Oct 28 2008
Prayer after Receiving Holy Communion
My favorite prayer to say after receiving Holy Communion is commonly known as the Prayer of St. Ignatius. That’s St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. There are various English translations; the one I pray goes like this:
Take, Lord, and receive all of my liberty: my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou has given all to me; to Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine; dispose of it according to Your Will. Grant me your love and your grace, for these are sufficient to me.
The reason I like to pray this prayer after Holy Communion is because it’s the best response to what Our Lord Jesus has just given to us. In and through Holy Communion, he has given us himself: his body, blood, soul, and divinity. He has given us all that he is, and all that he has. He can give us nothing more than what he’s given us in and through Holy Communion.
For me, the only acceptable response to this complete self-giving of Our Lord to us is the complete self-giving of us to him. And that’s what the Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola does.
We tell Our Lord to take all of our liberty — by which we give him all of our freedom. We give him our memory (that is, our thoughts), our understanding (that is, what we choose to learn), and our will (that is, our desires). When we give him these things, we give him all that we have and possess.
After we give Our Lord all that we are and have, we tell him to use us as he desires. This is another way of saying what we say in the “Our Father” — Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are actively aligning our will — our wants, goals, desires, aspirations, ambitions, etc. — to the will of God. Whatever that might mean for us.
Then we tell Our Lord that all that we desire from him is his grace and love, which, if we think about it, we have already received in Holy Communion. So this great prayer of St. Ignatius ends with the recognition that we have received, in the Eucharist, the one thing necessary for our spiritual lives. Personally, I can’t think of a better prayer to say after receiving Holy Communion.
But I don’t think this is the only prayer that should be said after Holy Communion. That moment is, after all, the most intimate time with have with Our Lord; the prayers we say should be personal.
Therefore, I am interested in your Communion devotion. Not because I’m interested in your personal spiritual life, but, rather, because your approach to Christ in the Eucharist will help me approach him better.
The comment box is open . . . if you’re interested.
I personally like to say a prayer to the Sacred Heart:
O Most Holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee, and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient and pure, and wholly obedient to Thy Will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in Thee, and for Thee.
Protect me in the midst of danger, comfort me in my afflictions, give health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death.
This is also an offering of one’s whole self.
Peace+
I love the thanksgiving prayer of St. thomas Aquinas. It is poignant and direct. THANKSGIVING AFTER MASSLord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank You, foreven though I am a sinner, your unprofitable servant, notbecause of my worth but in the kindness of your mercy, You have fed me with the Precious Body & Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring mecondemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation. May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will. May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions.May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience,and growth in the power to do good. May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses, bodily and spiritual. May it unite me more closely to you, the One true God, and lead mesafely through death to everlasting happiness with You. And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where you,with Your Son and holy Spirit, are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfecthappiness to your saints. grant this through Christ our Lord,AMEN
I have received numerous graces from praying/meditating on the Anima Christi by St. Ignatius of Loyola while kneeling after receiving the gift of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ the King in the Holy Eucharist.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the Side of Christ, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy Wounds hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee. From the malicious enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me And bid me come to Thee, That with Thy saints I may praise Thee, For ever and ever. Amen.