Holy Communion Prayers
Eternal Father, I unite myself with the intentions and affections
of our Lady of Sorrows on Calvary,
and I offer to you the sacrifice that your beloved Son Jesus
made of himself upon the cross,
and now renews upon this holy altar:
To adore you and give you the honour that is due to you,
confessing your supreme dominion over all things,
and the absolute dependence of everything upon you,
who are our sole and our last end.
To thank you for the countless benefits that I have received.
To appease your justice, aroused against us by so many sins,
and to make satisfaction for them.
To implore grace for myself, for [name/s],
for all afflicted and sorrowing,
for poor sinners, for all the world,
and for the holy souls in purgatory.
Amen.
The Divine Praises traditionally follows the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Church when it is prayed by the priest and the worshippers before our Lord (in the Host) is returned to the tabernacle following adoration. It was composed in a slightly shorter form by Luigi Felici, a Jesuit priest, in 1797, as a prayer to make reparation for blasphemy and profane language. You can recite it privately (or in group settings other than during the Benediction) for this purpose as a great way to show God, the Holy Family, and the Angels and Saints your thanksgiving and praise.
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament,
be praised, adored, and loved
with grateful affection, at every moment,
in all the tabernacles of the world,
even to the end of time.
Amen.
Come, O blessed Saviour,
and nourish my soul with heavenly Food,
the Food which contains every sweetness and every delight.
Come, Bread of Angels,
and satisfy the hunger of my soul.
Come, glowing Furnace of Charity
and enkindle in my heart the flame of divine love.
Come, Light of the World,
and enlighten the darkness of my mind.
Come, King of Kings,
and make me obedient to your holy will.
Come, loving Saviour,
and make me meek and humble.
Come, Friend of the Sick,
and heal the infirmities of my body
and the weakness of my soul.
Come, Good Shepherd, my God and my All,
and take me to yourself.
O most holy Mother, Mary Immaculate,
prepare my heart to receive my Saviour.
It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.
O my God
As Thou have given Thyself to me
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
Amen.
I give Thee thanks, O holy Lord,
Father Almighty, Eternal God,
Who nourish me, a sinner,
and Thine unworthy servant,
with the precious Body and Blood of Thy Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
I had no merits, no deserts
which I could put forward in my own behalf.
But let not this holy Communion, I pray Thee,
turn to my judgment and condemnation:
let it rather obtain for me pardon and salvation.
Let it cleanse me from all my vices;
let it destroy all my concupiscenses and evil desires.
Let it increase my charity, my patience,
my humility, my obedience.
Let it defend me from all my enemies,
visible and invisible.
Let it appease all the evil propensities
of my mind and body;
and guide me so straight to Thee,
my true and only God,
that I may look forward to Thee
as the happy goal of all my endeavours.
Thus lead me, I pray Thee,
to that unspeakable festival,
when Thou, and Thy Son, and the Holy Spirit,
will be to me and all the Saints,
the complete fulness,
the end of hope,
the everlasting joy,
and the never-changing happiness:
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,
most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God
be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified
in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
by all the creatures of God,
and by the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ,
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Amen.