Almighty Lord Jesus Christ, as often as I shall come to Your holy table to refresh my spirit, I pray You to make me, unworthy as I am, worthy through Your grace; impure as I am, to make me clean; naked as I am to clothe me, so that Your Body, so full of divine power, and Your most precious Blood may not become for me, Your servant, the occasion for judgment or punishment, but a memorial of the death You underwent for me, a strengthening of my faith, a proof of the taking away of my sins, a bond of closer union with You, an increase of holiness, the basis of a glad resurrection, and a pledge of everlasting life. Amen. (Blessed David Hollaz)
The Holy Transfiguration Prayerbook has 10 great prayers of the fathers of the Church. My favorite and the one we say every Liturgy as a community is one of St. John Chrysostom's:
ReplyDeleteI believe, O Lord, and I 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 chief. And I believe that this is thy immaculate body and that this thy precious blood. Wherefore, I pray unto thee: Have mercy upon me and forgive me my transgressions, both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, of knowledge and ignorance and make me worthy to partake, without condemnation, of thine immaculate mysteries unto the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Amen.
Christopher,
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my all time favorite prayers as well. I believe that the Western Rite folks have inserted into both the liturgy of St. Gregory and of St. Tikhon.