Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Prayer of Thanksgiving after Communion

The Latin Missal I use, The New Marian Missal by Angelus Press, was a gift from my brother. It is full of beautiful prayers like the one below. This is the prayer I say after every Holy Communion. It's worth printing this out and taking it to every Mass you go to. We should spend at least fifteen minutes in thanksgiving to God after every Communion, says Saint Alphonsus Liquori. How much we neglect that duty! Barely has the Communion line ended and people are headed out the door before the priest has even given his final blessing. This prayer, when meditated upon and not said hurriedly, really shows the importance of taking the time to thank Almighty God.

Thanksgiving After Communion (St. Thomas Aquinas)

I give Thee thanks, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, that Thou hast vouchsafed, for no merit of my own, but of the mere condescension of Thy mercy, to satisfy me, a sinner and Thine unworthy servant, with the Precious Blood of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

I implore Thee, let not this Holy Communion be to me an increase of guilt unto my punishment, but an availing plea unto pardon and forgiveness. Let it be to me the armor of faith and the shield of good will. Grant that it may work the extinction of my vices, the rooting out of concupiscence and lust, and the increase within me of charity and patience, of humility and obedience.

Let it be my strong defense against the snares of all my enemies, visible and invisible; the stilling and the calm of all my impulses, carnal and spiritual; my indissoluble union with Thee the one and true God, and a blessed consummation at my last end. And I beseech thee that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring me, sinner as I am, to that ineffable banquet where Thou, with the Son and the Holy Ghost, art to Thy saints true and unfailing light, fullness and content, joy for evermore, gladness without alloy, consummate and everlasting bliss.

Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

4 comments:

Shirley said...

Printed and put in my Missal! Thanks!

owenswain said...

My daughter bought me a tiny prayer book that has many prayers suitable for worship at Mass as well as other classic prayers. It's a very old volume which I believe was originally intended for children - oh how things have been dumbed down in the intervening years. This tiny volume and I are inseperable at the Mass and leaving it at home makes me feel about the same as if I left for church without my pants.

This same prayer is included along with other prayers for "After Communion" but is not attributed so it is wonderful to know who first wrote it. Thanks.

paramedicgirl said...

This tiny volume and I are inseperable at the Mass and leaving it at home makes me feel about the same as if I left for church without my pants.

LOL!!!

Imelda @ Cum Auxilio Ab Alto said...

I found your blog while I was looking for an online copy of this prayer of St. Thomas so that I could post it on my blog. My Missal is in the car as I write and am too lazy to get out in the cold.

And I am so glad to find a fellow traditional Catholic that I followed your blog. :-)

Best regards, Imelda