Non-liturgical, private prayers for the individual People to give
thanks to God after receiving Holy Communion, from their pew.
THE DUTY OF PRAYERS AFTER COMMUNION
St.
John Chrysostom:
“When we have received the precious
Body of Jesus Christ, we should take care not to lose its heavenly flavor by
turning too soon to the cares and business of the world."
The
Real Presents:
The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
our Lord.
“Let
us detain ourselves lovingly with Jesus," she said, "and not waste
the hour that follows Communion.”
“There is no prayer more agreeable
to God, or more profitable to the soul, than that which is made during the
thanksgiving after Communion.”
who is venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church as a
saint, and who is known for his Byzantine hagiography, composed the following
Prayer of Thanksgiving after Communion:
O
Thou who didst gladly give me Thy flesh for nourishment; who art fire to
consume the unworthy: Burn me not, O my Creator, but search out my members.
Quicken my reins and my heart. Let Thy flames devour the thorns of all my
transgressions. Purify my soul. Sanctify my thoughts. Knit firm my bones.
Enlighten my senses. Piece me with Thy fear. Be Thou my continual shield. Watch
over and preserve me from every word and deed that corrupt the soul. Purge me
and wash me clean and adorn me. Order my ways, give me understanding and
enlighten me. Make me the temple of Thy Holy Ghost, and no more the habitation
of sin, that as from fire all evil, every passion, may flee from me, who
through Holy Communion am become a place for Thy dwelling. I bring unto Thee
all the saints to make intercession: The ranks of the heavenly hosts; Thy
forerunner; the wise Apostles; and withal Thy pure and holy Mother. Their
prayers receive, O merciful Christ, and make Thy servant a child of light. For
Thou art our hallowing, Thou only art the brightness of our souls, O gracious
Lord: And we rightly give glory to Thee, our Lord and our God, All the days of
our life. Amen.
I
thank You, O holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, who have deigned, not
through any merits of mine, but out of the condenscension of Your goodness, to
satisfy me a sinner, Your unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of
Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion be not a
condemnation to punishment for me, but a saving plea to forgiveness. May it be
to me the armor of faith and the shield of a good will. May it be the emptying
out of my vices and the extinction of all lustful desires; and increase of
charity and patience, of humility and obedience, and all virtues; a strong
defense against the snares of all my enemies, visible and invisible; the
perfect quieting of all my evil impulses of flesh and spirit, binding me firmly
to You, the one true God; and a happy ending of my life. I pray too that You
will deign to bring me, a sinner, to that ineffable banquet where You with Your
Son and the Holy Spirit, are to your Saints true light, fulfillment of desires,
eternal joy, unalloyed gladness, and perfect bliss. Through the same Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Ignatius of Loyola
favored this prayer:
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from
Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy
saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen
The Canticle of the Three Young men:
This is a traditional canticle that is included in the
prayers
for thanksgiving in the Roman Missal of 1962.
All things the Lord has made, bless
the Lord.
Angels of the Lord! all bless the
Lord.
Sun and moon! bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven! bless the Lord.
Showers and dews! all bless the
Lord.
Winds! all bless the Lord.
Fire and heat! bless the Lord.
Dews and sleet! bless the Lord.
Light and darkness! bless the Lord.
Lightning and clouds! bless the
Lord.
Mountains and hills! bless the
Lord.
Every thing that grows on the
earth! bless the Lord.
Let us praise and exalt him above
all for ever. Amen.
Lord, I believe in you: increase my
faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my
trust.
I love you: let me love you more
and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my
sorrow.
Look
down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before Your face I humbly kneel, and
with burning soul pray and beseech You to fix deep in my heart lively
sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm
purpose of amendment; while I contemplate with great love and tender pity Your
five wounds, pondering over them within me, and calling to mind the words
which, long ago, David the prophet spoke in Your own person concerning You, my
Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My
bones."
Franciscan Prayer of Peace:
Lord,
make me a channel of thy peace;
that
where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that
where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that
where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that
where there is error, I may bring truth;
that
where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that
where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that
where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that
where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord,
grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to
understand, than to be understood;
to love,
than to be loved.
For it
is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by
forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by
dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen.
O
Master Christ God, King of the ages and Creator of all things, I thank Thee for
all the good things which Thou hast bestowed upon me, and for the communion of
Thy most pure and life-creating Mysteries. I pray Thee, therefore, O Good One and Lover of
mankind: Keep me under Thy protection and in the shadow of Thy wings; and grant
me, even until my last breath, to partake worthily and with a pure conscience,
of Thy Holy Things, unto the remission of sins and life eternal. For Thou art
the Bread of life, the Source of holiness, the Giver of good things; and unto Thee do we send up
glory, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayers often used after
communion:
Father
of all, we give you thanks and praise that, when we were still far off, you met
us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love,
gave us grace and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live
his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit
lights give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us
so we and all your children shall be free and the whole earth live to praise
you name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty
and everlasting God, I thank and praise you for feeding me with the life-giving
body and blood of your beloved son Jesus Christ. Send your Holy Spirit that,
having with my mouth received the holy Sacrament, I may by faith obtain and
eternally enjoy your divine grace, the forgiveness of sins, unity with Christ,
and everlasting life; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
In Christ's love, Fr. Robert Pax
