www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer Preparation for Holy Communion

Brothers and Sisters:

All of the Apostolic Churches have a tradition that one ought to pray in preparation for the reception of the Lord's Most Holy Body and Most Precious Blood. I have obtained a book from Roman Catholic Books of Ft. Collins, Colorado--a printer dedicated to reprinting books that are of value and out-of-print--entitled "Ancient Devotions for Holy Communion." This collection was originally compiled in England and first published in 1929. It intended to bring the prayer riches of the many ancient Churches to an English-speaking audience.

I have, at the risk of being chastised, posted them here with my own modifications to the Elizabethan English that they were reprinted in. My intention is clarity for the person who wishes to pray in this era and who might be put off by the antiquated language. My purpose is to facilitate prayer.

I post a small sampling from traditions that are less known than the Latin and Byzantine. This has helped me focus on both Who I am receiving and how the Holy Spirit has worked in such an awesome way to have different traditions speak almost the same language when it comes to prayer.

There will be some of our brethren from these Churches who read these prayers and not recognize them. I post here only what the book itself carries with an updating of the language.
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Preparation Prayers from the Armenian tradition

I. Lord, Our God, You have called us Christians from the Name of Your Only-Begotten Son; You have given us Baptism, a spiritual bath for the remission of sins; and You have given us the privilege of being partakers of the most Holy Body and Blood of Your Only-Begotten Son. Grant us now, Lord, we humbly ask You, that we may receive this Holy Mystery for the remission of our sins. We give thanks and glory to You, together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, world without end. Amen.

II. Let us in holiness eat the most Holy and most Pure Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who, having descended from Heaven, is distributed among us. He is the Life, the Hope, the Resurrection, the Cleansing, and the Remission of sins.
Sing to the Lord Our God, sing a psalm to our Immortal, Heavenly King, who sits on the chariot of the Cherubim.
Sing a Psalm to the Lord Our God, you choirs of angels! Sing spiritual songs to Him with a sweet voice, for blessing in Psalms, Alleluia, and spiritual melody are fitting for Him.
You, his ministers, sing Psalms with melody and praise the Lord in the heavens.
Christ is brought and distributed in the midst of us. Alleluia.
He gives us His body for our food, and sprinkles us with His Holy Blood. Alleluia.
Come near to the Lord and receive light. Alleluia.
Taste and see how good the Lord is. Alleluia.
Bless the Lord in the heavens. Alleluia.
Bless Him in the highest. Alleluia.
Bless Him all you His Angels. Alleluia.
Bless Him all you His Powers. Alleluia.

III. What blessing or what thanksgiving can we offer for this Bread and Cup?
You alone, Jesus, we bless, together with the Father, and the Most Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.

IV. Holy Father, You have called us by the Name of Your Only-Begotten Son, and have enlightened us by the spiritual washing of Baptism, grant that we may partake of this Holy Mystery for the remission of sins. Imprint in us the grace of the Holy Spirit, as You did in the Holy Apostles. Make us like the Apostles, who when they received Him, became purifiers to the world. Now, Lord Good Father, take away the cloud of our sins and make us by our participation in this to become partakers with Your Disciples in Your Last Supper.
Look away from our unworthiness and do not take back the grace of Your Spirit. Through Your infinite love for man, grant that this participation may be for the purification and remission of our sins, as Our Lord Jesus Christ promised when He said, �Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood shall have eternal life.� May this partaking be a purification for us so that we may bless and glorify the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever, world without end. Amen.
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Preparation Prayer from the Coptic tradition

Lord Jesus, as you opened the eyes of the blind, open the eyes of our hearts, drive the blindness of wickedness and vice from us, and clean us from the defiling stain of sin that we may raise our eyes to the beauty of Your Holy Glory on high.
As You cleaned the lips of the prophet Isaiah--when one of the Seraphim took a coal from the altar with tongs and touched him with it saying, �This which touches your lips shall take away your sin�--grant to us wretched sinners, Your servants, who now eat and drink the Mysteries, to be cleansed by them in soul, body, lips, and heart. Give us this true, live coal that gives life to soul, body, and spirit: Your holy Body and precious Blood.
May this Holy Gift not bring us judgment, reproach, or condemnation because of our sins, but, having participated in these Mysteries, grant that our unworthiness may not make us answerable for them.
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Preparation Prayers from the Liturgy of St. James

I. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is broken, but not divided; distributed to the faithful, but not consumed, for the remission of their sins and for eternal life, now and ever and to all ages. Amen.

II. Lord Our God, Heavenly Bread, Life of the world, I have sinned against Heaven and before Your Face. I am not worthy to partake of Your Spotless Mysteries. But You are a Compassionate God and I ask You to make me worthy, by Your grace, to partake without condemnation of Your Holy Body and Precious Blood for the remission of my sins and for eternal life.

III. God Our Father, in Your great and ineffable love for man, You sent Your Son into the world to bring back the wandering sheep. Do not turn Your Face from us when we approach Your tremendous and unbloody sacrifice for we do not trust our own righteousness but rather Your gracious compassion whereby You redeem our race.

IV. Lord God, Our Master, do not reject me who am defiled by so many sins. I approach this Your divine and heavenly Mystery, not as one who is worthy, but as one trusting in Your goodness. I raise my voice to You and say with the Publican, �God, be merciful to me a sinner.� I have sinned against heaven and before Your Face; I am not worthy to look at Your holy and spiritual Table where Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, is mystically set out as a sacrifice for me a sinner, who am stained with every defilement.
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Preparation Prayer from the Mozarabic Liturgy

Remove from us, Lord, all our sins and the spirit of arrogance and pride which You resist. Fill us with the spirit of fear and awe; give us a humble and contrite heart which You will not despise. Grant that we may be worthy to enter with pure minds into the Holy of Holies, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end. Amen.
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I thought this might be something profitable for Great Lent for all of us.

In Christ,

BOB

Another keeper! Thanks, Bob.

Thank you for this.
Last time I had tried to get this book from them, they were out of it at that time.
CS

One of my avocations is to take dated language and try to work it into something a bit more readable and useable, while taking GREAT CARE not to tamper with the structure and thought of the sentence itself. Since I started as an English teacher, language still holds a great deal of fascination for me.

I'm working on some of the thanksgivings that each tradition has, too.

Prayers hold a particular interest to me since there are two things to be gained. One is another way to converse with the One we want to spend eternity with. The other is to appreciate the way in which the Holy Spirit has moved another to express the praise of God. It seems there is an infinite variety here, yet the Apostolic Faith comes through so clearly regardless of the culture.

I thank God for the treasure that this book is and continues to be.

In Christ,

BOB

Here's a couple more, based on the Parable of the Wedding Feast:

Prayer of Preparation

Lord, I have entered Your Wedding Feast and stand among Your worthy guests. Each one here has multiplied his talents and produced much fruit. Each one here is clothed in his Batpismal garment, the garment of holiness you give to each one of us. Each one here awaits Your Word of praise and the reward of ruling over ten cities. And here am I, naked because I have thrown away my Baptismal garment by sin. I am covered with the leprosy of sin, unworthy of Your Presence, an abomination in Your Sight and in the Sight of Your Father and the Holy Spirit, and an affront to Your Holy Mother and to all the Heavenly Powers and blessed spirits who have served You in every age and who are gathered into Your Kingdom. I know, Lord, that I am not worthy of being part of this assembly of Your worthy guests but am worthy only of being bound and cast out.

But I come here, knowing that You are He that has said, �I desire not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn again to Me and to live.� So I have come here seeking Your Saving Mercy. Accordingly, I ask you to coat me with Your Precious Blood, the only acceptable garment in Your Father�s Sight and make me whole and holy by this holy coating, one drop of which can take away the sin of the whole world. I ask You to coat me so that on the Day of Your Divine and Terrible Judgment all may see that the length and breadth and height and depth of Your Mercy can extend even to me a sinner and not thereby be diminished, reduced, or otherwise compromised. Today, when You have mercy on me, the least of all Your creation, and so clothe me for Your wedding feast, let all who see be in awe of You. Let me partake, suitably clothed in Your Precious Blood, with Your worthy guests, of Your Most Pure Mysteries for the remission of my sins and unto life everlasting, but not for judgment or condemnation because I do not sufficiently revere You and Your Holy Mysteries above all other beings and things. Let me always remember that Your Mercy is a gift to me, a gift that I cannot deserve, cannot merit, and cannot repay. Let me always remember that Your Mercy is a reflection of Your Love that I will never understand because it is unconditional and uncompromising. Having received You and having You absorbed into every fiber of my being, let me go forth from this place to be Your Eyes to seek out, Your Ears to listen, Your Voice to encourage and to pray, Your Hands to work, Your Arms to embrace, and Your Legs to carry me to wherever You may need Your Presence to be. Heal me by Your Holy Gift and direct my life to You and to Your Kingdom from this point. Set my heart on fire with love for You, O Christ My God, that in its flame I may love You with my whole heart, my whole soul, my whole mind and my whole strength, and my neighbor as myself, so that, keeping Your Commandments, I may give glory to You, together with Your Father Who is from everlasting, and the All-Holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. AMEN.

After Communion:

Glory to Thee, O Christ, Our God and Our Sure Hope, glory to Thee. (3 times)

Pass through me, O Holy and Divine Fire, and burn away all the thorns of my own sin, wicked habits and thoughts, and sinful inclinations that threaten to choke out Your Life in me as the thorns choked out the Word in the Parable of the Sower. Make me the kind of example You want me to be for Your People, help me to love You always above everything, show me Your Kindness, grant me a spirit of true repentance, keep me close to You always, and then do with me what You will. AMEN.

Many thanks Bob for this and for ALL your heart-felt and moving prayer...shared with us for His praise and for our edification and salvation!

Glory be to the Most Holy Name of Jesus, the Christ and our salvation!

Your poor brother in His service,
+Fr. Gregory

Bob,

Thanks for these, particularly those for Communion.

Many years,

Neil