Eucharistia.
Confession and Preparation
A prayer of humble confession and a request for grace to approach the altar worthily.
Everything I have done from my childhood until now—whether knowingly or unknowingly, inwardly or outwardly, asleep or awake, in words, deeds, or thoughts, through the fiery darts of the enemy, or through the impure desires of my heart—I have sinned against you. Have mercy on me and forgive me, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Almighty God and most merciful Father, grant me the grace to examine the depths of my heart and my most secret thoughts, so I can see how I stand before you. Lord, I confess all my sins and my unworthiness to present myself at your altar. But you can forgive sin and grant repentance; do both, Gracious Father, and then see that I am clean to come to you. Lord, make me a worthy receiver of what I seek—Christ, and the forgiveness of sin in Christ—and do this for the sake of your mercy and mine. Amen.
The Desire for Holy Communion
A petition for the spiritual benefits of the Body and Blood of Christ, affirming faith in the mystery of the Sacrament.
O Lord, grant me grace to receive the blessed Body and Blood of your Son, my most blessed Savior, into a clean, charitable, and thankful heart, so that it may cleanse me more perfectly from all remnants of sin; that being made clean, it may nourish me in faith, hope, love, and obedience, along with all other fruits of spiritual life and growth in you. In all the future course of my life, may I show myself as an ingrafted member of the Body of your Son, so that I may never be drawn to do anything that dishonors his Name. Grant this, O Lord, I pray, for the sake of his merit and mercy. Amen. O Lord God, hear my prayers. I come to you in steadfast faith. Yet, for the clarity of my faith, Lord, enlighten it; for the strength of my faith, Lord, increase it. And look, I don't dispute the words of your Son, my Savior's blessed institution. I know his words aren't a gross or unnatural conceit; they are spirit and life, and they are supernatural. While the world disputes, I believe. He has promised me that if I come worthily, I shall receive his most precious Body and Blood, along with all the benefits of his Passion. If I can receive it and retain it (Lord, make me able, make me worthy), I know I can no more die eternally than that Body and Blood can die and be shed again. My Savior is willing in this offer of both to me: Lord, so wash and cleanse my soul that I may now and always come prepared by hearty prayers and devotion, and be made worthy by your grace of this infinite blessing—the pledge and earnest of eternal life—in the merits of the same Jesus Christ, who gave his Body and Blood for me. Amen.
Invocation of the Trinity
A series of prayers invoking the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the context of Eucharistic worship.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires are known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of your holy Spirit, so that I may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Heavenly Father, God, who gave your only Son to death for us. Redeemer of the world, God, who washed us clean from our sins by your precious blood. Holy Spirit, Divine Comforter, who visits and strengthens the hearts of your saints with your grace. Holy, supreme, eternal, blessed, and praised Trinity; good Father, loving Son, and kind Spirit: whose work is life, love, grace, and contemplation; whose majesty is beyond words, power incomparable, and goodness beyond measure: You who are the Lord of the living and the dead, I adore You, I call upon You, and with all my heart I bless You now and forever. Amen.
Intercessions for the Church and World
Prayers for the needs of the Church, the conversion of unbelievers, and the remembrance of benefactors.
Lord Jesus, grant the living mercy and grace; grant your guidance and everlasting light; grant your Church truth and peace; grant me, the most miserable of sinners, repentance and forgiveness. Amen. O Lord, I pray that you correct those who have gone astray, convert the unbelievers, strengthen the faith of your Church, destroy heresies, uncover the cunning enemies, and crush the violent and unrepentant, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Merciful Father, may the eternal rewards be granted to my benefactors in heaven for the benefits they have given me on earth. I also pray that, along with those I have prayed for—or am obligated to pray for—and with all the people of God, I may be granted entry into your Kingdom, appear there in righteousness, and be satisfied with glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Prodigal's Return
A deeply personal lament of unworthiness followed by a plea for the Bread of Life.
O Lord, consider my complaint, for I am brought very low. O Lord, how long will you be angry with your servant who prays? O Lord, give me grace and repentance, and you cannot be angry with my prayer. O Lord, I am yours; save me, and don't deliver me into the will of my enemies, especially my spiritual enemies. O Lord, I am your servant—an unprofitable and wasteful servant, yet still your servant. O Lord, set my accounts right before you, and pardon all my mis-spendings and mis-reckonings. O Lord, I am your son—your most unkind, prodigal, runaway son, yet still your son. O Lord, though I haven't kept the love and duty of a son, please don't cast me off—I humbly beg it—from your kindness and compassion as a Father. O Lord, in your grace I return to you; and even though I have eaten with all the unclean swine in the world, in my hungry absence from you, yet now, Lord, as I humbly return to you, give me, I beseech you, the bread of life, the Body and Blood of my Savior into my soul, that I may be satisfied in you, and never again run away from you, even for the sake of Jesus Christ, who gave himself for me. Amen.
Universal Mercy and Compunction
A prayer for the salvation of all humanity and a final, intense confession of personal sin.
Merciful God, Creator of all humanity, who doesn't despise anything you've made and doesn't wish for the death of a sinner, but rather that they turn and live; have mercy on all Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics. Take away from them ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt for your word; and bring them back, merciful Lord, to your flock, so that they may be kept among the remnants of true Israel, that there may be one flock and one Shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns, etc. Amen. Like a defendant before your awesome tribunal, where there is no favoritism, I stand guilty today, prostrated before your holy altar, overwhelmed by my own conscience, and I bring forth my wicked and shameful thoughts and actions. Lord, look upon my humility and forgive all my sins, which have multiplied beyond the hairs of my head. What evil is there that I haven't marked in my soul? Indeed, I have committed many wicked acts. For I am guilty, O Lord, of envy, gluttony, and so on. All my senses and all my members have been defiled. But the multitude of your bowels is incomparable, and your ineffable mercy of goodness tolerates my sins. Therefore, O King, beyond all admiration, O Lord, marvel at your mercies in me, a sinner: show the power of your goodness and the most compassionate inclination of your virtue, and receive me, a prodigal returning, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reception and Thanksgiving
Reflections on the mystery of reception and a final prayer for the sanctification of the gifts.
O Lord God, how I receive the Body and Blood of my most blessed Saviour Jesus Christ, the price of my redemption, is the very wonder of my soul, yet my most firm and constant belief rests upon the words of my Saviour. At this time, they are graciously offered to me and my faith: Lord, make me a worthy receiver, and let it be to me as you have said. Amen. Lord, I have received this Sacrament of the Body and Blood of my dear Savior. His mercy has given it, and my faith has received it into my soul. I humbly beseech you to speak mercy and peace to my conscience, and enrich me with all those graces that come from that precious Body and Blood, even until I possess eternal life in Christ. Amen. O you who sit at the right hand of the Father and are invisibly present with us here, come and sanctify these gifts by your presence; also for those for whom they are offered, and for those through whom they are offered, and for all the reasons for which they are presented. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Quaecunque ab Infantia usque ad momentum hoc, sciens vel ignorans, intus vel extra, dormiens vel vigilans, verbis, factis vel cogitationibus, per jacula Inimici ignita, per desideria cordis immunda peccavi tibi, miserere mei, & dimitte mihi, per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Almighty God and most merciful Father, give me I beseech thee that grace, that I may duely examine the inmost of my heart, and my most secret thoughts, how I stand before thee. Lord, I confess all my sins, and my unworthiness to present my self at thine Altar. But thou canst forgive sin and give repentance; do both, Gracious Father, and then behold I am clean to come unto thee. Lord, make me a worthy receiver of that for which I come, Christ, and remission of sin in Christ: And that for his own mercy sake and thine. Amen.
O Lord, into a clean, charitable, and thankful heart, give me grace to receive the blessed Body and Blood of thy Son, my most blessed Saviour, that it may more perfectly cleanse me from all dregs of sin; that being made clean, it may nourish me in faith, hope, charity, and obedience, with all other fruits of spiritual life and growth in thee: that in all the future course of my life, I may shew my self such an ingrafted member into the Body of thy Son, that I may never be drawn to do any thing that may dishonour his Name. Grant this O Lord, I beseech thee, even for his merit and mercy sake. Amen.
O Lord God, hear my prayers, I come to thee in a stedfast faith: yet for the clearness of my faith, Lord, enlighten it; for the strength of my faith, Lord, encrease it. And, behold, I quarrel not the words of thy Son my Saviour's blessed Institution. I know his words are no gross unnatural conceit, but they are spirit and life, and supernatural. While the world disputes, I believe. He hath promised me if I come worthily, that I shall receive his most precious Body and Blood, with all the benefits of his Passion. If I can receive it and retain it, (Lord, make me able, make me worthy) I know I can no more die eternally, then that Body and Blood can die and be shed again. My Saviour is willing in this tender of them both unto me: Lord, so wash and cleanse my soul, that I may now and at all times else come prepared by hearty prayers & devotion, and be made worthy by thy grace of this infinite blessing, the Pledge and Earnest of eternal life, in the merits of the same Iesus Christ, who gave his Body and Blood for me. Amen.
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, & from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of thy holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnifie thy Name, through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pater de coelis Deus, qui unigenitum tuum pro nobis ad mortem tradidisti.
Fili Redemptor mundi Deus, qui sanguine tuo pretioso nos a peccatis abluisti.
Spiritus Sancte Paraclete Deus, qui corda sanctorum tua gratia visitas & confirmas.
Sacra, summa, sempiterna, beata, benedicta Trinitas; Pater bone, Fili pie, Spiritus benigne: cujus opus vita, amor gratia, contemplatio gloria: cujus majestas ineffabilis, potestas incomparabilis, bonitas inaestimabilis: Qui vivorum Dominus es simul & mortuorum: Te adoro, te invoco, & toto cordis affectu nunc & in seculum benedico. Amen.
O Domine Jesu, da vivis misericordiam & gratiam: da tuis regimen & lucem perpetuam: da Ecclesiae tuae veritatem & pacem; da mihi miserrimo peccatorum poenitentiam & veniam. Amen.
O Domine, errantes oro corrige, incredulos converte, Ecclesiae fidem auge, Haereses destrue, Hostes versutos detege, violentos & impoenitentes contere, per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Misericors Pater, pro beneficiis quae mihi largiti sunt in terris Benefactores mei, praemia aeterna consequantur in coelis. Oro etiam ut cum his pro quibus oravi, aut pro quibus orare teneor, & cum omni populo Dei, introduci mihi detur in Regnum tuum, & ibi apparere in justitia, & satiari gloria, per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
O Lord, consider my complaint, for I am brought very low. O Lord, how long wilt thou be angry with thy servant that prayeth? O Lord give me grace and repentance, and thou canst not be angry with my prayer. O Lord, I am thine save me, and deliver me not into the will of mine enemies, especially my ghostly enemies. O Lord, I am thy servant, thy unprofitable wastful servant, yet thy servant. O Lord, set my accounts right before thee, and pardon all my mis-spendings & mis-reckonings. O Lord, I am thy son, thy most unkind, prodigal, run-away son, yet thy son. O Lord, though I have not retained the love and duty of a son, yet do not thou cast off (I humbly beg it) the kindness and compassion of a Father.
O Lord, in thy grace I return to thee; And though I have eaten draugh with all the unclean swine in the world, in my hungry absence from thee, yet now, Lord, upon my humble return to thee, give me, I beseech thee, the bread of life, the Body and Blood of my Saviour into my soul, that I may be satisfied in thee, and never more run away from thee, even for Iesus Christ his sake, that gave himself for me. Amen.
Misericors Deus, Creator omnium hominum, qui nihil odisti eorum quae condidisti, nec vis mortem peccatoris, sed magis ut convertatur & vivat; Miserere omnium Iudaeorum, Turcarum, Infidelium, & Haereticorum. Aufer ab iis ignorantiam, duritiem cordis, & contemptum verbi tui: & reduc eos, misericors Domine, ad Gregem tuum, ut serventur inter reliquias veri Israelis, ut fiat unum Ovile, & unus Pastor, Jesus Christus Dominus noster, qui vivit & regnat, &c. Amen.
Tanquam pro Tribunali tuo tremendo (ubi nullus erit personarum respectus) reum memet peragens, ita hodie antequam praeveniat me dies judicii mei coram sancto tuo Altari prostratus, coram te & stupendis Angelis tuis a propria conscientia dejectus, profero improbas & nefarias cogitationes & actiones meas. Respice, oro Domine, humilitatem meam, & remitte omnia peccata mea, quae multiplicata sunt super capillos capitis mei. Quodnam enim est malum quod non designavi in anima mea: quin & multa & nefanda opere perpetravi. Reus enim sum, ô Domine, invidiae, gulae, &c. Omnes sensus meos, omnia membra mea pollui. Sed incomparabilis est multitudo viscerum tuorum, & ineffabilis misericordia bonitatis tuae, qua peccata mea toleras. Quare, ô Rex omni admiratione major, O Domine longanimis misericordias tuas mirificato in me peccatore: potentiam benignitatis tuae manifestato, clementissimae propensionis tuae virtutem exerito: & me Prodigum revertentem suscipito, per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
O Lord God, how I receive the Body and Blood of my most blessed Saviour Iesus Christ, the price of my Redemption, is the very wonder of my soul, yet my most firm and constant belief upon the words of my Saviour. At this time they are graciously tenderd to me and my faith: Lord, make me a worthy receiver, and be it unto me as he hath said. Amen.
Lord, I have received this Sacrament of the Body and Blood of my dear Saviour. His mercy hath given it, and my faith received it into my soul. I humbly beseech thee speak mercy and peace unto my Conscience, and enrich me with all those graces which come from that precious Body and Blood, even till I be possessed of Eternal life in Christ. Amen.
O qui sursum Patri assides & hic nobiscum invisibiliter versaris, venito & sanctificato praesentia haec dona; eos item pro quibus, & eos per quos, & ea propter quae offeruntur. Amen.
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