Gebet vor der Kommunion
The Unworthy Guest
The petitioner confesses their inherent unworthiness and sinfulness before the majesty of Christ.
Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Son of God, I am not worthy to open my mouth and receive the most holy Sacrament of your Body and Blood, for I am a sinful human being; but you are the Lord whom all the heavens of heavens cannot contain. How then should a human being, who is ashes and dust, be worthy to partake of your most holy Body and your precious Blood?✦✦1 I know full well and confess that my sins are very many, and that for this reason I am an unworthy guest at this heavenly meal.
A Prayer for Sanctifying Grace
The petitioner appeals to Christ's mercy to transform them and grant the faith necessary for a worthy reception of the Sacrament.
And yet I believe from my heart and confess with my mouth that by your grace you can make me, unworthy as I am, worthy; for you are almighty and merciful, and you alone can make pure and holy what comes from unclean seed. You can make sinners into righteous, holy people when, by grace, you forgive all our sin and renew us with your Holy Spirit.✦✦ Therefore I ask you: by your power and love, grant grace that I may come prepared to your table and not, by unworthy reception, make myself guilty of your Body and Blood, so that I do not receive death instead of life.✦2 Give me the grace to know and examine myself as a poor sinner, to have a repentant heart for my wrongdoing, to rightly discern your noble, tender Body and your precious, costly Blood, to always subject my reason, senses, and understanding to your Word, and to resolve seriously to amend my life with your help. May I not only eat your Body and drink your Blood with my mouth in this most holy Sacrament, but also receive you with true faith—my Savior and Redeemer—enclose you in my heart, and so have life and salvation in you; for you are the living bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to humankind.✦✦✦3 Whoever comes to you will never hunger again; whoever believes in you will never thirst again; whoever eats your flesh and drinks your blood remains in you and you in him, and will never die.✦✦
The Thirst of the Soul
The petitioner expresses a deep, spiritual longing for the presence of God, concluding with a final plea for grace.
O sweet Lord, my spirit and my heart long for you. As the deer cries out for fresh water, so my soul cries out to you; my soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when will I come to the place where I look upon the face of God?✦ Fill me with your grace. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Herr Jesu Christe, ewiger Gottes Sohn, ich bin nicht wert, dass ich meinen Mund auftue, und das hochwürdige Sakrament deines Leibes und Blutes empfahe, denn ich bin ein sündiger Mensch, du aber bist der Herr, welchen aller Himmel Himmel nicht können versorgen, wie soll denn der Mensch, der Asche und Staub ist, würdig sein, deinen allerheiligsten Fronleichnam und dein teures Blut zu genießen. Ich weiß fast wohl und bekenne, dass meiner Sünden sehr viel ist, und ich darum ein unwürdiger Gast zu dieser himmlischen Mahlzeit bin. Wiederum aber glaube ich von Herzen und bekenne mit meinem Munde, dass du mich Unwürdigen mit deiner Gnade kannst würdig machen; denn du bist allmächtig und barmherzig, denn du allein vermagst rein und heilig zu machen, was von unreinem Samen herkommt; aus den Sündern kannst du gerechte, heilige Menschen machen, wenn du aus Gnaden alle unsere Sünde erlässest und uns mit deinem Heiligen Geist erneuerst. Derwegen bitte ich dich, durch deine Kraft und Liebe verleihe Gnade, dass ich geschickt zu deinem Tisch gehe und nicht etwa mit unwürdiger Nießung mich schuldig mache an deinem Leib und Blut, auf dass ich nicht für das Leben den Tod empfahe. Gib Gnade, dass ich mich einen armen Sünder erkenne und prüfe, ein reuiges Herz über meine Missetat habe, deinen edlen, zarten Leib und teures, wertes Blut recht unterscheide, meine Vernunft, Sinn und Witz deinem Wort allezeit unterwerfe, auch mein Leben durch deine Hilfe ernstlich zu bessern gedenke, damit ich in diesem hochwürdigen Sakrament nicht allein mit dem Munde deinen Leib esse und dein Blut trinke, sondern auch mit wahrem Glauben dich, meinen Heiland und Erlöser, annehme, in mein Herz schließe und also Leben und Seligkeit in dir habe; denn du bist das lebendige Brot, welches vom Himmel kommt und gibt den Menschen das Leben. Wer zu dir kommt, den wird nimmermehr hungern, wer an dich glaubt, den wird nimmermehr dürsten; wer dein Fleisch isset und dein Blut trinket, der bleibet in dir und du in ihm und wird nimmermehr sterben. O du süßer Herr, nach dir sehnet sich mein Geist und mein Gemüt. Wie der Hirsch schreiet nach frischem Wasser, so schreiet meine Seele zu dir; meine Seele dürstet nach Gott, nach dem lebendigen Gott; wann werde ich dahin kommen, dass ich Gottes Angesicht schaue.
Erfülle mich mit deiner Gnade. Amen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Kgs.8.27;2Chr.6.18 — But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you—how much less this house that I have built! 2Chr.6.18 — But will God indeed dwell with humankind on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you—how much less this house that I have built!
- ↩Gen.18.27 — Then Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have now ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes."
- ↩Rom.10.9-Rom.10.10 — If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Rom.10.10 — For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.
- ↩Job.14.4 — Who can bring what is clean out of what is unclean? Not one.
- ↩1Cor.11.27 — So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
- ↩1Cor.11.28 — But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
- ↩1Cor.11.29 — For the one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
- ↩John.6.51 — I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
- ↩John.6.35 — Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will not hunger, and the one who believes in me will never thirst."
- ↩John.6.54-John.6.56 — The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John.6.55 — For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. John.6.56 — The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
- ↩Ps.42.1-Ps.42.2 — To the choirmaskil. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah. Ps.42.2 — As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, God.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'versorgen' is rendered as 'contain', matching the Solomon prayer echo (heaven of heavens cannot contain God); Early New High German 'versorgen' can also mean house/provide for.
- 2 ↩'Nießung' rendered as 'reception' (sacramental partaking), not ordinary 'enjoyment'.
- 3 ↩Early modern 'Witz' rendered as 'understanding' (intellect), not humorous wit.
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