Devout Prayers,
Or Fervent Aspirations
After Communion.
I return thee most hearty thanks, O amiable Jesus, for the inestimable blessing I now enjoy. I praise and glorify thee with my whole soul, for the numberless favours I have received from thy bounty. I adore thee now reposing within my breast. O my God and my all! a thousand times welcome. May thy holy name be for ever blessed! O Sovereign Lord of Heaven! how amazing is the excess of thy goodness, in condescending to visit so poor, so vile, so abject a creature as I am! Thou hast vouchsafed to heap thy favours on dust and ashes; to come into this poor cottage, this house of clay, my earthly habitation; and to feed my soul with the heavenly banquet of thy most precious body and blood. O teach me to entertain thee as I ought, and to make thee some suitable return for this thy infinite love. I would gladly make thee some offering in acknowledgment of the rich present thou hast made me, in giving thyself to me; but, alas! dear Lord, thou knowest my poverty, and that I have nothing worthy of thy acceptance; nothing but what, on a thousand titles, is already thine. But, O my bountiful Saviour, such is thy goodness, that thou wilt be contented with the little I can give thee, although it be thine already. Thou askest nothing but my heart, and this I most willingly offer thee. O be pleased to accept it, and make it wholly thine for ever. Take full possession thereof; I offer it to thee without reserve. I desire to consecrate it entirely to thy service. Disengage it therefore, from this moment, from the slavery of its passions and vices. Stifle in it every desire but that of loving and pleasing thee. Inflame it with the fire of divine charity, that it may ever burn with thy love. O may the sweet flames thereof consume my soul, that so I may die to the world for the love of thee, who hast vouchsafed to expire on the cross for the love of me. I cast myself entirely into the arms of thy mercy, and offer thee my whole being; my body with all its senses, and my soul with all its powers; that as thou hast honoured them both by thy real presence, so they may both be thy temple for ever. O sanctify and consecrate eternally to thyself this mansion, which thou hast, by a wonderful condescension, chosen this day for thine abode; and grant that, like Zacchæus, I may obtain thy benediction. I offer thee my memory, that it may be ever recollected in thee; my understanding, that it may be always directed and enlightened by thy truth; and my will, that it may be ever conformable to thine. O take me entirely into thy hands, with all that I have, and all that I am; and let nothing henceforward, either in life or death, ever separate me from thee any more. Make me according to thy own heart; and let my soul be thy habitation for ever. Draw me most powerfully after thee, and guide my steps, that I may cheerfully run into the paths of virtue, and walk in the way of thy precepts. Make me diligent in the duties of my calling and state of life, and teach me to do thy will in all things. Let thy blessing be upon all my actions, and thy grace direct my intentions, that the whole course of my life, and the principal design of my heart, may ever tend to the advancement of thy glory, the good of my neighbour, and the eternal salvation of my soul. Amen.
O my soul, bless the Lord; and let all that is within thee praise and magnify his holy name. Pay him the best homage thou art able, and invite heaven and earth to join with thee in glorifying him for ever. O my God! that I could now give thee as much praise, honour, and glory, as the blessed spirits incessantly give thee in heaven! O that I could adore thee with the spirit and affection of thine elect! But as I am unable to do this, accept at least this my desire and good will. O ye angels and saints, bless my God for me; thank my Lord for me; love my Jesus for me; and sing forth his praises in supply of my defects. O beauty ever ancient and always new! too late have I known thee; too late have I loved thee. When shall I live only in thee, by thee, and for thee alone. O my God, and my all, when shall I see the day, when shall the happy time arrive, that, disgusted with the false happiness of this deceitful world, I shall seek comfort from thee alone, and find rest to my soul? O heavenly manna! O adorable sacrament! O inestimable pledge of God's love to mankind! O standing memorial of Christ's passion and death! O inexhaustible fountain of divine grace! O boundless mercy! O divine charity! O sacred fire, ever burning and never decaying! Hail, O loving Jesus, my only pleasure and delight, the joy of my soul, and my portion for ever. Let my soul be sensible of the sweetness of thy presence. Let me taste how sweet thou art, O Lord. Purify my heart from the dross of all earthly affections. Deliver me from my vicious customs. Remove me from all baneful effects of concupiscence. Perfect me in charity, patience, humility, obedience, and all other virtues. May I rather die than ever more offend thee by mortal sin! O may I prove my gratitude by my fidelity to so good a God! Abolish the reign of sin, and establish the kingdom of grace in all hearts. Let the light of thy countenance so shine upon all those who are in the darkness of infidelity, as to dispel their errors. Grant peace and union to all Christian princes, and preserve us from the dreadful scourges of war, famine, and pestilence. Convert all sinners; reconcile those who are at variance. Have mercy on my parents, friends, and benefactors. Have mercy on all my enemies; forgive them their sins, and fill both their hearts and mine with thy charity. Reform all abuses, and remove all scandals from thy church. Comfort all that are under any affliction, sickness, or violence of pain. Support those who are under temptation; protect those that are in danger; and grant a happy passage to all that are in their last agony. Extend thy mercy likewise to the souls of all the faithful departed, and admit them to the possession of thy eternal glory. Grant relief to us all in our respective necessities, the remission of our sins, the grace of final perseverance, and life everlasting.—Amen.
Another Prayer After Communion;
Or When It Has Been Received By The Sick As A Viaticum.
O my gracious Saviour! what greater happiness or comfort could I expect! O wonderful condescension of my God! O what return shall I make him for his ineffable love! He whom the saints, the angels, and the whole heavenly host adore, hath given himself entirely to me, and now really and substantially dwelleth within me! Without any other inducement but his pure mercy, he hath vouchsafed to visit, comfort, and nourish my poor soul with the divine and heavenly banquet of his precious body and blood, with which he redeemed me on the cross. May honour, praise, and glory be for ever paid thee, O my sweet Redeemer Jesus Christ! O that I could now give thee as much honour and glory as is incessantly given thee by the whole choir of heaven! Accept, O Lord, my heart, as a thanksgiving-offering for all thy favours and blessings. Accept my whole being, for by every claim of right and justice it belongeth entirely to thee.
And thou, O my soul, bless the Lord, and let all that is within thee praise his holy name. O all ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and glorify him for ever. O all ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord; magnify, praise, and glorify his holy name, because I have found the beloved of my soul. Prostrate at his feet, like the penitent Magdalen, I will embrace him in spirit, and clasp him with the arms of inflamed love. And now, as I have actually received him on earth, may I not confidently hope for the perfect possession of him in heaven? I can now fear no evil, because thou, O Lord, art with me, as my powerful guardian and protector! Give me therefore thy blessing, O beloved Jesus! and establish an everlasting peace in my soul. Thou art the God of my heart, my portion and inheritance for ever. Let nothing in the future be my comfort but thou, my Lord Jesus; nor let any thing afflict me hereafter but my sins, and whatever is displeasing to thy divine Majesty. O soul of Christ, sanctify me; body of Christ, save me; blood of Christ, purify me; water issuing from the side of Christ, wash me; passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, graciously hear me, hide me within thy wounds, suffer me never to be separated from thee; call me at the hour of death, and command me to come to thee, that I may associate with the saints and angels, and the whole choir of celestial spirits, to sing forth canticles of praise and glory to thy holy name for ever and ever, world without end. Amen, Amen, Amen, sweet Jesus!