“We have no king but Caesar”, shout the crowds. (Jn 19:15) Time and again, through the moral choices we make; through the influencers and politicians and pundits we listen to; through our attraction to the powerful and wealthy of this world and our willingness to imitate their ways, we often cry out like those crowds did, and we give our obeisance to a king other than the one seated here in dignified solitude.
The Eucharist is a tremendous gift, the very Body of Christ Himself. After Holy Communion, take some time to thank God for this gift with the aid of these prayers, which will guide your heart in offering a humble and holy thanksgiving, while asking the Lord to help you become more worthy of the Sacrament.
At the end of Mass, take some time to thank the Lord for the great event you have just been part of. With these beautiful prayers, including the Anima Christi, the Universal Prayer Attributed to Pope Clement XI, and Prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, lift your heart to God and ask Him to make you holy.
The Eucharist may look like bread to our own eyes, but it is the Source and Summit of Christian life. Prepare yourself for receiving the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ with these prayers before Holy Communion.
For many years, Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur secretly documented her spiritual insights within her journals and letters. After her life was tragically cut short by cancer, her husband, a passionate atheist, discovered and lovingly catalogued the treasure trove of wisdom she had left behind. Influenced by the profound content of her writings, her husband converted and became a Dominican priest. Read some of the profound wisdom contained within Elisabeth's writings in this blog.
The Church prays for the dead, and this prayer says much about the reality of the Church itself. It says that the Church continues to live in the hope of eternal life. Prayer for the dead is almost a battle with the reality of death and destruction that weighs down upon the earthly existence of man.
