Prayer before Holy Mass by Saint Thomas Aquinas
Almighty and ever-living God, I draw near to the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the physician of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the light of eternal brightness, poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.
So I ask You, most generous Lord: graciously heal my infirmity, wash me clean, illumine 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 such reverence and humility, such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith, and such resolve and determination as may secure my soul's salvation. Grant as I may receive not only the visible, sign of the Lord's Body and Blood, but also all the reality and the power of the sacrament.
Grant, most kind God, that I may receive the Body of Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which He received from the Virgin Mary, and may receive it in such a way that I become a living part of His Mystical Body and counted 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 forever and ever. Amen.
