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Communion Prayers

Act of Faith before Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

Knowing that Thou art about to enter under my roof, O eternal God, Jesus Son of the Father, I have need of all my faith. Yes, it is Thou who art coming to me, Thou who didst enter into Mary’s virginal womb, making it the sanctuary of Thy Majesty. Thou didst send Thine angel to her, and she believed his word, when he said: ‘Nothing is impossible to God: the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.’ She believed, and then conceived in her chaste womb him who had created her. Thou hast sent an angel to me, O my Saviour, to tell me that Thou are coming into my heart. Thou hast spoken Thyself, and Thou hast said: ‘I am the living Bread come down from heaven: he that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood, abideth in me and I in him.’ Thou hast willed that these words of Thine, spoken so many hundred years ago, should reach me by Thy Church, that thus I might have both certainty that they are Thine, and the merit of bowing down my reason to the deepest of mysteries. I believe then, O Jesus! Help the weakness of my faith. Enable me to submit, as Mary did, to Thy infinite wisdom; and since Thou desirest to enter under my roof, I bow down my whole being before thee, using her blessed words: ‘May it be done to me according to Thy word;’ for how dare I, who am but nothingness, resist thee, who art all wisdom and power!

Act of Humility after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

But, O my Saviour, when Thou didst choose the womb of the glorious Virgin for Thy abode, Thou hadst but to leave one heaven for another. Thou hadst prepared her, from her conception, with every grace; and she, on her part, had been more faithful to thee than all angels and men together. Whereas my heart has nothing in it which can induce thee to come and make it Thy dwelling. How many times has it refused thee admittance, when Thou didst stand at the door asking me to receive thee? And even had I been always faithful, what proportion is there between its lowliness and Thy infinite greatness? Elizabeth humbled herself when she was visited by Mary, and exclaimed, ‘How comes such honour to me?’ And I am to receive a visit, not merely of the Mother of God, but of God himself, and in such an intimate manner, that a greater union cannot be. Thou sayest, ‘He that eateth me, abideth in me and I in him’: O Son of God! Thou seekest, then, for what is lowest and poorest, and in that Thy heart loves to dwell. I am overwhelmed with admiration at this condescension; but when I reflect that Thou are going to show it to me, I can do nothing but sink into my own nothingness, and there beseech Thee to show me more and more clearly, that I am but nothing; that so, when Thou has come within me, my whole being may proclaim the glory, the mercy, the power of my Jesus.

Act of Contrition after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

Happy should I be, O Jesus, if I could feel that this my nothingness was the only obstacle to the glorious union to which Thou invitest me! I would then approach to Thee, after the example of Thy Immaculate Mother, my august Queen, and would dare to partake of the banquet at which she is on Thy right hand. But I am worse than nothing – I am a sinner: and surely there can be no union between infinite sanctity and sin, between light and darkness! I have been Thine enemy, O my Redeemer! And yet Thou wishest to come into my heart, with the sores of its shame and wounds barely closed; and Thou tellest me, that Thou, who couldst delight to dwell in Mary’s heart, canst find pleasure in mine! Oh! how this teaches me the malice of my sins, since they offended a God so generous, so wonderful in his love for me! In these few moments, which preceded Thy descending into the midst of my darkness in order to change it into light, what can I do but renew my sorrow for those many sins whereby I lost thee, as also for those whereby I grieved Thee without losing Thy grace. Accept this my contrition, O my Saviour! It is thus that I would prepare Thy way to my heart, by removing everything which is in opposition to the righteous path of Thy holy Law.

Act of Love before Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

For I would indeed love Thee, O my Saviour, as Mary loved Thee. Art Thou not my God, as Thou wast hers? Nay, by forgiving me my sins, hast Thou not shown marks of tenderness to me, which Mary could not receive? I love Thee, then, sweet Jesus, who art coming to me. Most welcome visit, which is to increase my love! Thy blessed Mother had lived, up to the very moment when Thou didst enter her womb, in all holiness and justice; she had loved Thee alone, and as no other had loved: but when she felt Thee within her, when she felt that now Thou wast one and the same with herself, her love redoubled, and lost all sight of limit. May it be so with my heart, when Thou comest into it, my God and my all! Yea, come quickly; for though most unworthy of Thy visit, yet am I forced to desire it, seeing that Thou art the Bread which giveth life unto the world, and our daily Bread, by eating which we support life until the day of our eternity arrives. Come, then, my Lord Jesus! My heart is ready and trusts in Thee.

And thou, O Mary, by the joy thou didst experience in containing within thyself, him whom heaven and earth could not contain, help me, in this Communion, to have my heart pure and fervent. Holy Angels, who looked with astonishment and awe upon this simple creature carrying God within her, have pity on me, that poor sinner whose heart, so lately abode of Satan, is this very hour to become the tabernacle of your sovereign Lord. All ye saints of heaven, and yet especially my ever faithful patrons, come to my assistance now that he, in whom ye live for ever, just and immortal, is come down to me, a sinful mortal.

Act of Adoration after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

O sovereign Majesty of God! Thou hast, then, mercifully deigned to come down to me! The favour, which Thou didst heretofore grant to Mary, has been given to me, too! Would that I, during these happy moments, could adore Thee as profoundly as she did! The sentiment of her lowliness and unworthiness, at that solemn moment, would have overpowered her, had not Thy tender love for her supported her to bear the ineffable union of the Creator with his creature. My lowliness, and still more my unworthiness, are of a very different kind from hers; and yet I find it so hard to feel them. This much at least I know, that in order thus to come to me and be my own infinite treasure, Thou hast had to overcome immense obstacles. What, then, shall I do for Thee, that is worthy of Thee? How can I best compensate Thee for the humiliation Thou hast thus borne out of love for me? I can but adore Thee, and humble myself to the farthest depths of my own nothingness. And because this my adoration is not worthy of Thine acceptance, I presume to offer Thee that which Mary herself offered Thee the first moment she became Mother of God, and during the nine months Thou wast so closely united to her. Thou hast given her to me to be my own Mother; permit me to make this use of her wealth, which she loves to see her children so freely giving to Thy greater glory.

Act of Thanksgiving after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

But Thy blessed mother, O Jesus, was not satisfied with adoring Thee interiorly; her glad heart soon gave expression to its intense gratitude. She saw that Thou hadst preferred her to all the daughters of her people, nay, to all generations both past and to come; her soul therefore thrilled with delight, and her lips could scarce give utterance to her immense joy. ‘He that is mighty,’ she said, ‘hath done great things in me; he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaid; and all generations shall call me blessed.’ And hast Thou not favoured me, O Jesus, above thousands and tens of thousands, in giving me the wonderful gift I now hold within me? Thou hast made me live after the accomplishment of Thine Incarnation. This very day, how many pious servants of Thine have not had given to them what I have received from Thee! I possess Thee here within me; I know the worth of Thy coming; but how many are there who neither possess nor know Thee! Thou hast indeed invited all to these graces, but a great number have refused them; and whilst Thou hast compelled me, by the powerful yet sweet ways of Thy mercy, to come to Thee, Thou hast, in Thy justice, permitted them to continue in their refusal. Mayst Thou be for ever blessed, O my God! Who lovest, indeed, all the works of Thy hands, and wishest all men to be saved; so that none is lost, but he that refuses Thy grace: yet, in the superabundant riches of Thy mercy, Thou dost multiply, for many, the boundless resources of Thy love.

Act of Love after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

I will love Thee, then, O Jesus! because Thou hast first loved me; and I will love Thee the more because, by this Thy visit to me, Thou hast greatly increased my power to love. It was thus with Mary, when Thou didst choose her for Thy Mother. Up to that time she had been the most faithful of Thy creatures, and deserved the preference Thou didst give her, above all women, of being honoured with the high privilege of being Mother of God. But when Thou didst enter her virginal womb, when Thy divine Person came into that admirable contact with her nature, which, though holy, was human; Mary, transformed, as it were, into Thee, began to love Thee as she had never been able to do before. May it be so with me, dear Jesus! May my own life be lost in Thine! Is not the visit Thou has paid me that of a God? The visits of creatures are but exterior; Thine to me is interior; though has not entered my house and blessed it, Thou hast penetrated into the deepest recesses of my very soul; so that I live, no, it is not I, but Thou livest in me, as Thy apostle expresses the mystery. So that if I love myself, I must love Thee, since Thou abidest in me, and I abide in Thee. No, my divine Master, I desire to have but Thee for my love and my very life, now and for ever.

Act of Oblation after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

But take heed, my soul: let not the love of thy God be mere sentiment. He that loves God, lives for him. Jesus’ presence produced in Mary, the moment it was effected, far more than sentiment of total devotedness of herself to the interests and glory of Him who was both her God and her Son. It gave her a conformity to all God’s appointments, which stood unshaken, without one moment of faltering, through all the trails of her long life. Thou hast visited me dear Saviour, and courage is what Thou wishest to leave with me. Between this day and that of my death and my judgement, I am to go through many trials and temptations, all difficult, and some of them perhaps severe. If I love Thee, even at the bare remembrance for this Thy visit to me, which Thou art ready to repeat as often as I wish it! I am Thine, O God of my heart, as Thou art mine. Thou knowest my great weakness: give me courage and strength. Thou hast given me, this happy hour, the richest pledge of Thy mercy; on this infinite mercy I rest all my hope.

Prayer to Our Lady, the Angels and Saints after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

O Mary, pray for me that I may profit by this visit of thy divine Son. Ye Holy Angels of God, defend me against my enemies, for your Lord has made me his dwelling-place. All ye saints of God, pray for me, that I may never lose this sovereign God, with whom ye are united for a happy eternity.

Communion Prayers

Communion Prayers

Act of Faith before Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

Knowing that Thou art about to enter under my roof, O eternal God, Jesus Son of the Father, I have need of all my faith. Yes, it is Thou who art coming to me, Thou who didst enter into Mary’s virginal womb, making it the sanctuary of Thy Majesty. Thou didst send Thine angel to her, and she believed his word, when he said: ‘Nothing is impossible to God: the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.’ She believed, and then conceived in her chaste womb him who had created her. Thou hast sent an angel to me, O my Saviour, to tell me that Thou are coming into my heart. Thou hast spoken Thyself, and Thou hast said: ‘I am the living Bread come down from heaven: he that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood, abideth in me and I in him.’ Thou hast willed that these words of Thine, spoken so many hundred years ago, should reach me by Thy Church, that thus I might have both certainty that they are Thine, and the merit of bowing down my reason to the deepest of mysteries. I believe then, O Jesus! Help the weakness of my faith. Enable me to submit, as Mary did, to Thy infinite wisdom; and since Thou desirest to enter under my roof, I bow down my whole being before thee, using her blessed words: ‘May it be done to me according to Thy word;’ for how dare I, who am but nothingness, resist thee, who art all wisdom and power!

Act of Humility after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

But, O my Saviour, when Thou didst choose the womb of the glorious Virgin for Thy abode, Thou hadst but to leave one heaven for another. Thou hadst prepared her, from her conception, with every grace; and she, on her part, had been more faithful to thee than all angels and men together. Whereas my heart has nothing in it which can induce thee to come and make it Thy dwelling. How many times has it refused thee admittance, when Thou didst stand at the door asking me to receive thee? And even had I been always faithful, what proportion is there between its lowliness and Thy infinite greatness? Elizabeth humbled herself when she was visited by Mary, and exclaimed, ‘How comes such honour to me?’ And I am to receive a visit, not merely of the Mother of God, but of God himself, and in such an intimate manner, that a greater union cannot be. Thou sayest, ‘He that eateth me, abideth in me and I in him’: O Son of God! Thou seekest, then, for what is lowest and poorest, and in that Thy heart loves to dwell. I am overwhelmed with admiration at this condescension; but when I reflect that Thou are going to show it to me, I can do nothing but sink into my own nothingness, and there beseech Thee to show me more and more clearly, that I am but nothing; that so, when Thou has come within me, my whole being may proclaim the glory, the mercy, the power of my Jesus.

Act of Contrition after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

Happy should I be, O Jesus, if I could feel that this my nothingness was the only obstacle to the glorious union to which Thou invitest me! I would then approach to Thee, after the example of Thy Immaculate Mother, my august Queen, and would dare to partake of the banquet at which she is on Thy right hand. But I am worse than nothing – I am a sinner: and surely there can be no union between infinite sanctity and sin, between light and darkness! I have been Thine enemy, O my Redeemer! And yet Thou wishest to come into my heart, with the sores of its shame and wounds barely closed; and Thou tellest me, that Thou, who couldst delight to dwell in Mary’s heart, canst find pleasure in mine! Oh! how this teaches me the malice of my sins, since they offended a God so generous, so wonderful in his love for me! In these few moments, which preceded Thy descending into the midst of my darkness in order to change it into light, what can I do but renew my sorrow for those many sins whereby I lost thee, as also for those whereby I grieved Thee without losing Thy grace. Accept this my contrition, O my Saviour! It is thus that I would prepare Thy way to my heart, by removing everything which is in opposition to the righteous path of Thy holy Law.

Act of Love before Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

For I would indeed love Thee, O my Saviour, as Mary loved Thee. Art Thou not my God, as Thou wast hers? Nay, by forgiving me my sins, hast Thou not shown marks of tenderness to me, which Mary could not receive? I love Thee, then, sweet Jesus, who art coming to me. Most welcome visit, which is to increase my love! Thy blessed Mother had lived, up to the very moment when Thou didst enter her womb, in all holiness and justice; she had loved Thee alone, and as no other had loved: but when she felt Thee within her, when she felt that now Thou wast one and the same with herself, her love redoubled, and lost all sight of limit. May it be so with my heart, when Thou comest into it, my God and my all! Yea, come quickly; for though most unworthy of Thy visit, yet am I forced to desire it, seeing that Thou art the Bread which giveth life unto the world, and our daily Bread, by eating which we support life until the day of our eternity arrives. Come, then, my Lord Jesus! My heart is ready and trusts in Thee.

And thou, O Mary, by the joy thou didst experience in containing within thyself, him whom heaven and earth could not contain, help me, in this Communion, to have my heart pure and fervent. Holy Angels, who looked with astonishment and awe upon this simple creature carrying God within her, have pity on me, that poor sinner whose heart, so lately abode of Satan, is this very hour to become the tabernacle of your sovereign Lord. All ye saints of heaven, and yet especially my ever faithful patrons, come to my assistance now that he, in whom ye live for ever, just and immortal, is come down to me, a sinful mortal.

Act of Adoration after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

O sovereign Majesty of God! Thou hast, then, mercifully deigned to come down to me! The favour, which Thou didst heretofore grant to Mary, has been given to me, too! Would that I, during these happy moments, could adore Thee as profoundly as she did! The sentiment of her lowliness and unworthiness, at that solemn moment, would have overpowered her, had not Thy tender love for her supported her to bear the ineffable union of the Creator with his creature. My lowliness, and still more my unworthiness, are of a very different kind from hers; and yet I find it so hard to feel them. This much at least I know, that in order thus to come to me and be my own infinite treasure, Thou hast had to overcome immense obstacles. What, then, shall I do for Thee, that is worthy of Thee? How can I best compensate Thee for the humiliation Thou hast thus borne out of love for me? I can but adore Thee, and humble myself to the farthest depths of my own nothingness. And because this my adoration is not worthy of Thine acceptance, I presume to offer Thee that which Mary herself offered Thee the first moment she became Mother of God, and during the nine months Thou wast so closely united to her. Thou hast given her to me to be my own Mother; permit me to make this use of her wealth, which she loves to see her children so freely giving to Thy greater glory.

Act of Thanksgiving after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

But Thy blessed mother, O Jesus, was not satisfied with adoring Thee interiorly; her glad heart soon gave expression to its intense gratitude. She saw that Thou hadst preferred her to all the daughters of her people, nay, to all generations both past and to come; her soul therefore thrilled with delight, and her lips could scarce give utterance to her immense joy. ‘He that is mighty,’ she said, ‘hath done great things in me; he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaid; and all generations shall call me blessed.’ And hast Thou not favoured me, O Jesus, above thousands and tens of thousands, in giving me the wonderful gift I now hold within me? Thou hast made me live after the accomplishment of Thine Incarnation. This very day, how many pious servants of Thine have not had given to them what I have received from Thee! I possess Thee here within me; I know the worth of Thy coming; but how many are there who neither possess nor know Thee! Thou hast indeed invited all to these graces, but a great number have refused them; and whilst Thou hast compelled me, by the powerful yet sweet ways of Thy mercy, to come to Thee, Thou hast, in Thy justice, permitted them to continue in their refusal. Mayst Thou be for ever blessed, O my God! Who lovest, indeed, all the works of Thy hands, and wishest all men to be saved; so that none is lost, but he that refuses Thy grace: yet, in the superabundant riches of Thy mercy, Thou dost multiply, for many, the boundless resources of Thy love.

Act of Love after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

I will love Thee, then, O Jesus! because Thou hast first loved me; and I will love Thee the more because, by this Thy visit to me, Thou hast greatly increased my power to love. It was thus with Mary, when Thou didst choose her for Thy Mother. Up to that time she had been the most faithful of Thy creatures, and deserved the preference Thou didst give her, above all women, of being honoured with the high privilege of being Mother of God. But when Thou didst enter her virginal womb, when Thy divine Person came into that admirable contact with her nature, which, though holy, was human; Mary, transformed, as it were, into Thee, began to love Thee as she had never been able to do before. May it be so with me, dear Jesus! May my own life be lost in Thine! Is not the visit Thou has paid me that of a God? The visits of creatures are but exterior; Thine to me is interior; though has not entered my house and blessed it, Thou hast penetrated into the deepest recesses of my very soul; so that I live, no, it is not I, but Thou livest in me, as Thy apostle expresses the mystery. So that if I love myself, I must love Thee, since Thou abidest in me, and I abide in Thee. No, my divine Master, I desire to have but Thee for my love and my very life, now and for ever.

Act of Oblation after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

But take heed, my soul: let not the love of thy God be mere sentiment. He that loves God, lives for him. Jesus’ presence produced in Mary, the moment it was effected, far more than sentiment of total devotedness of herself to the interests and glory of Him who was both her God and her Son. It gave her a conformity to all God’s appointments, which stood unshaken, without one moment of faltering, through all the trails of her long life. Thou hast visited me dear Saviour, and courage is what Thou wishest to leave with me. Between this day and that of my death and my judgement, I am to go through many trials and temptations, all difficult, and some of them perhaps severe. If I love Thee, even at the bare remembrance for this Thy visit to me, which Thou art ready to repeat as often as I wish it! I am Thine, O God of my heart, as Thou art mine. Thou knowest my great weakness: give me courage and strength. Thou hast given me, this happy hour, the richest pledge of Thy mercy; on this infinite mercy I rest all my hope.

Prayer to Our Lady, the Angels and Saints after Communion

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Advent)

O Mary, pray for me that I may profit by this visit of thy divine Son. Ye Holy Angels of God, defend me against my enemies, for your Lord has made me his dwelling-place. All ye saints of God, pray for me, that I may never lose this sovereign God, with whom ye are united for a happy eternity.

Everyday Prayers

Dom Delatte’s Act of Faith

O Eternal Trinity, one God, I believe with a firm and simple faith whatever Thy Church professes, for it is Thyself, supreme Truth and Wisdom, Who hath taught her.

Dom Delatte’s Act of Hope

O Eternal Trinity, one God, I hope with a secure confidence, relying on the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord, for glory with Thee in The life to come and the help of Thy grace in this one, because Thou, o supreme Fidelity and Sanctity, hath promised them.

Dom Delatte’s Act of Charity

O Eternal Trinity, one God, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, I love and adore Thee, and I love my neighbor as myself for Thee. I cleave totally to Thee, for Thou art good; and because of Thy infinite perfection and beauty infinitely worthy to be loved.

Dom Delatte’s Act of Contrition

Eternal Trinity, one God, I deplore from the depths of my heart that, by my sins, I have offended Thy supreme Goodness and Beauty; and for the future I propose humbly and firmly, by the grace of Jesus Christ, to correct myself of my faults and to do penance for them.

Dom Delatte’s Prayer ‘O Tenderness’

O Tenderness, O Beauty, O Purity, who are God, my God, I know that the supernatural life is being with Thee, but it is to be perfectly with Thee that I thirst. If Thou wished it, my God, the flimsy weft of this present life would snap like a thin thread at a movement of Thy fingers, in an act of charity towards Thee, and I should be with Thee who art life for all eternity!

For the Holy Church

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, 4th Friday of Advent)

O Jesus! It is Thou that hast inspired our mother with this wonderful love: it is Thou that consolest us, and enlightenest us, by her. Come to her and visit her; come, and, by the new birth Thou are about to take among us, renew her life within her. Give her, during this year also, firmness of faith, the grace of the Sacraments, the efficacy of prayer, the gifts of miracles, the succession of her hierarchy, power of government, fortitude against the princes of the world, love of the cross, victory over Satan, and the crown of martyrdom. During this new year make her, as ever, Thy beautiful bride; make her faithful to Thy love, and more than ever successful in the great work Thou hast entrusted to her; for each year brings us nearer to the day when Thou wilt come for the last time, not in the swathing bands of infancy, but on a cloud with great majesty, to render Thy rebuke with flames of fire, and destroy those that have despised or have not loved Thy Church, which Thou wilt then raise up and admit into Thy eternal kingdom.

Come, Lord Jesus, I offer you my heart!

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

What, O God of heaven and earth, my Jesus, the long expected Messias! what else can I do, at this solemn moment, but adore Thee in silence, as my sovereign Master, and open my whole heart, as to its dearest? Come then, O Lord Jesus, come! The substances of both bread and wine have ceased to exist; the species alone are left, veiling, as it were, the Body and Blood of our Redeemer, lest fear should keep us from a mystery, which God gives us for the very purpose of infusing confidence into our hearts.

Prayer to Christ in the Tomb

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Passiontide and Holy Week)

We adore Thee, O holy Soul of our Redeemer, for having deigned to pass these hours with Thy saints, our fathers, in the heart of the earth. We extol Thy goodness and love shown towards these Thy elect, whom Thou hast made to be Thine own brethren. We give Thee thanks for that Thou didst humble our enemy: oh, give us grace to conquer him! But now, dearest Jesus, it is time for Thee to rise from Thy tomb, and reunite Thy Soul to Thy Body. Heaven and earth await Thy Resurrection: the Church, Thy bride, has already sung the Alleluia of her glad expectation: rise, then, from Thy grave, O Jesus, our Life! Triumph over death, and reign our King for ever!

Everyday Prayers

Everyday Prayers

Dom Delatte’s Act of Faith

O Eternal Trinity, one God, I believe with a firm and simple faith whatever Thy Church professes, for it is Thyself, supreme Truth and Wisdom, Who hath taught her.

Dom Delatte’s Act of Hope

O Eternal Trinity, one God, I hope with a secure confidence, relying on the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord, for glory with Thee in The life to come and the help of Thy grace in this one, because Thou, o supreme Fidelity and Sanctity, hath promised them.

Dom Delatte’s Act of Charity

O Eternal Trinity, one God, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, I love and adore Thee, and I love my neighbor as myself for Thee. I cleave totally to Thee, for Thou art good; and because of Thy infinite perfection and beauty infinitely worthy to be loved.

Dom Delatte’s Act of Contrition

Eternal Trinity, one God, I deplore from the depths of my heart that, by my sins, I have offended Thy supreme Goodness and Beauty; and for the future I propose humbly and firmly, by the grace of Jesus Christ, to correct myself of my faults and to do penance for them.

Dom Delatte’s Prayer ‘O Tenderness’

O Tenderness, O Beauty, O Purity, who are God, my God, I know that the supernatural life is being with Thee, but it is to be perfectly with Thee that I thirst. If Thou wished it, my God, the flimsy weft of this present life would snap like a thin thread at a movement of Thy fingers, in an act of charity towards Thee, and I should be with Thee who art life for all eternity!

For the Holy Church

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, 4th Friday of Advent)

O Jesus! It is Thou that hast inspired our mother with this wonderful love: it is Thou that consolest us, and enlightenest us, by her. Come to her and visit her; come, and, by the new birth Thou are about to take among us, renew her life within her. Give her, during this year also, firmness of faith, the grace of the Sacraments, the efficacy of prayer, the gifts of miracles, the succession of her hierarchy, power of government, fortitude against the princes of the world, love of the cross, victory over Satan, and the crown of martyrdom. During this new year make her, as ever, Thy beautiful bride; make her faithful to Thy love, and more than ever successful in the great work Thou hast entrusted to her; for each year brings us nearer to the day when Thou wilt come for the last time, not in the swathing bands of infancy, but on a cloud with great majesty, to render Thy rebuke with flames of fire, and destroy those that have despised or have not loved Thy Church, which Thou wilt then raise up and admit into Thy eternal kingdom.

Come, Lord Jesus, I offer you my heart!

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

What, O God of heaven and earth, my Jesus, the long expected Messias! what else can I do, at this solemn moment, but adore Thee in silence, as my sovereign Master, and open my whole heart, as to its dearest? Come then, O Lord Jesus, come! The substances of both bread and wine have ceased to exist; the species alone are left, veiling, as it were, the Body and Blood of our Redeemer, lest fear should keep us from a mystery, which God gives us for the very purpose of infusing confidence into our hearts.

Prayer to Christ in the Tomb

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Passiontide and Holy Week)

We adore Thee, O holy Soul of our Redeemer, for having deigned to pass these hours with Thy saints, our fathers, in the heart of the earth. We extol Thy goodness and love shown towards these Thy elect, whom Thou hast made to be Thine own brethren. We give Thee thanks for that Thou didst humble our enemy: oh, give us grace to conquer him! But now, dearest Jesus, it is time for Thee to rise from Thy tomb, and reunite Thy Soul to Thy Body. Heaven and earth await Thy Resurrection: the Church, Thy bride, has already sung the Alleluia of her glad expectation: rise, then, from Thy grave, O Jesus, our Life! Triumph over death, and reign our King for ever!

Prayers to the Saints

Prayers to the Saints

To Saint Joseph, Father and Protector of the Faithful

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Easter time 2)

O glorious Saint Joseph! Father and Protector of the Faithful! We bless our Mother the Church, for that she, now that the world is drawing to the close of its existence, has taught us to confide in thee. Many ages passed away, and thy glories had not been made known to the world; but even then, thou wast one of mankind’s most powerful intercessors. Most affectionely didst thou fulfil thy office as head of the great human family, whereof the Incarnate Word was a member. Nations and individuals experienced the benefit of thy prayers; but there was not the public acknowledgement of thy favours – there was not the homage of gratitude, which is now offered to thee. The more perfect knowledge of thy glories, and the honour paid to thee as the Protector of mankind – these were reserved for our own unhappy times, when the state of the world is such as to require help beyond that which was granted to former ages. We come before thee, O Joseph, to honour the unlimited power of thine intercession, and the love thou bearest for all the children of the Church, the Brethren of Jesus.

To Saint Joseph

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

We praise and glorify thee, O happy saint! We hail thee as the spouse of the Queen of heaven, and foster-father of our Redeemer. These titles, which would seem too grand for any human being to enjoy, are thine; and they are but the expression of the dignities conferred on thee by God. The Church of heaven admires the sublime favours thou hast received; the Church on earth joyfully celebrates thy glories, and blesses thee for the favours thou art so unceasingly bestowing upon her.

O sublime minister of the greatest of blessing, intercede for us with God made Man. Ask Him to bestow humility upon us, that holy virtue which raised thee to such exalted dignity, and which must be the basis of our conversion. Get us this virtue, without which there can be no true penance. Pray also for us, O Joseph, that we may be chaste. Without purity of mind and body we cannot come nigh the God of all sanctity, who suffers nothing defiled to approach Him. He wills to make our bodies, by His grace, the temples of His Holy Spirit: do thou, great saint, help us to maintain ourselves in so exalted a dignity, or to recover it if we have lost it.

And lastly, O faithful spouse of Mary! Recommend us to our Mother. If she cast a look of pity upon us during these days of reconciliation, we shall be saved: for she is the Queen of mercy, and Jesus, her Son, will pardon us and change our hearts, if she intercede for us, O Joseph! Remind her of Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth, in all of which she received from thee such marks of thy devotedness; tell her that we, also, love and honour thee; and Mary will reward us for our devotion to him who was given her by heaven as her protector and support.

To Saint Benedict, Patron of Europe and Father of Monks

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

O Benedict! thou vessel of election, thou palm of the wilderness, thou angel of the earth, we offer thee the salutation of our love! The Saviour has crowned thee as one of His principal co-operators in the work of the salvation and sanctification of men. O father of so many people! Look down upon thine inheritance, and once more bless this ungrateful Europe, which owes everything to thee, yet has almost forgotten thy name: by thy prayers, keep it from perishing. Give firmness to what has been shaken. May a new Europe, a Catholic Europe, spring up in place of that which heresy and false doctrines have formed. O patriarch of the servants of God! Look down from heaven on the vineyard which thy hand hath planted: raise it up again; multiply it; sanctify it: let the spirit which thou hast deposited in thy holy rule flourish in its midst, and show, by thus blessing it, that thou art ever Benedict, the servant of God.

Support the holy Church, by thy powerful intercession, dear father! Assist the apostolic See, which has been so often occupied by disciples of thy school. Father of so many pastors of thy people! Obtain for us bishops like those sainted ones whom thy rule has formed. Father of so many apostles! Ask for the countries which have no faith preachers of the Gospel, who may convert the people by their blood and by their words, as did those who went out missioners from thy cloisters. Father of so many holy doctors! pray that the science of sacred literature may revive, to aid the Church and confound error. Father of so many sublime ascetics! rekindle the zeal of Christian perfection, which has grown so cold among the Christians of our days. Patriarch of the religious life in the western Church! bless all the religious Orders which the Holy Spirit has given successively to the Church; they all look on thee with admiration, as their venerable predecessor: do thou pour out upon them the influence of thy fatherly love.

Lastly, O blessed favourite of God! pray for all the faithful in Christ. Teach us to keep down the flesh and to subject it to the spirit, as thou didst. Obtain for us a little of thy blessed spirit, that, turning away from this vain world, we may think on the eternal years. Pray for us, that our hearts may never love, and our thoughts never dwell on, joys so fleeting as are those of time. Catholic piety invokes thee as one of the patrons, as well as one of the models, of a dying Christian. It loves to tell men of the sublime spectacle thou didst present at Thy death, when standing at the foot of the altar, leaning on the arms of thy disciples, and barely touching the earth with thy feet, thou didst give back, in submission and confidence, the soul to its Creator. Obtain for us, dear saint! a death courageous and sweet as thine. Drive from us, at our last hour, the cruel enemy who will seek to ensnare us. Visit us by thy presence, and leave us not till we have breathed forth our soul into the bosom of God who has made thee so glorious a saint.

To Our Lady

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

We salute thee, O Mary, full of grace, thy incomparable purity drew down upon thee the love of the great Creator, and your humility drew Him to thy womb; His presence within thee increased the holiness of thy spirit and the purity of thy body. By thee we are delivered from the enemy’s sway; and nothing but our own perversity and ingratitude could again give him the mastery. Let not this be, O Mary! Come to our assistance. During this season of repentance, we humbly acknowledge that we have abused the grace of God: we beseech thee, on this feast of thy Annunciation, intercede for us with Him, who, on this day, became thy Son.

Prayers to the Saints

Prayers to the Saints

To Saint Joseph, Father and Protector of the Faithful

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Easter time 2)

O glorious Saint Joseph! Father and Protector of the Faithful! We bless our Mother the Church, for that she, now that the world is drawing to the close of its existence, has taught us to confide in thee. Many ages passed away, and thy glories had not been made known to the world; but even then, thou wast one of mankind’s most powerful intercessors. Most affectionely didst thou fulfil thy office as head of the great human family, whereof the Incarnate Word was a member. Nations and individuals experienced the benefit of thy prayers; but there was not the public acknowledgement of thy favours – there was not the homage of gratitude, which is now offered to thee. The more perfect knowledge of thy glories, and the honour paid to thee as the Protector of mankind – these were reserved for our own unhappy times, when the state of the world is such as to require help beyond that which was granted to former ages. We come before thee, O Joseph, to honour the unlimited power of thine intercession, and the love thou bearest for all the children of the Church, the Brethren of Jesus.

To Saint Joseph

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

We praise and glorify thee, O happy saint! We hail thee as the spouse of the Queen of heaven, and foster-father of our Redeemer. These titles, which would seem too grand for any human being to enjoy, are thine; and they are but the expression of the dignities conferred on thee by God. The Church of heaven admires the sublime favours thou hast received; the Church on earth joyfully celebrates thy glories, and blesses thee for the favours thou art so unceasingly bestowing upon her.

O sublime minister of the greatest of blessing, intercede for us with God made Man. Ask Him to bestow humility upon us, that holy virtue which raised thee to such exalted dignity, and which must be the basis of our conversion. Get us this virtue, without which there can be no true penance. Pray also for us, O Joseph, that we may be chaste. Without purity of mind and body we cannot come nigh the God of all sanctity, who suffers nothing defiled to approach Him. He wills to make our bodies, by His grace, the temples of His Holy Spirit: do thou, great saint, help us to maintain ourselves in so exalted a dignity, or to recover it if we have lost it.

And lastly, O faithful spouse of Mary! Recommend us to our Mother. If she cast a look of pity upon us during these days of reconciliation, we shall be saved: for she is the Queen of mercy, and Jesus, her Son, will pardon us and change our hearts, if she intercede for us, O Joseph! Remind her of Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth, in all of which she received from thee such marks of thy devotedness; tell her that we, also, love and honour thee; and Mary will reward us for our devotion to him who was given her by heaven as her protector and support.

To Saint Benedict, Patron of Europe and Father of Monks

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

O Benedict! thou vessel of election, thou palm of the wilderness, thou angel of the earth, we offer thee the salutation of our love! The Saviour has crowned thee as one of His principal co-operators in the work of the salvation and sanctification of men. O father of so many people! Look down upon thine inheritance, and once more bless this ungrateful Europe, which owes everything to thee, yet has almost forgotten thy name: by thy prayers, keep it from perishing. Give firmness to what has been shaken. May a new Europe, a Catholic Europe, spring up in place of that which heresy and false doctrines have formed. O patriarch of the servants of God! Look down from heaven on the vineyard which thy hand hath planted: raise it up again; multiply it; sanctify it: let the spirit which thou hast deposited in thy holy rule flourish in its midst, and show, by thus blessing it, that thou art ever Benedict, the servant of God.

Support the holy Church, by thy powerful intercession, dear father! Assist the apostolic See, which has been so often occupied by disciples of thy school. Father of so many pastors of thy people! Obtain for us bishops like those sainted ones whom thy rule has formed. Father of so many apostles! Ask for the countries which have no faith preachers of the Gospel, who may convert the people by their blood and by their words, as did those who went out missioners from thy cloisters. Father of so many holy doctors! pray that the science of sacred literature may revive, to aid the Church and confound error. Father of so many sublime ascetics! rekindle the zeal of Christian perfection, which has grown so cold among the Christians of our days. Patriarch of the religious life in the western Church! bless all the religious Orders which the Holy Spirit has given successively to the Church; they all look on thee with admiration, as their venerable predecessor: do thou pour out upon them the influence of thy fatherly love.

Lastly, O blessed favourite of God! pray for all the faithful in Christ. Teach us to keep down the flesh and to subject it to the spirit, as thou didst. Obtain for us a little of thy blessed spirit, that, turning away from this vain world, we may think on the eternal years. Pray for us, that our hearts may never love, and our thoughts never dwell on, joys so fleeting as are those of time. Catholic piety invokes thee as one of the patrons, as well as one of the models, of a dying Christian. It loves to tell men of the sublime spectacle thou didst present at Thy death, when standing at the foot of the altar, leaning on the arms of thy disciples, and barely touching the earth with thy feet, thou didst give back, in submission and confidence, the soul to its Creator. Obtain for us, dear saint! a death courageous and sweet as thine. Drive from us, at our last hour, the cruel enemy who will seek to ensnare us. Visit us by thy presence, and leave us not till we have breathed forth our soul into the bosom of God who has made thee so glorious a saint.

To Our Lady

(Dom Guéranger, The Liturgical Year, Lent)

We salute thee, O Mary, full of grace, thy incomparable purity drew down upon thee the love of the great Creator, and your humility drew Him to thy womb; His presence within thee increased the holiness of thy spirit and the purity of thy body. By thee we are delivered from the enemy’s sway; and nothing but our own perversity and ingratitude could again give him the mastery. Let not this be, O Mary! Come to our assistance. During this season of repentance, we humbly acknowledge that we have abused the grace of God: we beseech thee, on this feast of thy Annunciation, intercede for us with Him, who, on this day, became thy Son.