Before Mass
Act of Love
O my God, I love Thee with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my
strength and with no other desire than to be inseparably united to
Thee. It is through Thy Divine Son that this union is about to be
realized within me. In Holy Communion I long to identify myself with
Him, that it will no longer be myself, but Him, who lives in me; and
when I have received Jesus within myself, then I shall love and be
loved by Thee in that same measure, in which I am united to Him.
Hasten then, to give me Thy Divine Son, at the hands of Thy priest,
that through Jesus, I may unite myself forever to Thee, O God the
Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas
Almighty and ever-living God, I draw near to the sacrament of your
only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
I come sick 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.
So I ask you, most generous Lord: graciously heal my infirmity, wash
me clean, illumine my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my
nakedness.
May I receive the Bread of angels, the King of kings, and Lord of
lords, with such reverence and humility, such contrition and
devotion, such purity and faith, and such resolve and determination
as may secure my soul’s salvation. Grant as I may receive not only
the visible sign of the Lord’s Body and Blood, but also all the reality
and the power of the sacrament.
Grant most kind God, that I may receive the Body of your only-
begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which he received from the
Virgin Mary, and may receive it in such a way that I become a loving
part of his Mystical Body and counted among his members.
O most loving Father, grant me your beloved Son.
While on this earthly pilgrimage, I receive him under the veil of this
sacrament; so may I come at last to see him face to face for all
eternity. For he lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.
Come, Dear Jesus
Come, dear Jesus, come and receive me; come and take possession
of my soul and body; of my will, memory, and understanding; of my
thoughts, words, and actions; of every look, step, breath and
motion; in fine, of all that I am and have. Come and deliver me from
all my spiritual enemies. Come, dear Jesus, and unite me strictly to
you. I do now, my dearest Jesus, receive you in the best manner I
can into this my poor heart: do you one day receive me into your
heavenly habitation.
Before Communion
Prayer to your Guardian Angel
O my good angel, it is your Lord, as well as mine, that I am going to
receive; help me to receive Him worthily.
After Mass
O Father of Mercies
O Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, how you have loved
us, and given your only begotten Son, once for our ransom, and daily
for the food of our souls! What can I, a wretched creature, return to
you for this infinite love?
O my God, such is your goodness, you will be contented with the
little that I can give you, though it be your own already; you ask
nothing but my heart, and this I here most willingly offer you. Oh, be
pleased to accept of it, and make it wholly yours forever. I offer your
here my whole being, my body with its senses, and my soul with all
its powers; that as you are at present honored them both by your
presence, so they may both be your temple forever. Oh, sanctify and
consecrate eternally to yourself this mansion, which you have this
day chosen for your abode. I give you my memory, that it may be
forever recollected in you; my understanding, that it may be always
enlightened and directed by your truth; and my will, that it may be
ever conformable to yours, and ever burn with the love of you. Oh,
take me entirely into your hands, with all that I have, and all that I
am; and let nothing henceforward, in life or death, ever separate me
from you. Amen.
Warm my Heart O Lord
I have you here, I hold you within my narrow heart, O immense,
illimitable God! I, poor and weak, possess you, the Creator of heaven
and earth, and of all things visible and invisible … Make it easy for
me to speak to you. In joy or trouble or uncertainty let my first
thought be to consult you.
My heart, dear Lord, is cold and selfish. So was the world when you
entered it. But what a change your coming made! Not all at once,
but steadily, a marvelous transformation came about. You cast fire
upon it, your consuming love for God and man. And the flame
spread and is spreading, and all who are yours are called to feed and
extend it. But to warm other hearts our own must be aglow. Warm
mine, O Lord, by contact with your own!
Remain in the Heart of Jesus
Lord, we have had the happiness of being admitted into the
sanctuary of your Divine Heart; give us grace that we may abide
therein forever; so that we may obtain the happiness which you
have prepared for your elect. O Heart of Jesus, I will not depart till
you have blessed me. Amen.