Our Catholic heritage is full of many beautiful prayers and devotions. Here are just a few. Additional prayers may be found at Catholic.org
Prayer Before Mass
Receive, O Holy Trinity, One God, this Holy Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which I, Your unworthy servant, desire now to offer to Your Divine Majesty by the hands of this Your minister, with all the Sacrifices which have ever been or will be offered to You, in union with that most Holy Sacrifice offered by the same Christ our Lord at the Last Supper, and on the Altar of the Cross.
I offer it to You with the utmost affection of devotion, out of pure love for Your infinite goodness, and according to the most holy intention of the same Christ our Lord, and of our Holy Mother the Church.
O God, almighty and merciful, grant us through this Holy Sacrifice, joy and peace, a holier life, time to do penance, grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in good works.
Amen.
Act of Contrition before Holy Communion
I desire, O my Savior,
humbly to offer Thee the sacrifice of a troubled spirit
and a contrite heart.
I grieve from my inmost heart
that I have ever offended Thee by my sins,
Thee my God and my chief good,
Thee who art so gracious to me,
and so oft refreshest me in Thy Blessed Sacrament.
I grieve especially for the sins of
[name(s) of the person(s)]
which Thou knowest,
Thou searcher of our hearts,
and which I, a miserable sinner,
do confess in the bitterness of my soul.
Would that I had never offended Thee!
Yet a contrite and humble heart, O God,
Thou wilt not despise;
Thou who for love of us didst give to us
Thine Only-Begotten Son,
to wash us from our sins in His own Blood.
Amen.
Prayer before Communion – “No Other Treasure Besides Thee”
I will have no other treasure besides Thee, good Jesus! My heart shall no longer seek its Best-Beloved; it has found Him. My love shall no more languish far from Thee, now that I know Thy dwelling-place. Oh, draw me now entirely to Thee, divine Lover, my mind with all its thoughts, my heart with all its desires and affections, my will with all its actions, my body with all is senses, that I may live no longer in myself but in Thee!
Amen.
…by St. Peter Julian Eymard
Act of Thanksgiving after Holy Communion
My Lord Jesus Christ,
most sweet and most kind,
who even now, of Thy great goodness,
hast entered into this poor and humble abode,
adorn it and enrich it with Thy treasures,
that it may be made worthy of Thine indwelling.
Take up Thy rest therein,
that my heart may find its rest in Thee alone.
Let it not suffice Thee, O Lord,
to have given me Thy sacred Body;
give me also the treasures of grace
which Thou bringest with Thee;
for it will profit me little to eat the Bread of life,
if I remain unfed by Thy grace.
Give me, O Lord,
a heart completely transformed into Thee by love;
give me a life that shall be all Thine,
a quiet death that shall be the beginning of eternal life.
That is what I look for,
pray and hope for from Thee,
my eternal God,
by virtue of this Blessed Sacrament..
Amen.
A Prayer to Obtain Final Perseverance
Eternal Father, I humbly adore Thee, and thank Thee for having created me, and for having redeemed me through Jesus Christ. I thank Thee most sincerely for having made me a Christian, by giving me the true faith, and by adopting me as Thy son, in the sacrament of baptism. I thank Thee for having, after the numberless sins I had committed, waited for my repentance, and for having pardoned (as I humbly hope) all the offences which I have offered to Thee, and for which I am now sincerely sorry, because they have been displeasing to Thee, who art infinite goodness. I thank Thee for having preserved me from so many relapses, of which I would have been guilty if Thou hadst not protected me. But my enemies still continue, and will continue till death, to combat against me, and to endeavor to make me their slave. If Thou dost not constantly guard and succor me with thy aid, I, a miserable creature, shall return to sin, and shall certainly lose Thy grace. I beseech Thee, then, for the love of Jesus Christ, to grant me holy perseverance unto death. Jesus, Thy Son, has promised that Thou wilt grant whatsoever we ask in his name. Through the merits, then, of Jesus Christ, I beg, for myself and for all the just, the grace never again to be separated from Thy love, but to love Thee forever, in time and eternity. Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.
Amen.
