DEVOUT ACTS TO BE MADE AFTER COMMUNION

Source: THE SCHOOL OF JESUS CRUCIFIED, Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, TAN BOOKS, 
with Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, 1895


An Act of Adoration

I ADORE Thee, O my God, my Creator, and my Redeemer, with the deepest respect and most I profound reverence of which I am capable. Ah, if I could but adore, honor, and glorify Thee as Thou dost deserve! If I could only, even at the expense I of my life, cause all creatures to know Thee and adore Thee!
I adore Thee, O most holy Soul of my Jesus, Who art here present. I beseech Thee to sanctify by Thy holy presence my soul, my memory, my understanding, and my will. I adore Thee, O most pure Body of my Lord; O most chaste Eyes of Jesus, sanctify my eyes; O most innocent Tongue of Jesus, purify my tongue; Immaculate Flesh of the Son of God, let Thy touch cleanse all my body. I adore Thee, O Precious Blood, which was shed for my salvation. Wash me, impart fervor to my heart, and inebriate me with the love of Christ.

I adore Thee, O ineffable Divinity united to the I Humanity of my Jesus, and since I am not capable of adoring Thee as Thou dost deserve, accept the adorations of all the Angels and Saints of Heaven. Accept the adorations of all the just souls who are at present, or will ever be on earth; but, above all, I beseech Thee to accept the adorations of blessed Mary, the Queen of Saints, and particularly those which she offered Thee every time she received Thee in Holy Communion. And to crown all these adorations, in which I here unite with all the powers of my poor soul, I offer to Thine infinite Majesty all those which the most holy Soul of Jesus has rendered and will continue to render to Thee for all eternity.

O my dear Lord, would that I could cause all my fellow creatures to receive Thee worthily every day, beneath the sacramental species, and every heart to be impressed, by virtue of this great Sacrament, with an everlasting remembrance of Thy Passion and Death. Do Thou, most loving Jesus, receive these very desires themselves as so many acts of profound adoration, which I intend to make continually, but especially during every moment of this happy day on which Thou hast vouchsafed to become the food of my soul.
 
An Act of Thanksgiving

My GOD, how great is Thy condescension! Thy Sovereign Majesty to come in person to a vile worm of the earth, a wretched sinner! What gratitude do I not owe Thee, O my Jesus, for the infinitely precious gift Thou hast made me in bestowing Thyself upon me? Not satisfied with all the Blood thou hast shed for me, not satisfied with dying on a Cross for my salvation, Thou hast also concealed Thyself beneath the sacramental species for love of me, and hast come to dwell even in my poor heart. O ineffable goodness! O inconceivable love! O incomprehensible excess of charity in my Jesus! How can I ever return Thee sufficient thanks for so great, so loving a favor? I thank Thee with all the respect and reverential love of which my heart is capable for this greatest of all Thy gifts which Thou hast made me in giving me Thy whole self in this adorable Sacrament. And since I cannot by any possibility thank Thee as I ought, and as I should wish, for the immense favor of receiving Thee within me, I unite my thanksgivings with those which Thou, O my Jesus, didst render to thy Eternal Father, and with those offered Thee by Mary, Thy beloved Mother, who is also my Mother. I thank and bless Thee for the countless mercies which Thou hast bestowed upon my soul and body. I thank Thee for the love with which from all eternity Thou hast chosen me in preference to so many others who would have served Thee better than myself. I thank Thee for having created me for so noble a destiny as is that of loving Thee in this life, and enjoying Thee in the next. I thank Thee for having died on a Cross for my salvation, overwhelmed with sorrow and ignominy, and for having applied the fruit of Thy Passion to my soul by so many inspirations, by the frequent reception of the Sacraments, and by the inestimable gift of faith. I thank Thee for the patience with which Thou hast so long borne with my sins and ingratitude. I acknowledge my everlasting obligations to Thy Wounds and Blood, both for having so frequently received the pardon of my sins, and for having been delivered from the eternal fire of Hell. May the offering which I hereby make to Thee, O my Jesus, of these great mercies which Thou hast shown me, and of all Thy own infinite perfections and Divine attributes, be accepted by Thee as a thanksgiving proportioned to the greatness of Thy gifts. But I beseech Thee in particular to accept the offering of Thy ardent charity, of that charity which caused Thee to die for me, the offering of Thy immaculate Flesh, agonizing beneath a thousand torments for love of me in Thy sacred Passion, and, finally, the offering of that Precious Blood which Thou didst shed, even to the last drop, for my redemption, and which Thou hast vouchsafed this morning to give me to drink, as a blessed pledge of a happy eternity which I hope one day Thou wilt bestow upon me, as the crowning piece of all Thy favors. Amen.

An Act of Petition

SINCE, O most loving Jesus, Thou hast been pleased to enter my house and take up Thy abode in my heart, can I doubt of Thy willingness to grant me all the favors I ask of Thee? Can He who has so freely given me Himself, refuse me His gifts? It is impossible, dear Jesus, and therefore do I feel firm confidence that I shall obtain everything from Thy goodness. I confess, O Lord, that I deserve nothing; but the more unworthy I am of Thy favors, so much the more wonderful will Thy goodness appear in bestowing them on me.
 
I beg of Thee, then, O loving Redeemer of my soul, to bestow upon me the full pardon and remission of all my sins, which I most sincerely detest and abhor. And as regards the severe punishments I have deserved, I desire to gain all the indulgences that I can; and I beseech Thee in Thine infinite goodness to grant me grace to fulfill all the conditions attached to them. I implore and humbly beseech Thee, O most Precious Blood of my Jesus, which, in union with His Body, Soul, and Divinity, I have this morning received, to cleanse my heart anew from every stain and defilement. O my Jesus, create in me a pure and clean heart, and bestow upon me a just and upright spirit! Fill my soul with all the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and adorn it with all virtues, but  especially with humility, patience, meekness and a spirit of mortification. Detach my heart from all created objects, render it like unto Thine, and I unite it forever to Thyself by the ties of perfect charity. Give me strength and courage to resist even unto death all temptations. I determine and I promise to drive them away immediately and to avoid all occasions of sin, that so they may not come; but Thou knowest that I can do nothing of myself, therefore I implore Thy aid, and that the merits of Thy Blood may be applied to my soul.

I beseech Thee to impress upon my heart so strong a remembrance of Thy Passion and Death, and of the bitter sorrows of Mary, Thy dear Mother, who is my Mother also, that nothing may ever efface it, but that I may continually meditate Upon it henceforward, that so, from this moment to the hour of my death, I may, as it were, live on Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, in the company of our most holy Mother, the Queen of Sorrows.

I most humbly and most fervently implore Thee in Thy infinite mercy to deliver me once for all from the tyranny of my predominant passion, and of the sin into which I habitually fall. (Here name what this passion, sin, or failing is.)

I beg and beseech Thee also, my most sweet Jesus, to grant me such temporal blessings as Thou seest will be most conducive to Thy glory and the eternal salvation of my soul. I might very possibly ask for what would be less useful, or perhaps even hurtful to my soul: therefore I place myself absolutely in Thy hands, asking only for what Thou wilt; and I confide entirely in Thee, Whose goodness equals Thy wisdom. I humbly beseech Thee to add to all these favors the great and most precious gift of final perseverance, which will complete and crown all Thy other gifts.

O my Jesus, do thou ask it for me of Thy Eternal Father, show Him Thy Wounds, offer Thy Precious Blood in my behalf, and then I am sure that my request will be heard, for Thou Thyself hast assured me that whatever I ask the Father in Thy name shall be given to me!

Lastly, I beseech Thee, O my Jesus, before Thou dost leave me, to give Thy blessing to my soul. I recommend it to Thee for the whole of my life and for the hour of my death. Every day, every hour, every instant brings me nearer to that most important moment. Defend me then from all temptations, give me grace to overcome them, and grant me the assistance of Thy dear Mother, the Blessed Virgin, who is my Mother also. And above all, permit not that in punishment of my sins, and in particular for my irreverence and indifference with regard to the Blessed Sacrament, and for my careless, or perhaps, alas, even bad Communions, I should leave this world without having received the Last Sacraments in proper dispositions. Amen.

Here you may make to your Heavenly Guest any little prayer which your heart may dictate for your neighbor. Do not forget to pray for our holy Mother the Church, for the Pope, and for all superiors, whether spiritual or temporal. Beseech Our Lord to be mindful of the clergy, secular and regular, and to bestow upon them the true spirit of their holy vocation. Pray especially for your confessor. Pray for your relations, friends, and benefactors, and for the sick and agonizing, as also for all who are in tribulation and suffering. Pray for poor sinners, and beg of God, in His mercy, to convert and save them from Hell fire. Do not forget to pray for heretics and infidels, begging Our Lord to enlighten them and give them grace to embrace the True Faith; and pray particularly that your own country may be restored to the bosom of the True Church. "For the last fifty years," St. Paul of the Cross used to say, "I have prayed for the conversion of England [America], and I could not have helped doing so even had I wished, for the moment I began to pray, my thoughts would fly to that unhappy country. I also pray for it every morning when I say Mass." Imitate this blessed servant of God by praying for the same end every time you go to Communion.

An Act of Oblation

Too great would be my ingratitude, O my Jesus, if when Thou hast given me Thy whole self in this Communion, I delayed for one moment giving myself entirely to Thee. I offer Thee, O my loving Jesus, and give Thee my entire liberty and my whole soul. I give Thee my understanding, in order that it may be sanctified by Thee, and may be employed day and night in the remembrance of Thy Passion and Death, and in the contemplation of Thy Divine perfections. I give Thee my memory, that I may ever remember the infinite mercies which Thou hast showered forth upon my poor soul. I give Thee my will, that by virtue of Thy holy love, it may be entirely transformed into Thine. I desire nothing but what Thou wilIest, and I reject all that displeases Thee. I give Thee my whole self to be sanctified, soul and body, and my intention in this offering is to make Thee an entire, irrevocable, eternal sacrifice of myself and of all that belongs to me.

I offer and consecrate to Thee this poor heart of mine, which earnestly desires to make amends for all the infidelity of my past life, by love proportioned to my sins. My sweet Jesus, detach my heart from all created objects, unite it perfectly to Thine Own, hide it in the precious Wound of Thy Side, and there impress upon it the memory of Thy painful Passion, and of the Dolors of Blessed Mary, Thy Mother, that so, by continual meditation upon such great mysteries, it may be consumed with a sorrow so deep as to make some amends for my sins, by loving contrition and earnest desire to correspond with Thine infinite charity.

I offer Thee all the senses of my body, particularly my eyes and tongue, and I beseech Thee not to permit that they should offend Thee any more. I offer Thee my thoughts, words, and works. I desire to offer all in union with the merits of Thy most holy Passion and Death, and in union with the merits of the Blessed Virgin, and of all the Saints of Heaven. I desire also to offer Thee all the good works that I have done or shall do during the whole course of my life, intending them all to be for Thy greater honor and glory, and of a preparation and thanksgiving for the most holy Sacrament. I offer Thee all the acts of adoration, love and thanksgiving, which Thou Thyself didst offer to Thy Eternal Father at the moment of the institution of the most Holy Sacrament, as well as all those which Thou didst offer Him during the time of Thy abode upon earth, together with those offered by the Blessed Virgin, the holy Apostles, and all the Saints now in Heaven. May all these acts of thanksgiving supply for those which I cannot and know not how worthily to offer Thee, greatly as I desire it.

Praised and adored without ceasing be the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and blessed forever be the pure and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Amen.




BACK-------BACK TO THE PASSION-------NEXT


www.catholictradition.org/Passion/passion-prayers8f.htm