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Prayers before Holy Communion
from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
I believe, Lord, and I confess, that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who did come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. I also believe that this is truly Your most pure Body and that this is truly Your most precious Blood.
Therefore, I pray to You, have mercy upon me, and forgive my transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, in word and in deed, both known and unknown. And make me worthy without condemnation to partake of Your sacred Mysteries unto the remission of my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.
Behold my Creator, as I approach for Holy Communion. Burn me not as I partake, for You are a fire, which burns the unworthy. But cleanse me from every stain.
Receive me today, Son of God, as a partaker of Your Mystical Feast. For I will not reveal Your mystery to Your adversaries. Nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas. But as the thief I will confess to You: Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.
Tremble, O mortal, beholding the Divine Blood, for it is a fiery coal which burns the unworthy. It is God’s Body and it deifies and nourishes me: It deifies my soul and wondrously nourishes my mind.
You have smitten me with yearning, O Christ, and with Your divine love You have changed me. Consume my sins with spiritual fire and make me worthy to be filled with Your joy, that rejoicing in Your goodness, I may magnify Your two presences.
Into the glorious company of Your saints, how shall I, the unworthy, enter? If I should dare to enter into the bridal chamber, my robe betrays me, for it is not a festal garment; and I shall be bound and cast out by the angels. Cleanse, O Lord, my soul from pollution, and by Your compassion, save me.
Master Who loves mankind, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, let not these Holy Gifts be to my judgment because I am unworthy, but rather for the purification and sanctification of both soul and body and as a pledge of the life and Kingdom to come. It is good for me to cleave unto God and to place in Him the hope of my salvation.
O Son of God, receive me today as a partaker of Your mystical supper. For I will not speak of the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss, as did Judas. But like the thief, I will confess: Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom.
God as Fire
O Creator, burn me not as I partake, for You are fire which burns the unworthy.
“For our God is a consuming fire.”
(Hebrews 12:29)
”One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. “This is strange,” he thought. “Why isn't the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.”
When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Yes, here I am.”
God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”” (Exodus 3: 1-6)
“Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” (Isaiah 6: 6-7)
“For our God is a consuming Fire, and they, therefore, who with faith and fear draw near to the God and King and Judge of us all, shall burn and scorch their sins; and It shall enlighten and sanctify their souls.”
— St. John Chrysostom
CONVERSATIONS WITH CHILDREN
God is fire — but He is a special kind of fire which doesn’t burn good things; it only burns “the unworthy,” those parts that are not pure or holy. That’s why the burning bush only had its bad parts burned away while the good parts, the green and healthy branches, were all better than ever! When we receive Holy Communion, Jesus comes into our hearts, and we invite Him to burn away any parts of us that are unhealthy or bad, leaving those good parts of us to grow and shine.
Abide in Us
In the prayer to the Holy Spirit, we pray:
O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth:
You are everywhere present, filling all things;
Treasury of blessings and Giver of Life:
come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One!
We ask the Holy Spirit to “come and abide in us” which means, come and make a home inside of us. It is wonderful to think of God coming to live in our hearts.
We can invite our children to imagine their hearts as houses that need to be fixed up and cleaned. They might even draw their hearts (what sort of house is your heart?)
Holy Communion is one way of cleaning those hearts and preparing them for God to come and live in them. (Confession is another.)
As we approach for Holy Communion, we might envision our Lord cleaning our hearts and preparing them to become proper homes for the Holy Spirit!
Additional Resource
You may enjoy this Raising Saints episode with ideas for helping children to visualize some of the images used in the prayers before Holy Communion.