MANY BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN THOSE WHO RECEIVE
COMMUNION WORTHILY
THE DISCIPLE
O LORD my God, favor Your servant with the blessings of Your
sweetness that I may merit to approach Your magnificent Sacrament
worthily and devoutly. Lift up my heart to You and take away from me
this heavy indolence. Visit me with Your saving grace that I may in
spirit taste Your sweetness which lies hidden in this Sacrament like
water in the depths of a spring. Enlighten my eyes to behold this
great Mystery, and give me strength to believe in it with firm faith.
For it is Your work, not the power of man, Your sacred
institution, not his invention. No man is able of himself to
comprehend and understand these things which surpass even the keen
vision of angels. How, then, shall I, an unworthy sinner who am but
dust and ashes, be able to fathom and understand so great a mystery?
O Lord, I come to You at Your command in simplicity of heart,
in good, firm faith, with hope and reverence, and I truly believe that
You are present here in this Sacrament, God and man. It is Your will
that I receive You and unite myself to You in love. Wherefore, I beg
Your mercy and ask that special grace be given me, that I may be
wholly dissolved in You and filled with Your love, no longer to
concern myself with exterior consolations. For this, the highest and
most worthy Sacrament, is the health of soul and body, the cure of
every spiritual weakness. In it my defects are remedied, my passions
restrained, and temptations overcome or allayed. In it greater grace
is infused, growing virtue is nourished, faith confirmed, hope
strengthened, and charity fanned into flame.
You, my God, the protector of my soul, the strength of human
weakness, and the giver of every interior consolation, have given and
still do often give in this Sacrament great gifts to Your loved ones
who communicate devoutly. Moreover, You give them many consolations
amid their numerous troubles and lift them from the depths of
dejection to the hope of Your protection. With new graces You cheer
and lighten them within, so that they who are full of anxiety and
without affection before Communion may find themselves changed for the
better after partaking of this heavenly food and drink.
Likewise, You so deal with Your elect that they may truly
acknowledge and plainly experience how weak they are in themselves and
what goodness and grace they obtain from You. For though in themselves
they are cold, obdurate, and wanting in devotion, through You they
become fervent, cheerful, and devout.
Who, indeed, can humbly approach the fountain of sweetness and
not carry away a little of it? Or who, standing before a blazing fire
does not feel some of its heat? You are a fountain always filled with
superabundance! You are a fire, ever burning, that never fails!
Therefore, while I may not exhaust the fullness of the fountain
or drink to satiety, yet will I put my lips to the mouth of this
heavenly stream that from it I may receive at least some small drop to
refresh my thirst and not wither away. And if I cannot as yet be all
heavenly or as full of fire as the cherubim and seraphim, yet I will
try to become more devout and prepare my heart so that I may gather
some small spark of divine fire from the humble reception of this
life-giving Sacrament.
Whatever is wanting in me, good Jesus, Savior most holy, do You
in Your kindness and grace supply for me, You Who have been pleased to
call all unto You, saying: "Come to Me all you that labor and are
burdened and I will refresh you."
I, indeed, labor in the sweat of my brow. I am torn with sorrow
of heart. I am laden with sin, troubled with temptations, enmeshed and
oppressed by many evil passions, and there is none to help me, none to
deliver and save me but You, my Lord God and Savior, to Whom I entrust
myself and all I have, that You may protect me and lead me to eternal
life. For the honor and glory of Your name receive me, You Who have
prepared Your Body and Blood as food and drink for me. Grant, O Lord,
my God and Savior, that by approaching Your Mysteries frequently, the
zeal of my devotion may increase. |
That many good gifts are bestowed upon those who
Communicate devoutly
The Voice of the Disciple
O Lord my God, prevent Thou Thy servant with the
blessings of Thy sweetness, that I may be enabled to draw near
worthily and devoutly to Thy glorious Sacrament. Awaken my heart
towards Thee, and deliver me from heavy slumber. Visit me with Thy
salvation that I may in spirit taste Thy sweetness, which plentifully
lieth hid in this Sacrament as in a fountain. Lighten also mine eyes
to behold this so great mystery, and strengthen me that I may believe
it with undoubting faith. For it is Thy word, not human power; it is
Thy holy institution, not the invention of man. For no man is found
fit in himself to receive and to understand these things, which
transcend even the wisdom of the Angels. What portion then shall I,
unworthy sinner, who am but dust and ashes, be able to search into and
comprehend of so deep a Sacrament?
2. O Lord, in the simplicity of my heart, in good
and firm faith, and according to Thy will, I draw nigh unto Thee with
hope and reverence, and truly believe that Thou art here present in
the Sacrament, God and man. Thou willest therefore that I receive
Thee and unite myself to Thee in charity. Wherefore I beseech Thy
mercy, and implore Thee to give me Thy special grace, to this end,
that I may be wholly dissolved and overflow with love towards Thee,
and no more suffer any other consolation to enter into me. For this
most high and most glorious Sacrament is the health of the soul and
the body, the medicine of all spiritual sickness, whereby I am healed
of my sins, my passions are bridled, temptations are conquered or
weakened, more grace is poured into me, virtue begun is increased,
faith is made firm, hope is strengthened, and charity is enkindled and
enlarged.
3. For in this Sacrament Thou hast bestowed many
good things and still bestowest them continually on Thine elect who
communicate devoutly, O my God, Lifter up of my soul, Repairer of
human infirmity, and Giver of all inward consolation. For Thou
pourest into them much consolation against all sorts of tribulation,
and out of the deep of their own misery Thou liftest them up to the
hope of Thy protection, and with ever new grace, dost inwardly refresh
and enlighten them; so that they who felt themselves to be anxious and
without affection before Communion, afterwards being refreshed with
heavenly food and drink, find themselves changed for the better. And
even in such wise Thou dealest severally with Thine elect, that they
may truly acknowledge and clearly make proof that they have nothing
whatsoever of their own, and what goodness and grace come to them from
Thee; because being in themselves cold, hard of heart, indevout,
through Thee they become fervent, zealous, and devout. For who is
there coming humbly to the fountain of sweetness, carrieth not away
thence at the least some little of that sweetness? Or who standing by
a large fire, feeleth not from thence a little of its heat? And Thou
art ever a full and overflowing fountain, a fire continually burning,
and never going out.
4. Wherefore if it is not suffered to me to draw
from the fulness of the fountain, nor to drink unto satisfying, yet
will I set my lips to the mouth of the heavenly conduit, that at least
I may receive a small drop to quench my thirst, that I dry not up
within my heart. And if I am not yet able to be altogether heavenly
and so enkindled as the Cherubim and Seraphim, yet will I endeavour to
give myself unto devotion, and to prepare my heart, that I may gain if
it be but a little flame of the divine fire, through the humble
receiving of the life-giving Sacrament. But whatsoever is wanting unto
me, O merciful Jesus, Most Holy Saviour, do Thou of Thy kindness and
grace supply, who hast vouchsafed to call all unto Thee, saying, Come
unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will refresh
you.
5. I indeed labour in the sweat of my face, I am
tormented with sorrow of heart, I am burdened with sins, I am
disquieted with temptations, I am entangled and oppressed with many
passions, and there is none to help me, there is none to deliver and
ease me, but Thou, O Lord God, my Saviour, to whom I commit myself and
all things that are mine, that Thou mayest preserve me and lead me
unto life eternal.
Receive me unto the praise and glory of Thy
name, who hast prepared Thy Body and Blood to be my meat and drink.
Grant, O Lord God my Saviour, that with coming often to Thy mysteries
the zeal of my devotion may increase. |