Prayer Before Communion (St Thomas Aquinas)

The prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, behold I come to the Sacrament of Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As one sick I come to the physician of life; as one unclean to the fountain of mercy; blind to the light of eternal brightness; poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.

I implore, therefore, the abundance of Thy infinite bounty, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal my sickness, to wash my uncleanness, to enlighten my blindness, to enrich my poverty, and to clothe my nakedness; that I may receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, with such reverence and humility, such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith, such purpose and intention as may be profitable to my soul's salvation.

Grant me, I beseech Thee, to receive not only the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, but also the grace and power of the Sacrament. O most gracious God, grant me so to receive the Body of Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which He took from the Virgin Mary, that I may be found worthy to be incorporated into His mystical Body, and to be numbered among His members.

O most loving Father, grant that I may one day contemplate for ever, face to face, Thy beloved Son, whom now on my pilgrimage I am about to receive under a veil; who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.