Saints LightO Salutaris Hostia
The last two verses of a hymn by St Thomas Aquinas for Corpus Christi; the English is the translation by Edward Caswall (1849). It is sung as the Blessed Sacrament is placed in the monstrance at the start of Benediction and adoration.
The prayer
O saving Victim, opening wide
The gate of heaven to man below!
Our foes press on from every side;
Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.
To Thy great name be endless praise,
Immortal Godhead, One in Three!
O grant us endless length of days
In our true native land with Thee. Amen.
In Latin
O salutaris Hostia, quae caeli pandis ostium: bella premunt hostilia, da robur, fer auxilium. Uni trinoque Domino sit sempiterna gloria, qui vitam sine termino nobis donet in patria. Amen.
Pray it this week
When something in your week feels like a battle, pray the first verse and ask Jesus for His strength by name.
More in Hymns and Canticles
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