of my Jesus.
Act of Thanksgiving
O
Divine Trinity, one God, most worthy to be loved, I thank Thee from the very
depth of my heart, because Thou hast given me Jesus ; I thank Thee because
Thou hast left me Jesus in the Sacrament ; I thank Thee for having caused
me to receive Him ; I thank Thee, my Jesus, that Thou hast deigned to
visit me. O God, what return can I make for so much love ! How can I thank Thee enough, O most holy Virgin,
O angels, O saints of heaven, O all enamoured souls, help me to thank our God,
to thank and thank Him again and again, for this infinite kindness. But, O God,
how little even is all this ! The thanksgiving of all paradise cannot
attain to be thanks sufficient to an infinite God, or recommend Him for His
benefits. What, then, shall I do ? I know not, except, O my most holy
Jesus, to offer up Thine own love itself in thanks for Thine infinite love. May
Thine infinite compassion, Thy kindness, and all the abyss of Thine infinite
attributes, render to Thee that honor and that thank-offering which Thou
deservest. O Most Holy Trinity, one God, I thank Thee by the hands of
Jesus ; and do Thou, O Triune God, thank Jesus for me ! And now let
my heart remain full, and let Thy Majesty accept and be satisfied with these
infinite thanks. O my Blessing, to Thee alone be praise, glory, and honor from
all creatures, forever and forever. Amen.
What
art thou doing, my soul ? Dost thou know that now thou art a living temple
in which really dwells thy Redeemer ? It is no time now for lying
slothful, and full of wandering thoughts. It is the time for asking all the
graces of which thou standest in need, and for receiving them from the true and
living God Who is dwelling within thee.
Now
the heavens stand open, now the Most Holy Trinity, with eyes all full of love,
is above thee, looking down on the object of Its own complacency – Jesus
Christ, Who is within thy breast. Now more than ever Mary, and angels, and
saints, thy advocates, are beseeching graces for thee from God. My soul, my
soul, lose not of these precious moments ; bend thy faculties to deal with
the great affair of thy eternal salvation. But how ? Art thou saying
nothing to thy God ? Ah, poor and miserable as thou art, thou delightest
to live on amid thy miseries, while thou hast with Thee the God of all
riches ; and thou art silent, and thy mind begins already to wander, and
thou art so without desire of interest, so dull and so idle of heart !
Dost thou not know that if thou seekest not thou obtainest not ? Were a
king to enter thy house and invite thee to ask favors of him, wouldst thou be
long silent ? Ah, miserable race, through our little faith ! The
Kings of kings, with His royal presence, is within thee, the Lord of the
heavenly treasures. A God – thy God – hath come to thee, Who wishes to bestow
great graces on thee and thou speakest not a word ! This Infinite
Benignity grieves and laments that His favors are not sought ; and, unable
longer to endure the languid and indifference of men, forever longing to be
kind to them and do them good, He Himself takes to inviting them, and beseeches
them to ask. Usque modo non petistis
quidquam in nomine meo. Petite, et accipietis, ut gaudium vestrum sit plenum.[33]
My soul, thou hast within thee a Lord omnipotent, a most loving and munificent
Father, a most faithful God : and of what art thou afraid ? Seek and
confide, enlarge thy heart, revive thy faith ; begin, ask great graces –
heavenly graces, graces worthy of God.
Act of Petition
O
my dear Redeemer, since Thou hast come to me, in order to confer graces upon
me, and invitest me to ask them of Thee, hear me now by the bowels of Thy
compassion. Give me, O my Jesus, an increase of living faith, hope, charity,
and contrition. Give me humility, purity, patience, and all virtues ; take
from me all my corruptions. Change this heart, so full of the world and of
myself, and give me a new heart conformed to Thy will, so that I may always
seek Thy greater glory, and that all its affections may aspire to Thee and aim
only at Thy love, without ever deviating even in the very least. Cor mundum crea in me Deus, et spiritum
rectum innova in visceribus meis.[34]
Grace is indeed a mighty gift, and though I merit it not, Thou meritest it for
me. From a great and glorious God great favors may be sought ; grant me
this, then, which I have asked, by Thy Passion, by Thy death ; grant it by
the love Thou bearest to the Eternal Father ; grant it me by the virtue of
most holy Mary, by all the merits of the Church triumphant and militant ;
grant it me because Thou art Thyself infinite goodness and mercy.
Here apply yourself to ask
with lively faith from God the graces and favors which are needful for yourself
and your neighbor.
O
Most Holy Trinity, O my omnipotent God, hear these my prayers. Now is not the
time to refuse graces even to the most unworthy, because it is not I myself
alone that am seeking them, but, together with me, Jesus Christ is
supplicating. Though I do not deserve to be heard, Jesus Christ deserves it,
Who prays with me, and in me, and for me. Eternal Father, I call up before Thee
the promises of Jesus Christ, Who hath said that whatever graces we seek from
Thee in His name, without any other means, they shall be obtained from Thee: Amen amen, dico vobis, si quid petieritis
Patrem in nomine meo, dabit vobis.[35]
Act of Oblation
My
Jesus, it is but justice and common gratitude that I should give myself
entirely to Thee, after Thou hast given Thyself entirely to me. Thou hast, in
coming to me, penetrated and made godlike all my being with Thy Divinity, and
so I ought henceforward to continue Thine. May these eyes, renewed by Thee,
continue Thine ; may these ears, sanctified by Thee, continue Thine ;
this taste, sanctified by Thee, may it be Thine. Thou hast sanctified all my
senses ; may they be Thine, and so may they never again take pleasure in
opposition to Thy divine Law. Thou hast sanctified my memory ; may it
continually remember Thee. Thou hast sanctified my will ; may it never
turn to love anything in preference to Thee. Unto Thee, then, from the very
depth of my heart, I offer, as a perpetual holocaust, my body and my soul, my
senses and my faculties, all that I have and am, as fully as I can. Burn, O fire
divine, burn and consume, O love omnipotent, all in me which is not Thine!
Amen.
The Benedicite (Daniel 3:
57-88 and 56)
Antiphon.
Let us sing the song of the Three Children.
All
ye Works of the Lord, bless the Lord : praise and exalt Him above all
forever.
O
ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Heavens.
O
all ye Waters that are above the Heavens, bless the Lord : bless the Lord,
O all ye Powers of the Lord.
O
ye Sun and Moon, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Stars of Heaven.
O
every Shower and Dew, bless ye the Lord : bless the Lord, O all ye Spirits
of God.
O
ye Fire and Heat, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Cold and Heat.
O
ye Dews and Hoarfrost, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Frost and
Cold.
O
ye Ice and Snow, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Nights and Days.
O
ye Light and Darkness, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Lightnings
and Clouds.
O
let the Earth bless the Lord : let it praise and exalt Him above all
forever.
O
ye Mountains and Hills, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O all ye things
that spring up in the earth.
O
ye Fountains, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Seas and Rivers.
O
ye Whales, and all that move in the Waters, bless the Lord : bless the
Lord, O all ye Fowls of the air.
O
all ye Beasts and Cattle, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Sons of
men.
O
let Israel bless the Lord : let them praise and exalt Him above all
forever.
O
ye Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye Servants of
the Lord.
O
ye Spirits and Souls of the Just, bless the Lord : bless the Lord, O ye
holy and humble of heart.
O
Ananiah, Azariah, and Misael, bless ye the Lord : praise and exalt Him
above all forever.
Let
us bless the Father, and the Son, with the Holy Spirit : let us praise and
exalt Hm above all forever.
Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of Heaven : and worthy to be praised
and glorified, and exalted above all forever.
Psalm 150
Praise
the Lord in His holy places : praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Praise
Him in His mighty acts : praise Him according to the multitude of His
greatness.
Praise
Him with the sound of the trumpet : praise Him with psaltery and harp.
Praise
Him with timbrel and choir : praise Him with strings and organs.
Praise
Him upon the high-sounding cymbals : praise Him upon cymbals of joy :
let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.
Glory
be to the Father, etc.
Antiphon.
Let us sing the song of the Three Children, which they sang in the fiery
furnace, blessing the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
Christ,
have mercy.
Lord,
have mercy.
Our
Father (inaudibly).
V.
And lead us not into temptation.
R.
But deliver us from evil.
V. Let all Thy works, O Lord,
praise Thee.
R. And let Thy Saints bless
Thee.
V. The Saints shall rejoice in
glory.
R. They shall be joyful in
their beds.
V. Not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us.
R. But unto Thy name give the
glory.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let
us pray.
O
God, who for the Three Children didst assuage the flames of fire :
mercifully grant that the flames of sin may not consume us Thy servants.
Direct,
we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy inspiration, and further them with
Thy continual help ; that every prayer and work of ours may always begin
from Thee, and through Thee be brought to an end.
Vouchsafe,
O Lord, to extinguish within us the flames of sin ; Thou who didst grant
to Blessed Lawrence grace to arise whole from his fiery torments. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas
I
render thanks to Thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Everlasting God, who hast
vouchsafed, not for any merits of mine, but of Thy great mercy only, to feed me
a great sinner, Thine unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of Thy
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ ; and I pray that this Holy Communion may not
be for my judgment and condemnation, but for my pardon and salvation. Let it be
unto me an armor of faith and a shield of good purpose, a riddance of all
vices, and a rooting out of all evil desires ; an increase of love and patience,
of humility and obedience, and of all virtues ; a firm defense against the
wiles of all my enemies, visible and invisible ; a perfect quieting of all
my impulses, fleshy and spiritual ; a cleaving unto Thee, the one true
God ; and a blessed consummation of my end when Thou dost call. And I pray
that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring me a sinner to that unspeakable Feast
where Thou, with Thy Son and Thy Holy Spirit, art to Thy holy ones true light,
full blessedness, everlasting joy, and perfect happiness Through the same
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of St. Bonaventure
O
most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, transfix the affections of my inmost soul with
that most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, with true, serene, holiest
Apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with genuine love
and longing for Thee, that it may desire Thee, and faint for Thy courts, long
to be dissolved and to be with Thee. Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee,
the Bread of Angels, the Refreshment of holy souls, our daily and
supersubstantial Bread, who hast all sweetness and savor, and the sweetness of
every taste. Let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, upon whom the
Angels desire to look, and my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy
savor. May it ever thirst for Thee, the Fountain of life, the Source of wisdom
and knowledge, the Fountain of eternal light, the Torrent of pleasure, the
Richness of the House of God. May it ever yearn for Thee, seek Thee, find Thee,
stretch towards Thee, attain to Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee, and do
all things to the praise and glory of Thy holy name, with humility and
discretion, with love and delight, with readiness and affection, with
perseverance even unto the end. And be Thou ever my hope and my whole confidence ;
my riches ; my delight, my pleasure, and my joy ; my rest and
tranquillity ; my peace, my sweetness and my fragrace ; my sweet
savor, my food and refreshment ; my refuge and my help ; my
wisdom ; my portion, my possession, and my treasure, in whom my mind and
my heart may ever remain fixed and firm, and rooted immovably, henceforth and
forevermore. Amen.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin
O
most holy, O most benign, O noble and glorious Virgin Mary, who wast worthy to
bear in thy sacred womb the Creator of all, and at thy virginal breast to
nourish Him whose true, real, and most holy Body and Blood I, an unworthy
sinner, have just now dared to receive: vouchsafe, I humbly beseech thee, to
intercede with Him for me, a sinner ; that whatsoever, by ignorance or
neglect, by accident or irreverence, I have left undone, or have done amiss, in
this unspeakably holy Sacrifice, may be pardoned through thy prayers to the
same our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit
liveth and reigneth world without end. Amen.
Aspirations
Who
art Thou, O Lord, and what am I ?
Dost
Thou come unto me, O King most High, even to the very lowest of Thy
servants ?
Behold,
O Lord, I now have Thee, who hast all things : I possess Thee, who
possessest all things and canst do all things ; therefore, O my God and my
All, do Thou wean my heart from all other things beside Thee, for in them there
is nothing but vanity and weariness of
spirit ; on Thee alone may my heart be fixed ; in Thee be my rest,
for in Thee is my treasure, in Thee is sovereign truth, true happiness, and
eternal life.
Let
my soul, O Lord, feel the sweetness of Thy presence. May it taste how sweet
Thou art, O Lord, that drawn by love of Thee, it may seek for nothing wherein
to rejoice out of Thee ; for Thou art the joy of my heart, and my God, and
my portion forever.
Thou
art the Physician of my soul, who with Thine own stripes hast healed our
sickness. I am that sick soul whom Thou camest from heaven to heal ; heal
my soul, therefore, for I have sinned against Thee.
Thou
art the Good Shepherd, who hast laid down Thy life for Thy sheep. Behold, I am
that sheep which was lost, and yet Thou dost vouchsafe to feed me with Thy Body
and Blood ; lay me now upon Thy shoulders. What wilt Thou refuse me, who
hast given Thyself unto me ? O be Thou my Shepherd, and I shall lack
nothing in the green pasture wherein Thou feedest me, until I am brought to the
pastures of eternal life.
O
Thou true Light, which enlightenest every man who cometh into the world,
enlighten mine eyes, that I sleep not in death.
O
Fire continually burning, and never failing ! behold how lukewarm and cold
I am ; O do Thou inflame my reins and my heart, that they may be on fire
with the love of Thee. For Thou camest to send fire on the earth, and what wilt
Thou but that it be kindled ?
O
King of Heaven and earth, rich in pity ! behold, I am poor and
needy : Thou knowest what I most require ; Thou alone art able to
enrich and help me ; help me ; O God, and out of the treasure of Thy
goodness succor Thou my needy soul.
O
my Lord and my God ! behold, I am Thy servant : give me understanding
and kindle my affections, that I may know and do Thy will.
Thou
art the Lamb of God, the Lamb without spot, who takest away the sins of the
world ; take away from me whatever hurteth me and displeaseth Thee ;
and give me what Thou knowest to be pleasing to Thee and good for me.
Thou
art my love and all my joy ; Thou art my God and my all ; Thou art
the portion of my inheritance and of my cup ; Thou art He that will
restore my inheritance unto me.
O
my God and my All ! may the sweet and burning power of Thy love, I beseech
Thee, so absorb my soul, that I may die unto the world for the love of Thee,
who for the love of me hast vouchsafed to die upon the Cross, O my God and my
All.
Lord,
if I had lived innocently, I could not have deserved to receive the crumbs that
fall from Thy Table. How great is Thy mercy, who hast feasted me with the Bread
of Angels, with the Wine of Virgins, with Manna from heaven !
O
when shall I pass from this dark glass, from this veil of the Sacraments, to
the vision of Thy eternal light ; from eating Thy Body, to beholding Thy
face in Thy eternal kingdom ?
Let
not my sins crucify the Lord of life again ; let it ever be said of me,
The hand of him who betrayeth Me is with Me on the table.
O
that I might love Thee as well as ever any creature loved Thee ! Let me
think nothing but Thee, desire nothing but Thee, enjoy nothing but Thee.
O
Jesus, be a Jesus unto me. Thou art all things unto me. Let nothing ever please
me but what savors of Thee and Thy unspeakable sweetness.
Blessed
be the mercies of our Lord, who of God is made unto me wisdom, and
justice, and sanctification, and redemption. Let him who glorieth glory in the
Lord. Amen.
Act of Adoration and Praise
O
Lord Jesus, sweetest Guest, mayest Thou have come happily to me, Thy poor and
humble servant. Mayest Thou have entered in blessing under this mean and lowly
roof. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the highest, for that Thou hast come into my
heart, Thou Day-spring from on high. O King of peace, drive from my heart all
vain and idle thoughts, that my soul may imitate and love Thee only, the Author
of peace. For what beside Thee, O Thou peace, Thou calm and sweetness of my
heart, should my soul seek for or desire ?
Prayer for Grace
Grant
me Thy grace, most merciful Jesus, that it may be with me, and work with me,
and continue with me even to the end. Grant me ever to will and desire what is
most pleasing to Thee. Let Thy will be mine, and my will ever perfectly follow
Thine, that so I may neither choose nor reject, save that Thou choosest and rejectest.
Grant
me to die to all that is in the world, and for love of Thee to be content to be
despised and unknown in this life. Grant me, above all things, to rest in Thee,
and to still my heart to perfect peace in Thee. For Thou art the true peace of
the heart, Thou art its only rest, and out of Thee there is no rest. In this
peace, that is in Thyself alone, my chief and eternal good, may I lie down and
take my rest. Amen.
Act of Thanksgiving
What
shall I render unto Thee, O Lord Jesus for all that Thou hast done unto me,
especially on this day ? In Thy care for me Thou hast given me Thy Body
for my food, and Thy Blood for my drink, and both as a pledge of future glory.
Would that my lips might be opened, and my mouth filled with Thy praise, that I
might sing of Thy glory and of Thy greatness all the day long, and tell of all
Thy wondrous works. O my soul, magnify the Lord, from whom thou hast received
blessings so many and so great ; and rejoice, my spirit, in God thy
Saviour : for He hath looked down on my lowliness ; and the Mighty
One hath done great things for me, and hath filled me, when hungry, with good
things.
Let
my words please Thee, O Lord ; my joy shall be in Thee, and I will strive
to practice Thy commandments. Hold Thou me by Thy right hand, and guide me by
Thy will, that Thou mayest afterwards receive me into Thy glory, for Thy
mercy’s sake. Amen.
Act of Union with Christ and
the Blessed Virgin
O
most merciful Father, who hast so loved me as to give me Thine Only-begotten
Son for my food and drink, and with Him all things, look upon the Face of Thine
Anointed, in whom Thou art well pleased. This Thy Beloved Son, and with Him my
heart, I offer and present to Thee for all the blessings Thou hast this day
given me. Mayest Thou, O Father, be now well-pleased in Him, and through Him
turn away Thine indignation from me.
Behold
the One Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, my Advocate and
High-Priest, who intercedes for me. Him do I offer and plead before Thee, who
committed no sin, but bore the sin of the world, and by whose stripes we are
healed. Accept, therefore, O Holy Father, this Unspotted Victim, to the honor
and glory of Thy name, in thanksgiving for all the blessings Thou hast ever
bestowed upon me, for the remission also of my sins, and for the supply of all
my defects and shortcomings.
O
Blessed Virgin, Mother of my God and Saviour, present my petitions to thy Son.
O all ye Angels and Saints, citizens of heaven, join also your prayers with
mine. Ye stand always before the Throne, and see Him face to face, whom I here
receive under veils. Be ever mindful of me, and obtain from Him and through Him
that with you I may bless Him and love Him forever. Amen.
Act of Self-Consecration
O
Lord, since I am Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaid, I renounce the devil
and all his works and pomps ; all the vanity of this wicked world, and all
the sinful lusts of the flesh. Thou alone art the God of my heart ; Thou,
O God, art my portion for ever. Thou art the portion of my inheritance and of
my cup. Thou art He that will restore my inheritance unto me. Do Thou therefore
take for Thine own all the powers of my soul, my memory, my intellect, and my
will. All that I am, and all that I have, Thou hast bestowed upon me :
therefore I give back all to Thee, and surrender it to be wholly governed by
Thy sovereign will. Grant me but grace to love Thee alone, and I am rich enough
and ask no more.
Prayer Before a Crucifix
Behold,
O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with
the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst
impress upon my heart, lively sentiments of Faith, Hope, and Charity, with true
repentance for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment, whilst with deep
affection and grief of soul I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate Thy
five most precious Wounds ; having before my eyes the words which David in
prophecy spoke concerning Thyself, O good Jesus: “They have pierced my hands and feet ; they have numbered all my bones.”
ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI:
Prayer
Behold,
my Jesus, Thou art come, Thou art now within me, and hast made Thyself all
mine. Be Thou welcome, my Beloved Redeemer. I adore Thee, and cast myself at
Thy feet ; I embrace Thee, I press Thee to my heart, and thank Thee for
that Thou hast deigned to enter into my breast. O Mary, O my patron saints, O
my guardian angel, do you all thank him for me! Since then, O my Divine King!
Thou art come to visit me with so much love, I give Thee my will, my liberty,
and my whole self. Thou hast given Thyself all to me, I will give myself all to
Thee ; I will no longer belong to myself ; from this day forward I will be
Thine, and altogether Thine. I desire that my soul, my body, my faculties, my
senses, should be all Thine, that they may be employed in serving and pleasing
Thee. To Thee I consecrate all my thoughts, my desires, my affections, and all
my life. I have offended Thee enough, my Jesus ; I desire to spend the remainder
of my life in loving Thee, who hast loved me so much.
Accept,
O God of my soul, the sacrifice which I, a miserable sinner, make to Thee, and
who desires only to love and please Thee. Work Thou in me, and dispose of me,
and of all things belonging to me all those affections which are displeasing to
Thee, that I may be all Thine, and may live only to please Thee!
I
ask Thee not for goods of this world, for pleasures, for honors ; give me,
I pray Thee, by the merits of Thy Passion, O my Jesus, a constant sorrow for my
sins! Enlighten me, and make me know the vanity of worldly goods, and how much
Thou dost deserve to be loved. Separate me from all attachment to the world,
and bind me entirely to Thy love, that from henceforth my will may neither seek
nor desire anything but what Thou willest. Give me patience and resignation in
infirmities, in poverty, and in all those things which are contrary to my
self-love. Make me gentle towards those who despise me. Give me a holy death.
Give me Thy holy love. And, above all, I pray Thee to give me perseverance in
Thy grace till death ; never permit me to separate myself from Thee again:
Jesu dulcissime, ne permittas me separari
a Te. And I also ask of Thee the grace always to have recourse to Thee, and
to invoke Thy aid, O my Jesus, in all my temptations ; and the grace to
ask Thee always for holy perseverance.
O
Eternal Father, Thy Son Jesus Christ has promised me that Thou wilt grant me
everything that I shall ask Thee in his name: If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you.
In the name therefore, and by the merits of this Son, I ask for Thy love and
holy perseverance, that I may one day love Thee in heaven with all my strength,
and sing Thy mercies forever, secure of never more being separated from Thee.
O
most holy Mary, my mother and my hope, obtain for me these graces which I so
desire ; as also a great love for thee, my Queen: may I always recommend
myself to thee in all my necessities!
An Act of Faith
Behold,
my God is even now come to visit me ; my Saviour to dwell in my soul. My
Jesus is even now within me. He is come to make himself mine, and at the same
time to make me his. So that Jesus is mine, and I belong to Jesus: Jesus is all
mine, and I am all his.
O
Infinite Goodness! O Infinite Mercy! O Infinite Love ! that a God should
come to unite himself to me, and to make himself all mine ! My soul, now
that thou art thus closely bound to Jesus, that thou art thus one with him,
what doest thou? Hast thou nothing to say to him ; dost thou not converse
with thy God, who is with thee ? Ah, yes, renew thy faith ; remember
that the angels now surround thee adoring their God, who is within thy breast,
do thou also adore thy Lord within thyself. Enter into thyself, and banish
thence every other thought. Unite all thy affections, and, clinging closely to
thy God, say:
An Act of Welcome
Ah,
my Jesus, my love, my infinite good, my all, be ever welcome in the poor
dwelling of my soul ! Ah, my Lord, where art Thou ! to what a place
art Thou come ! Thou hast entered my heart, which is far worse than the
stable in which Thou wast born ; it is full of earthly affections, of
self-love, and of inordinate desires. And how couldst Thou come to dwell
there ? I would address Thee with St. Peter: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.[36]
Yes, depart from me, O Lord, for I am indeed unworthy to receive a God of
infinite goodness ; go and find repose in those pure souls who serve Thee
with so much love. But no, my Redeemer ; what do I say ? Leave me
not ; for if Thou departest, I am lost. I embrace Thee, my life ; I
cling to Thee. Mad indeed have I been in having separated myself from Thee for
the love of creatures ; and in my ingratitude I drove Thee from me. But
now I will never more separate myself from Thee, my treasure ; I desire to
live and die ever united to Thee. Most blessed Virgin Mary, Seraphim, and all
souls, do ye who love God with pure love lend me your affections, that I may
worthily attend on my beloved Lord.
An Act of Thanksgiving
My
God and Lord, I thank Thee for the grace which Thou hast this morning bestowed
upon me, of coming to dwell in my soul ; but I would wish to thank Thee in
a manner worthy of Thee and of the great favor which Thou hast done me. But
what do I say ? how can so miserable a creature as I am ever worthily
thank Thee ? Father Segneri says, that the feeling most becoming a soul
that communicates is that of wondering astonishment at the thought, and to
repeat, “A God is united to me ; a God is mine !” David said, What shall I render to the Lord for all the
things that He hath rendered to me?[37] But I ! what return shall I make
to Thee, my Jesus, who, after having given me so many of Thy good things, hast
this morning, moreover, given me Thyself ? My soul, bless, then, and thank
thy God as best as thou canst. And thou, my Mother Mary, my holy advocates, my
guardian angel, and all ye souls who love God, Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what great
things He hath done for my soul.[38]
Come and bless and thank my God for me, admiring and praising the indeed great
graces which he has granted me.
An Act of Oblation
My Beloved to me, and I to
Him.[39]
Should a king go to visit a poor shepherd in his hut, what can the shepherd
offer him other than his whole hut, such as it is ? Since, then, O Jesus,
my divine king, Thou hast come to visit the poor house of my soul, I offer and
give Thee this house and my entire self, together with my liberty and will: My Beloved to me, and I to Him. Thou
hast given Thyself all to me ; I give myself all to Thee. My Jesus, from
this day forward I will be no longer mine ; I will be Thine, and all
Thine. May my senses be Thine, that they may only serve me to please Thee. And
what greater pleasure, says Peter of Alcantara, can be found, than that of
pleasing Thee, most amiable, most loving, most gracious God? I at the same time
give Thee all the powers of my soul, and I will that they shall be all
Thine ; my memory I will only use to recall to mind Thy benefits and Thy
love ; my understanding I will only use
to think of Thee, who always thinkest of my good ; my will I will
only use to love Thee, my God, my all, and to will only that which Thou
willest.
My
most sweet Lord, I offer, then, and consecrate to Thee this morning all that I
am and have – my senses, my thoughts, my affections, my desires, my pleasures,
my inclinations, my liberty ; in a word, I place my whole body and soul in
Thy hands.
Accept,
O Infinite Majesty, the sacrifice of the hitherto most ungrateful sinner Thou
hast ever had on earth ; but who now offers and gives himself all to Thee.
Do with me and dispose of me, O Lord, as Thou pleasest.
Come,
O consuming fire, O divine love! And consume in me all that is mine, and that
is displeasing in Thy most pure eyes, so that henceforward I may be all Thine,
and may live only to execute, not Thy commands and counsels only, but also all
Thy holy desires and Thy good pleasure. Amen.
O
most holy Mary, do thou present this offering of mine to the Most Blessed
Trinity with thine own hands ; and do thou obtain their acceptance of it,
and that they may grant me the grace to be faithful unto death. Amen, amen,
amen.
An Act of Petition
O
my soul, what art thou doing ? The present is no time to be lost : it
is a precious time, in which thou canst receive all the graces that thou
askest. Seest thou not the Eternal Father, who is lovingly beholding
thee ? for within thee he sees his beloved Son, the dearest object of his
love. Drive, then, far from thee all other thoughts ; rekindle thy faith,
enlarge thy heart, and ask for whatever thou willest.
Hearest
thou not Jesus himself who thus addresses thee : What wilt thou that I should do to thee?[40]
O soul, tell me, what dost thou desire of me ? I am come for the express
purpose of enriching and gratifying thee ; ask with confidence, and thou
wilt receive all.
Ah !
my most sweet Saviour, since Thou hast come into my heart in order to grant me
graces, and desirest that I should ask Thee for them, I ask Thee not for the
goods of the earth – riches, honors, or pleasures ; but grant me, I
beseech Thee, intense sorrow for the displeasure that I have caused Thee ;
impart to me so clear a light, that I may know the vanity of this world, and
how deserving Thou art of love. Change this heart of mine, detach it from all
earthly affections ; give me a heart conformable in all things to Thy holy
will, that it may seek only that which is more pleasing to Thee, and have no other
desire than Thy holy love: Create a clean
heart in me, O God.[41]
I
deserve not this ; but Thou, my Jesus, deservest it, since Thou art come
to dwell in my soul : I ask it of Thee through Thy merits, and those of
Thy most holy Mother, and by the love which Thou bearest to Thy Eternal Father.
Eternal
Father, Jesus Christ himself, Thy Son, has said, Amen, amen, I say to you, If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He
will give it to you.[42]
For the love, then, of this Son, whom I now hold within my breast, do Thou
graciously hear me and grant my petition.
Amores mei dulcissimi, Jesu
et Maria ! pro vobis patiar, pro vobis moriar ; sim totus vester, sim
nihil meus.[43]
“My most sweet Loves, Jesus and Mary, may I suffer for you, may I die for
you ; may I be all yours, and in nothing my own !”
Loving Aspirations to Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament
After Holy Communion
I.
Trahe me : post te
curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum[44] – “Draw me : we will
run after Thee to the odor of Thy ointments.”
Since,
then, O my dear Jesus, I cannot, while in this life, ascend to Thee, Thou hast
willed to descend to me, to unite Thyself to me in this sacrament of love. Draw
me, my Lord, all to Thee. I do not wish to draw Thee to me, that Thou shouldst
do my pleasure ; but I desire that Thou shouldst draw me so entirely to
Thee by Thy sweet attractions, that I may not be able to desire or to do
anything else but Thy most holy will. It is just that my inclinations should
yield to Thy disposition. Take me up wholly to Thyself ; and so united, I
shall be free from earthly affections, and shall run with Thee in the path of
virtue, and be able to repose peacefully in Thy divine will both in this life
and in the next : In peace, in the
self-same I will sleep, and I will rest.[45]
II.
Introduxit me in cellam
vinariam, ordinavit in me charitatem[46] – “The King brought me into
the cellar of wine, and set in order charity in me.”
It
is precisely by this cellar of wine that St. Bonaventure understands the Holy
Communion which introduces and then unites the soul to its divine king, and
gives it to taste that wine of love which destroys the desire of created
things ; infuses a well-regulated love, that is just towards itself,
charitable towards its neighbor, supreme towards God, loving him above all
things, who above all things deserves to be loved.
O
Jesus, my king, only Lord of my heart, Thou hast already brought me into the
beautiful cellar of Thy love, that is, into Thyself, uniting me to Thee by
means of this sacrament of love. Yes, my Lord, I already feel my heart changed.
I feel a holy desire, which gives me peace, and makes me loathe all impure
affections, and enkindles in me the pure love of Thee. O my Jesus, since Thou
hast given me an entrance to this beautiful cellar, let me no more depart from
it. Since Thou hast united Thyself to me, do not leave me again. Detach me from
the love of all creatures. Unite me to Thee continually more and more on this
earth, that I may one day come to be perfectly united to Thee in heaven ;
where I shall love Thee face to face with all my strength, without interruption
and without imperfection throughout all eternity.
III.
Dilectus meus descendit ad
hortum suum, ...ut pascatur in hortis, et lilia colligat[47] – “My Beloved is gone down
into His garden ... to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.”
My
sweet Saviour, since Thou dost descend from heaven to come into my soul, by Thy
grace do Thou make it become Thy garden, that Thou mayest gather in it lilies
and fruits which are agreeable to Thee. Pardon me, if I have offended Thee.
Receive me, if I have left Thee, now that I return penitent to Thee. Give me
that purity which Thou dost desire to see in me. Give me strength to do what
Thou desirest. Grant me Thy true love, and then shall I become pleasing to
Thee. I sacrifice to Thee all my inclinations, and I desire and wish for
nothing but to please Thee.
IV.
Totus desiderabilis, talis
est Dilectus meus[48] – “He is all lovely ;
such is my Beloved.”
Jesus,
to those souls who love him as spouses, makes himself altogether desirable,
whether he chastises or consoles them, whether he appears near or distant,
because he does it all for love, and that he may be loved.
Treat
me then, O my Jesus, as Thou wilt, I will always love Thee ; whether Thou
dost give me sweetnesses or tribulations, I know that all will come to me from
Thy loving heart, and that all will be for my greater good. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.[49]
Behold, my will is ready, O Lord, to accept all that Thou shalt ordain. I will
bless the Lord at all times.[50]
At all times, whether prosperous or adverse, I will bless Thee, and love Thee,
O my Creator. I neither seek nor merit any consolation from Thee ; for I
have given Thee nothing but bitterness by my sins: I seel only Thy good
pleasure. Provided Thou art satisfied, I shall be content with any punishment.
My Jesus, my Jesus, whether far off or near, Thou shalt always be desirable to
me, always dear ; whether Thou dost console or afflict me, I will always
love Thee, always thank Thee.
V.
Quae est ista quae ascendit
de deserto, deliciis affluens, innixa super Dilectum suum ?[51]
-- “Who is this that cometh up from the desert flowing with delights, leaning
upon her Beloved ?”
Who,
then, are those souls who, living on the earth, esteem it a desert ? so
that, detached from visible things, they live only to God ; as if there
was no one else but God, whom alone they love and desire to please. And in this
way they almost go out of the world, and raise themselves above it ;
enjoying the delights which are experienced by those who wish for God alone,
and who place in God all their hopes. Who, then, are these faithful souls, if
not those who often and with pure love unite themselves to Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament ?
Yes,
my God, such do I also desire to be by the means of Thy grace, detached from
all things, and to be all Thine. Henceforth the world shall be to me a desert,
where, flying from all attachment to creatures, I will think of nothing but
Thee ; as if Thou and I were the only persons there. In Thee alone will I
put all my confidence, all my love, O God, O beloved God, my hope, my love, my
all.
VI.
If she be a wall, let us
build upon it bulwarks of silver ; if she be a door, let us join it
together with boards of cedar.[52]
This
is precisely what Jesus does when he comes to a soul in the Holy Communion. He
sees that she is a wall too weak to be able to resist the assaults of
hell ; therefore, by the virtue of the sacrament, he fortifies her with
bulwarks of silver, that is, with his divine light. He sees that she is a door
inclined easily to be corrupted, and he renews it, adjusting her with the
planks of strength and perseverance, as is signified by cedar, which is a
strong and incorruptible wood ; that is, with the gifts of holy fear, with
detachment from creatures, with the love of prayer, with supplications, with
holy desires, and still more with the gift of divine love, which are the
support of holy perseverance: Bread
strengthens man’s heart.[53]
Jesus teaches us, that as earthly bread preserves the life of the body, so the
heavenly bread of the Holy Communion preserves the life of the soul : He that eatheth Me, the same shall live by
Me.[54]
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my
blood abideth in Me and I in him.[55]
Such are the gracious promises which Jesus makes to him who receives him in the
Blessed Sacrament.
Ah,
my Jesus ! who is weaker and more unfaithful than I ? Thou knowest
well how many times I have yielded to my enemies, and how many times they have
seized the gate, that is, my will, by which they have entered to ruin me by
causing me to lose Thy friendship. Oh, fortify me with Thy light and strength,
that I may no more lose Thee or drive Thee from me ! My Lord and my dear
Redeemer, if I am to turn back and offend Thee again, oh, let me die now, while
I hope that I am in Thy grace and united to Thee ! I trust not
myself ; no, nor will I ever, my dear Jesus, live without Thee. But as
long as I live, I am in danger of changing my will and betraying Thee, as I
have done before: do Thou help me. Help me also, most holy Mary ; have
pity on me : thou who art the Mother of perseverance, obtain for me this
gift from thy Jesus. Of thee I seek it, of thee I hope it, of thee I ask it.
VII.
Inveni, quem diligit anima
mea ; tenui eum, nec dimittam![56]
“I found Him whom my soul loveth : I held Him, and I will not let Him go.”
So
ought every soul to say who is united with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament:
Creatures, depart from me ; go out altogether from my heart. I loved you
once, because I was blind ; now I love you not, nor can I ever love you
again. I have found another good, infinitely more delightful than you ; I
have found in myself my Jesus, who has enamoured me by his beauty ; to
this love I have given myself entirely. He has already accepted me, so that I
am no longer my own. Creatures, farewell: I am not, nor shall I ever again be
yours ; but I am and shall be always Christ’s. He, too, is mine, and will
always be mine: I held Him, and I will
not let Him go.[57]
Now I have pressed him to my heart, receiving him in the Holy Communion ;
for the future I will hold him with my love, and will not let him leave me
anymore.
Permit
me, sweet Saviour, to embrace Thee so closely, that I may never more be
separated from Thee. Behold, I press Thee to myself, my Jesus ; I love
Thee, I love Thee ; and, oh, that I could love Thee worthily. I wish that
my only happiness and repose should be to love Thee and please Thee. Do Thou
command all creatures to leave me, and not to disturb me ; say to them, I adjure you, do not arouse or waken My love.[58]
Ah, if I do not wish it, creatures cannot enter in to disturb and divide me
from Thee. Strengthen, then, my will, unite my miserable heart to Thy divine
heart, that it may always will what Thou wilt. Do this, Lord, by Thy merits.
Amen, amen. So do I hope ; so may it be.
VIII.
Surge, aquilo, et veni,
auster ; perfla hortum meum, et fluant aromata illius[59] – “Arise, O north wind, and
come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices
thereof flow.”
Fly
from me, O north wind ! hurtful and cold wind of earthly affections ;
and come, thou soft, warm breeze of the sacred love of the Holy Spirit, which
comes from the Heart of my Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Do thou alone
breathe through my soul, which has been chosen by Jesus for his garden of
delights. Blow ; for by thy breath how many fresh and sweet odors of holy
virtues shalt thou draw forth from me ! My Jesus, my Jesus, Thou canst do
this ; and this do I hope from Thee.
IX.
Messui myrrham meam cum
aromatibus meis, comedi favum cum melle meo[60] – “I have gathered my
myrrh, with my aromatical spices: I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey.”
A
soul which has received Jesus must be careful to gather myrrh, that it may
always offer the sweet odor of those virtues which arise from mortification. I
have eaten honeycomb with my honey. In like manner, the soul that loves God
alone is not satisfied with the honey, but will also have the honeycomb ;
therefore it says to Jesus: O Lord, Thy consolations are not sufficient for me,
unless Thou givest me Thyself, who art the fountain of consolation ; the
fruits of love are not enough for me, if Thou dost not give me also Thyself,
who art the object of my love. Truly Thou alone wilt suffice for me ; I am
ready to renounce all Thy delights, provided I possess Thee alone, my God, and
my only good. I love Thee, not to please myself, but to please Thee ; for
Thou dost desire to be loved by me, and Thou art worthy of all our love,
whether Thou dost console or try us.
X.
Nihil mihi deerit ; in
loco pascuae ibi me collocavit[61] – “He hath sent me in a
place of pasture, and I shall want nothing.”
Ah,
my beloved Jesus ! since Thou dost invite me in this feast of love to feed
on Thy divine flesh, what more can I ever want? The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?[62]
Whom shall I fear, if Thou, O God omnipotent, art my light and my
salvation ? I give myself all to Thee. Accept me, and then do with me what
Thou wilt ; chastise me, show Thine indignation towards me when Thou
wilt ; kill me, destroy me, and I will say always, with Job: Although He should kill me, I will trust in
Him.[63] Whilst I am
Thine, and Thou lovest me, I am content to be treated by Thee with every
hardship ; to be even annihilated, if it so pleases Thee.
XI.
In manibus meis descripsi
te ; muri tui coram oculis meis semper[64] –
“I have graven thee in My hands ; thy walls are always before my eyes.”
See
the loving care that God takes of a soul that he wishes to have to himself. He
carries it written in his hands, so that he may never forget it, and says, that
sooner would a mother forget her own son that he a soul in grace: And if she should forget, yet will I not
forget thee.[65] And thy
walls are always before My eyes. His eyes are always open, to watch over that
soul, so that its enemies do it no harm : Thou hast crowned us, as with a shield of Thy good-will.[66]
Our good God surrounds us with the protection of his good-will, wholly
solicitous for our good ; and so he delivers us from all dangers. Ah, my
God ! infinite goodness, who more than any other lovest me and desirest my
good, I abandon myself entirely to Thee. Should every other hope fail me, Thou
wilt never fail me. I know that I also must cooperate by obeying Thy holy will.
Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?[67]
Nothing else can I say ; behold me ready and determined, my sweet Saviour,
to do what Thou pleasest: Thy will be
done.[68] Nothing
else do I desire but to accomplish Thy will. But do Thou help me, otherwise I
shall do no good at all. Teach me not only to know, but also to do, all that
pleases Thee: teach me to do Thy will.[69]
Eternal Father, grant that I may be able to say with truth, as Thy Jesus did
wilst he was on earth : I always do
the things that are pleasing to Him.[70]
My God ! this I desire, this I pray for, and this I hope, through the
merits of Thy Son and the most holy Mary.
XII.
Praebe, fili mi, cor tuum
mihi[71] –
“My son, give Me thy heart.”
O
my soul, behold this is all that thy Lord asks of thee ; when he comes to
visit thee, he would have thy heart and thy will. He gives himself to thee
without reserve ; it is but reasonable that thou shouldst also give him
all thyself without reserve, taking care to follow his will in all things: For the Lord will return to rejoice over
thee in all good things.[72]
Act in such a manner as that Jesus, when he comes to thee again, may find that
thou hast executed all his designs. My Jesus ! I wish to please
Thee ; help Thou my desire. Give me strength, and do with me whatsoever
Thou pleasest.
XIII.
Quid est quod debut ultra
facere vineae meae, et non feci ei?[73]
-- “What is there that I ought to do to my vineyard, that I have not done to it ?”
My
soul, hear what thy God says to thee: What ought I to do more for thee than I
have done? For love of thee I became man: I
am the Word made flesh.[74]
Instead of Lord, I have become servant: taking
the form of a servant.[75]
I went so far as to be born in a stable, like a worm – for worms are born in
stables : I am a worm, and no man.[76]
I died for thee, I died upon the tree of shame : I was made obedient to death, even the death of the Cross.[77]
What remained more for me to do, but to give my life for thee ? Greater
love than this no man hath, that he should lay down his life for his friends.[78]
But my love has invented and done more for thee. After my death, I have chosen
to leave myself in the Most Blessed Sacrament, to give my whole self as food.
Tell me what more could I have done to gain thy love?
It
is true, my Lord and my Redeemer ; what can I answer? I have nothing to
say. Thou hast been too good to me, and I have been too ungrateful towards
Thee. I wonder at Thy immense goodness ; I see my own baseness, and I
throw myself at Thy feet, and say: Have pity on me, my Jesus, though I have
repaid Thy love with so much ingratitude. Avenge Thyself, therefore, I pray
Thee, avenge Thyself upon me, and chastise me ; but do not abandon
me ; chastise me and change me. Let me not live any longer ungrateful to
Thee. Grant that I may love Thee at least out of gratitude, and that before I
die I may make Thee some recompense for Thy love.
XIV.
Pone me ut signaculum super
cor tuum[79] – “Put Me as a seal upon
thy heart.”
Yet,
my beloved Jesus, since I have consecrated to Thee my whole heart, it is but
just that I should put Thee as a seal of love upon it, to close the entrance
against any other affection ; and thus to make known to all that my heart
is Thine, and that Thou alone possessest dominion over it. But, my Lord, what
dost Thou hope from me, if Thou dost not do the work Thyself ? I can do
nothing but give Thee my poor heart, that Thou mayest dispose of me according
to Thy pleasure. Behold, I give it all to Thee, I consecrate it to Thee, I
sacrifice it to Thee. Do Thou possess it forever ; I will no longer have
any part in it. If Thou lovest it, mayest Thou be able to preserve it for
Thyself. Leave it no longer in my hands, lest I should again take it from Thee.
O God most gracious, O infinite love, since Thou hast so constrained me to love
Thee, I pray Thee, make Thyself loved, make Thyself loved by me. I only wish to
love Thee in order to please Thee. Thou who dost work miracles to be able to
enter into my heart in this sacrament, work also this one, make my heart all
Thine ; but all, all, all, without division, without reserve, so that I
may say, both in this life and in eternity, that Thou art the only Lord of my
heart, and my only treasure: God is the
God of my heart, and my portion forever.[80]
Most
holy Mary, my Mother and my hope, do thou help me, and I shall certainly be
heard. Amen, amen. This I wish, this I hope. So be it.
Adoro Te Devote
Hidden
God, devoutly I adore you,
Truly
present underneath these veils:
All
my heart subdues itself before you,
Since
it all before you faints and fails.
Not
to sight, or taste, or touch be credit,
Hearing
only do we trust secure;
I
believe, for God the Son has said it –
Word
of Truth that ever shall endure.
On
the cross was veiled your Godhead’s splendor,
Here
your manhood lies hidden too;
Unto
both alike my faith I render,
And,
as sued the contrite thief, I sue.
Though
I look not on your wounds with Thomas,
You,
my Lord, and you, my God, I call:
Make
me more and more believe your promise,
Hope
in you, and love you over all.
O
memorial of my Saviour dying
Living
Bread, that gives life to man;
Make
my soul, its life from you supplying,
Taste
your sweetness, as on earth it can.
Deign,
O Jesus, Pelican of heaven,
Me,
a sinner, in your Blood to lave,
To
a single drop of which is given
All
the world from all its sin to save.
Contemplating,
Lord, your hidden presence,
Grant
me what I thirst for and implore,
In
the revelation of your essence
To
behold your glory evermore.
Prayer of Self-Dedication to
Jesus Christ
Lord
Jesus Christ, take all my freedom, my memory, my understanding, and my will.
All that I have and cherish you have given me. I surrender it all to be guided
by your will. Your grace and your love are wealth enough for me. Give me these,
Lord Jesus, and I ask for nothing more.
Prayer to Jesus Christ
Crucified
My
good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you, asking you most earnestly to engrave
upon my heart a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance
for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. As I reflect upon your five
wounds, and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief, I recall, good
Jesus, the words the prophet David spoke long ago concerning yourself: they
have pierced my hands and my feet, they have counted all my bones!
Anima Christi
Soul
of Christ, sanctify me.
Body
of Christ, heal me.
Blood
of Christ, drench me.
Water
from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion
of Christ, strengthen me.
Good
Jesus, hear me.
In
your wounds shelter me.
From
turning away keep me.
From
the evil one protect me.
At
the hour of my death call me.
Into
your presence lead me,
to
praise you with all your saints
for
ever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer to the Virgin Mary
Mary,
holy virgin mother, I have received your Son, Jesus Christ. With love you
became his mother, gave birth to him, nursed him, and helped him grow to
manhood. With love I return him to you, to hold once more, to love with all
your heart, and to offer to the Holy Trinity as our supreme act of worship for
your honor and for the good of all your pilgrim brothers and sisters. Mother,
ask God to forgive my sins and to help me serve him more faithfully. Keep me
true to Christ until death, and let me come to praise him with you for ever and
ever. Amen.
A Prayer to St. Joseph
St.
Joseph, father and guardian of virgin, to whose faithful keeping Christ Jesus,
innocence itself, and Mary, the virgin of virgins, were entrusted, I pray and
beseech you by that twofold and most precious charge, by Jesus and Mary, to
save me from all uncleanness, to keep my mind untainted, my heart pure, and my
body chaste ; and to help me always to serve Jesus and Mary in perfect
chastity. Amen.
Prayer to St. Michael the
Archangel
St.
Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle ; be our defense against the
wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
you, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God thrust into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
Litany of Humility
(composed by Cardinal Merry del Val)
O
Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me
From
the desire of being esteemed, deliver me
Jesus
From
the desire of being loved, etc.
From
the desire of being extolled,
From
the desire of being honored,
From
the desire of being praised,
From
the desire of being preferred to others,
From
the desire of being consulted,
From
the desire of being approved,
From
the fear of being humiliated,
From
the fear of being despised,
From
the fear of suffering rebukes,
From
the fear of being calumniated,
From
the fear of being forgotten,
From
the fear being ridiculed,
From
the fear of being wronged,
From
the fear of being suspected,
That
others may be loved more than I, Jesus
grant me the grace to desire it
That
others may be esteemed more than I, etc.
That
in the opinion of the world others may increase and I may decrease,
That
others may be chosen and I set aside,
That
others may be praised and I unnoticed,
That
others may be preferred to me in everything,
That
others become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should.
Whom I Have Received
I
welcome the true Body born of the Virgin Mary. The Body that truly suffered and
was sacrificed on the cross for mankind. The Body whose pierced side poured out
true Blood. Be for us a food of future strength for the time of death. Dear
king, holy, sweet Jesus, Son of Mary.
Prayer of Adoration
I
adore You present in me, Incarnate Word, only-begotten Son and splendor of the
Father, born of Mary. I thank You, sole Master and Truth, for Your supreme
condescension in coming to me, ignorant and sinful as I am. With Mary I offer
You to the Father: through You, with You, in You, may there be eternal praise,
thanksgiving and supplication for peace to man. Enlighten my mind ; make
me a docile disciple of the Church ; grant that I may live of faith ;
give me an understanding of the Scriptures. Make me Your ardent apostle. Let
the light of Your Gospel, O Divine Master, shine to the farthest bounds of the
world.
Prayer of Resolution
O
Jesus, You are the Way which I must follow ; the perfect Model which I
must imitate. In presenting myself at the judgment I want to be found similar
to You. O divine Model of humility and obedience, make me similar to You. O
perfect example of mortification and purity, make me similar to You. O Jesus,
poor and patient, make me similar to You. O exemplar of charity and ardent
zeal, make me similar to You.
Prayer of Petition
O
Jesus, my Life, my joy and source of all good, I love You. Above all, I ask of
You that I may love You more and more and the souls redeemed by Your blood. You
are the vine and I am the branch: I want to stay united to You always so as to
bring forth many fruits. You are the source: pour out an ever greater abundance
of grace to sanctify my soul. You are my head, I, Your member: communicate to
me Your Holy Spirit with all His gifts. May Your kingdom come through Mary.
Console and save those dear to me. Free the souls in purgatory. Multiply and
sanctify those called to the apostolate.
Prayer for Purity
Jesus,
Mary, and Joseph, I give and consecrate my entire self to you: mind, heart and
body. Guard and defend me always from every sin. May my mind be uplifted to
heavenly things. May my heart love God ever more. May I avoid every evil
occasion. Keep me near you, so that I may keep a close watch over my internal
and external senses. In heaven may I join the company of the pure forever.
Amen.
Prayer of St. Pius X to
Foster the Practice of Daily Communion
O
most sweet Jesus, who has come into this world to give to all souls the life of
Your grace, and who, to preserve and increase it in them, has willed to be the
daily Remedy of their infirmity and the Food for each day, we humbly beg You –
by Your heart so burning with love for us – to pour Your divine Spirit upon all
souls in order that those who have the misfortune to be in the state of mortal sin may, returning to You, find the
life of grace which they have lost.
And
grant that those who are already living by this divine life may devoutly
approach Your divine table every day when it is possible, so that receiving
each day in Holy Communion the antidote of their daily venial sins, and each
day sustaining in themselves the life of Your grace and thus ever purifying
themselves the more, they may finally come to a happy life with You.
THOMAS A KEMPIS:
Act of Faith
O
Jesus, I believe that I have received Thy Flesh to eat and Thy Blood to drink,
because Thou hast it and Thy word is true.
Act of Adoration
O Jesus, my God, my Creator, I adore Thee, because
from Thy hands I came, and with Thee I am to be happy forever.
Act of Humility
O
Jesus, I am but dust and ashes, and yet Thou hast come to me, and my poor heart
may speak to Thee.
Act of Love
Sweet
Jesus, I love Thee ; I love Thee with all my heart. Thou knowest that I
love Thee, and wish to love Thee daily more and more.
Act of Thanksgiving
My
good Jesus, I thank Thee with all my heart. How good, how kind Thou art to me,
sweet Jesus! Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
Act of Offering
O
Jesus, receive my poor offering ; Jesus, Thou hast given Thyself to me,
and now let me give myself to Thee.
Sweet
Jesus, I am going away for a time, but I trust not without Thee. Thou art with
me by Thy grace. I will never leave Thee by mortal sin. I do not fear to do so,
though I am so weak, because I have so much hope in Thee. Give me the grace to
persevere. Amen.
[1] Matthew 25: 6.
[2] Cant. 2: 8.
[3] Cant. 2: 9.
[4] Cant. 3: 11.
[5] Cant. 1: 12.
[6] Cant. 1: 13.
[7] Cant. 1: 11.
[8] Wisdom 1 :1.
[9] Psalm 118: 43, 39, 52.
[10] Lam. 3: 25.
[11] Psalm 72: 1.
[12] Cant. 5: 2.
[13] Cant. 5: 1.
[14] Isaiah 66: 12.
[15] Ad pop. Ant. Hom. 60.
[16] Cant. 1: 1.
[17] Cant. 5: 1.
[18] Matthew 6: 10.
[19] Cant. 2: 5.
[20] Cant. 5: 10.
[21] Tit. 3: 4.
[22] In Ps. 33: en. 1.
[23] Matthew 26: 26.
[24] John 6: 61.
[25] Deut. 10: 12.
[26] Prov. 8: 17.
[27] Zach. 1: 3.
[28] John 14 : 23.
[29] ST. AUGUSTINE, Confessions, I, ch.29.
[30] Cant. 1: 5.
[31] Cant. 1: 4.
[32] Luke 5: 8.
[33] John 16: 24.
[34] Psalm 1: 12.
[35] John 16: 23.
[36] Luke 5: 8.
[37] Psalm 115: 12.
[38] Psalm 65: 16.
[39] Cant. 2: 16.
[40] Mark 10: 51.
[41] Psalm 50: 12.
[42] John 16: 23.
[43] Alphonsus Rodriguez
[44] Cant. 1: 3.
[45] Psalm 4: 9.
[46] Cant. 2: 4.
[47] Cant. 6: 1.
[48] Cant. 5: 16.
[49] Psalm 56: 8.
[50] Psalm 33: 2.
[51] Cant. 8: 5.
[52] Cant. 8: 9.
[53] Psalm 103: 15.
[54] John 6: 58.
[55] John 6: 57.
[56] Cant. 3: 4.
[57] Ibid.
[58] Cant. 8: 4.
[59] Cant. 4: 16.
[60] Cant. 5: 1.
[61] Psalm 22: 1.
[62] Psalm 26: 1.
[63] Job 13: 15.
[64] Isaiah 49: 16.
[65] Isaiah 49: 15.
[66] Psalm 5: 13.
[67] Acts 12: 6.
[68] Matthew 6: 10.
[69] Psalm 142: 10.
[70] John 8: 29.
[71] Prov. 23: 26.
[72] Deut. 30: 9.
[73] Isaiah 5: 4.
[74] John 1: 14.
[75] Phil. 2: 7.
[76] Psalm 21: 7.
[77] Phil. 2: 8.
[78] John 15: 13.
[79] Cant. 8: 6.
[80] Psalm 72: 26.