A Prayer Before Mass

Almighty and ever-living God,

I approach the sacrament

of Your only-begotten Son

Our Lord Jesus Christ,

I come sick to the doctor of life,

unclean to the fountain of mercy,

blind to the radiance of eternal light,

and poor and needy to the Lord

of heaven and earth.

Lord, in your great generosity,

heal my sickness,

wash away my defilement,

enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty,

and clothe my nakedness.

May I receive the bread of angels,

the King of kings and Lord of lords,

with humble reverence,

with the purity and faith,

the repentance and love,

and the determined purpose

that will help to bring me to salvation.

May I receive the sacrament

of the Lord's Body and Blood,

and its reality and power.

Kind God,

may I receive the Body

of Your only-begotten Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ,

born from the womb of the Virgin Mary,

and so be received into His mystical body

and numbered among His members.

Loving Father,

as on my earthly pilgrimage

I now receive Your beloved Son

under the veil of a sacrament,

may I one day see him face to face in glory,

who lives and reigns with You for ever.

Amen.

- Saint Thomas Aquinas