PRAYERS BEFORE COMMUNION  

If thou hast purposed, O man, to eat the Body of the Lord, approach in fear lest thou be scorched; for it is fire: and, before drinking the Divine Blood unto communion, first reconcile thyself to them that have wronged thee, then venture to eat that mystical Food. Before partaking, however, of the fearful Sacrifice of the life-creating Body of the Lord, say in fear and reverence:

USUAL BEGINNING

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good gifts and Giver of Life, come and abide in us, and cleanse us of all impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. 

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, wash away our sins, O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy Name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy. (3 times)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.  

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

PRAYER OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Source of life and immortality, Creator of all things visible and invisible, Son coeternal with the everlasting Father, Who out of Thy great loving-kindness didst in the last days become incarnate and wast crucified for us, and hast renewed with Thine own Blood, our nature corrupted by sin; do Thou Thyself, immortal King, accept the repentance of Thy sinful servant. Incline Thine ear towards me and hearken unto my supplications; for I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and I am not worthy to raise mine eyes to the height of Thy glory. I have also angered Thy goodness by transgressing Thy commandments and by not obeying Thine ordinances. But Thou, O Lord, Who art long-suffering and of great mercy, hast not given me over to perish in my sins, but always awaiteth my conversion; for Thou hast said by Thy Prophets, O Thou Lover of mankind, that Thou hast no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn back and live. Thou wiliest not, O Lord, that the works of Thy hands should be lost, neither hast Thou pleasure in the perdition of men, but desirest that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Therefore, even I unworthy of heaven, or yet of earth and of this temporal life, since I have submitted to sin and made myself a slave of pleasure, defiling Thine image, but being still Thy creature and Thy handiwork, have not despaired of salvation, reprobate as I am; and, emboldened by Thine immeasurable compassion, I come unto Thee. Receive me, O Lord, Who lovest mankind, as Thou didst receive the adulteress, the thief, the publican, and the prodigal. 

Take away the heavy burden of my sins, O Thou who takest away the sins of the world, who healest the infirmities of men, who callest unto Thyself the weary and the burdened and givest them rest, who camest not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And do Thou cleanse me from every defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, and teach me to perfect holiness in the fear of Thee, that, in the pure testimony of my conscience, receiving my portion of Thy holy things, I may be united with Thy holy Body and precious Blood, and have Thee to dwell and remain within me, with the Father and thy Holy Spirit. O Lord Jesus Christ my God, grant that the communion of Thy holy and life-giving Mysteries may not be to my condemnation; nor let me be afflicted in soul and body by partaking unworthily; but grant me unto the last breath of my life to partake uncondemned, of my share of Thy holy things, looking to the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, to provision for life eternal, and to a favourable answer at Thy terrible judgment seat; that even I may also become with Thine elect, a partaker of Thine incorruptible blessings, which Thou hast prepared for those who love Thee, in whom, O Lord, Thou art glorified to endless ages. Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

I know, O Lord my God, that I am not worthy nor sufficient that Thou shouldest come under the roof of my soul’s habitation; for it is all deserted and in ruins, and Thou findest not in me a place worthy to lay Thy head. But as from the height of Thy glory Thou didst humble Thyself for us, bear now also with my humility; and as Thou didst deign to lay Thyself down in a manger of dumb beasts, so deign now also to enter into the manger of my dumb soul and defiled body; and as Thou didst not refuse to enter into the house of Simon the leper and to dine there with sinners, so also deign to enter the habitation of my humble soul, leprous and sinful. And as Thou didst not reject the sinful woman who approached and touched Thee, so also have pity on me, a sinner, as I approach and touch Thee. And as Thou didst not despise the unclean lips of her that kissed Thee, so also despise not my unclean lips; but may the fiery coal of Thy most holy Body and precious Blood be for the sanctification, enlightenment, and health of my humble soul and body; for the alleviation of the burden of my many sins, for my preservation from the work of the devil, for victory over my sinful and evil habits, for the mortification of my passions, for the fulfillment of thy commandments, for the increase of Thy divine grace, and for the inheritance of Thy kingdom; for it is not in lightness of heart, O Christ my God, that I venture to approach Thee, but trusting in Thine ineffable goodness, and in fear, lest being drawn far from Thee, I become the prey of the beast of the spirit. Therefore do I pray Thee, O Lord, Who alone art holy, that Thou wouldest sanctify my soul and body, my heart and mind, and, renewing me entirely, wouldest implant in my members the fear of Thee, and that Thou let not Thy sanctification be rejected by me. Be Thou my help and guide, governing my life in the ways of peace, and making me worthy to obtain with Thy saints a place at Thy right hand; through the prayers and supplications of Thy most pure Mother, of Thine ministering angels, and of the undefiled powers, and of all Thy saints who, from the ages, have found favour with Thee. Amen.

PRAYER OF ST. SYMEON THE METAPHRAST

Only pure and sinless Lord, who for the compassion of Thine ineffable love to mankind didst take our entire nature from the pure blood of the Virgin, the blood of her who in a supernatural manner didst give Thee birth by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the will of the eternal Father, who, after the flesh which Thou didst take, didst accept the life-giving Passion of salvation, the Cross, the nails, the spear, and death; deaden the soul-corrupting passions of my body. O Thou who by Thy burial didst spoil the dominions of hell, bury under good thoughts my evil schemes and scatter the spirits of wickedness. Thou who by Thy life-giving Resurrection on the third-day didst raise the first parent who had fallen, lift me who slippeth in sin, placing before me the ways of repentance, O Thou who by Thy glorious Ascension didst vouchsafe that the nature which Thou hadst taken should sit at the right hand of the Father, thereby ennobling it, so prepare me that, by partaking of Thy holy Mysteries, I may attain the favour of the saved. O Thou who by the descent of the comforting Spirit didst make Thy disciples precious vessels, make me also a vessel for His descent, O Thou who art about to come to judge the universe with righteousness. Consent, O my Maker and Creator, that I too may welcome Thee in the clouds with all Thy saints, that I may ceaselessly glorify Thee, praising Thee with thy Father Who hath no beginning, and Thy good, life-giving and Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

FIRST PRAYER OF ST. JOHN DAMASCENE

O Lord and Master Jesus Christ our God, who alone hast power to absolve men from their sins, for Thou art good and lovest mankind, forgive all my transgressions done in knowledge or in ignorance, and make me worthy without condemnation to partake of Thy divine and glorious and pure and life-creating Mysteries. Let them not be for my punishment, or for the increase of my sins. But let them be for my purification and sanctification, as a promise of the life and kingdom to come, a defense and a help and a repulsion of every evil attacker, and the removal of my many transgressions. For Thou art a God of mercy and generosity and love for mankind, and to Thee we send up glory, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

SECOND PRAYER OF ST. JOHN DAMASCENE

I stand before the gates of Thy temple, O Lord, and yet I do not refrain from evil thoughts. But Thou, O Christ God, who didst justify the publican, hadst mercy on the Canaanite woman, and didst open the gates of paradise to the thief on the Cross, open unto me the heart of Thy most compassionate mercy, and receive me coming unto Thee and touching Thee, like the woman with the issue of blood, and like the sinful woman; for one touched but the hem of Thy garment and was healed, and the other embracing Thy feet, received forgiveness of her sins.

But I, most wretched, dare to partake of thy precious Body. O let me not be consumed, but receive me as Thou didst receive them, and enlighten my spiritual senses and destroy all my sinful inclinations. Hear me through the prayers of Thy holy Mother and of Thy heavenly hosts; for Thou art blessed throughout all ages. Amen.

ANOTHER PRAYER BY ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

I believe, O Lord, and confess that Thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who didst come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. And I believe that this is Thy most pure Body and this Thy most pure Blood. Therefore I pray Thee, have mercy upon me and forgive me my sins, voluntary or involuntary, in word and in deed, committed in knowledge or in ignorance; and vouchsafe me, to partake of Thy most pure Mysteries uncondemned, to the remission of sins, and to life eternal. Amen.