For Catholics, receiving Holy Communion is a sacred and significant event. Before approaching the altar to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, it is customary to recite prayers of preparation and reverence. These prayers help to focus the mind and heart on the sacramental grace that is about to be received. Here are some of the most common Catholic prayers before Communion:
- The Sign of the Cross
The Sign of the Cross is a simple and powerful prayer that Catholics use to begin any act of worship. It expresses faith in the Holy Trinity and acknowledges the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Before receiving Holy Communion, Catholics may make the Sign of the Cross and say:
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
- The Confiteor
The Confiteor is a prayer of confession and penance that is often recited before receiving Holy Communion. It acknowledges our sins and shortcomings and asks for forgiveness and mercy. The prayer goes as follows:
“I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”
- The Prayer of Humble Access
The Prayer of Humble Access is a beautiful and profound prayer that expresses the desire to receive Christ in the Eucharist with a pure and humble heart. The prayer goes as follows:
“We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table.
But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.”
- The Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas
The Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas is a beautiful and profound prayer that expresses faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It goes as follows:
“O Lord Jesus Christ, who, before ascending into heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish thy work in the souls of thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me,that he may perfect in my soul the work of thy grace and thy love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of thy divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with thee and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease him. Amen.”
