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Prayers in Preparation for Holy Communion
Prayer of St Basil the Great
O Lord, I know that if I partake unworthily of Your most pure Body and
precious Blood, I will be guilty. I will be eating and drinking my own
condemnation by not giving proper reverence to Your Body and Blood. But,
trusting in Your mercy, I dare come to You, for You have said: "He who eats
my Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me and I in him." Be merciful to me,
a sinner, O Lord, and do not reject me, but deal with me according to Your
mercy. Grant that this Holy Mystery be for the healing of my soul and body,
for the enlightenment of my mind, and for the protection of my life. Let it
be for the amendment of my conduct, for perseverance, for the increase of
virtue, and for protection in the communion of Your Holy Spirit. Give me
Your Body and Blood, O Lord, as a provision for the journey to eternal life,
and for an acceptable answer at Your judgment seat. Do not let it be for my
judgment or condemnation. Amen.
Prayer of St Symeon the Translator
O only pure and sinless Lord, who through the ineffable compassion of Your
love for mankind assumed our whole nature through the pure and virgin blood
of her who conceived You in a manner surpassing nature by the coming of the
Holy Spirit and the good will of the Eternal Father. O Christ Jesus, Wisdom,
Peace, and Power of God, through the human nature which You took to
Yourself, You suffered the life-giving and saving Passion--the Cross, the
nails, the spear, and death itself. Put to death in me the soul-destroying
passions of the body.
Through Your burial You spoiled the dominion of hell. Bury with good
thoughts my evil schemes and scatter the spirits of wickedness. Through Your
life-giving Resurrection on the third day, You raised up our first father
Adam who had fallen. Raise me up who am sunk low in sin and grant me the
image of repentance. Through Your glorious Ascension You made the flesh
which You had assumed become divine, and placed it on the Throne at the
Father's right hand. Grant me to receive a place at the right hand with
those who are saved through the communion of Your holy Mysteries. Through
the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, You made Your holy disciples
to be honorable vessels. Show me also to be a recipient of His coming. You
have promised to come again to judge the world in righteousness. Grant that
I may go to meet You in the clouds, O my Judge and Creator, together with
all Your saints, so that I may praise and glorify You for all eternity,
together with Your eternal Father and Your most holy, glorious, and
life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
A prayer of St John Chrysostom
O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, absolve, remit, pardon, and forgive me the
sins, offences, and transgressions, which I Your sinful, unprofitable, and
unworthy servant, have committed from my youth to this present day and hour,
whether in knowledge, or in ignorance, whether of words or deeds, whether in
thought or imagination, in my undertakings, or in any of my senses. And by
the intercessions of her who conceived You without seed, the immaculate and
ever-virgin Mary, Your Mother, my only unashamed hope, my protection and my
salvation, make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your
immaculate, immortal, life-giving, and dread Mysteries, for the forgiveness
of sins and to eternal life, to sanctification, enlightenment, strength,
healing, and health of both soul and body, and to the blotting out and
complete obliteration of my evil thoughts and imaginings and intents, of
night fantasies and the evil spirits of darkness; for Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory and the honor and the worship, with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Another prayer of St John Chrysostom
O Lord my God, how well I know that I am unworthy that You should enter
under the roof of my soul; but since in Your love for mankind You will to
dwell in me, I take courage and approach. You command: I will open wide the
doors which You alone created, that You may enter with love as is Your
nature, enter and enlighten my darkened thought. I believe that You will do
this, for You did not banish the Harlot who approached You with tears, nor
did You reject the Publican who repented, nor did You drive away the Thief
who acknowledged Your Kingdom, nor did You leave the repentant persecutor,
the Apostle Paul, to himself; but all who had been brought to You by
repentance You sat in the company of Your friends, O You who alone are
blessed always now and to endless ages. Amen.
Prayer of St John Damascene
I stand before the doors of Your temple, and I do not forsake my grievous
thoughts. But, O Christ my God, as You justified the tax-collector, and had
mercy on the woman of Canaan, and opened the gates of Paradise to the thief,
open to me the inner depths of Your love for mankind, and receive me as I
come and repent before You. Receive me as You received the harlot and the
woman with the issue of blood. For the first embraced Your pure feet and
received the forgiveness of her sins, while the second just touched the hem
of Your garment and received healing. And I, in my pitiableness, dare to
receive Your whole Body, may I not be burned; but receive me as You have
received them, and enlighten my spiritual senses, burning up my sinful
faults, through the prayers of her who gave birth to You without seed, and
of the angelic powers, for You are blessed forever. Amen.
Prayer of St Cyril of Alexandria
Most blessed and glorious Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary, you are the
nourisher of our lives. Your Blessed Fruit strengthens and enlivens with the
Bread of Life and the Wine of Endearment those who trust in Him. I beseech
you, make me worthy to partake of this truly divine Food and Drink which
your only Son, our God, has given us to fill us with grace and glory. Make
us worthy to bless Him and you, now and ever and forever. Amen.
At Liturgy say this prayer just before receiving Communion:
O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the
Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first.
Accept me as a partaker of Your mystical supper, O Son of God; for I will
not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss as did
Judas, but like the thief, I confess you:
Remember me, O Lord, when You shall come into Your kingdom!
Remember me, O Master, when You shall come into Your kingdom!
Remember me, O Holy One, when You shall come into Your kingdom!
May the partaking of Your holy mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or
condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body.
O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive,
is truly Your most precious Body, and your life-giving Blood, which, I pray,
make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life
everlasting. Amen.
O God, be merciful to me a sinner!
O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me!
O Lord, forgive me, for I have sinned without number.
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