Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

I give you thanks,
O Lord, Father almighty, eternal God,
who have been pleased to nourish me,
a sinner and your unworthy servant,
with the precious body and blood
of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ:
this through no merits of my own,
but due solely to the graciousness of your mercy.
And I pray that this Holy Communion
may not be for me an offence to be punished,
but a saving plea for forgiveness.
May it be for me the armour of faith,
and the shield of good will.
May it root out from my heart all vice;
may it utterly subdue my evil passions
and all my unruly desires.
May it perfect me in charity and patience;
in humility and obedience; and in all other virtues.
May it be my sure defence against the snares
laid for me by my enemies, visible and invisible.
May it restrain and quiet all my evil impulses,
and make me ever cleave to you the one true God.
May I owe to it a happy ending of my life.
And do you O heavenly Father, one day call me, a sinner,
to that ineffable banquet, where you,
together with your Son and the Holy Spirit,
are to your saints true and unfailing light,
fullness of contentment, everlasting joy,
eternal gladness, perfect happiness.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer of St. Bonaventure

Most sweet Lord Jesus, pierce my inmost soul
with the most joyous and healthful wound of your love.
Pierce it with serene, apostolic and most holy charity,
that my soul may ever yearn and melt with love for you
and the desire to possess you.
May my soul be drawn towards you
and overwhelmed with the hope of entering your courts.
May long to be dissolved and to be with you.
Grant that my soul may hunger for you,
the Bread of Angels, and the food of holy souls,
our super substantial Bread,
having in itself every sweetness and good taste,
having the delightfulness of all that charms my heart.
May my heart always long for you,
and find nourishment in you
on whom the angels long to gaze
and may my inmost heart be filled with the sweetness of your savour.
May my heart thirst for you, the fountain of life,
and of wisdom and knowledge,
of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure,
and the richness of the house of God.
May my heart always draw near to you,
seek you, catch sight of you, be drawn to you,
and arrive at your presence.
May my heart think of you, speak of you,
and do all things that it does for the glory of your name,
with humility and care and affection and delight,
with eagerness and deep feeling and with perseverance to the end.
Thus may you alone always be my hope,
all my confidence, my joy, my rest,
and my tranquillity, my peace, all that charms me;
my fragrance, my sweetness, my food,
my nourishment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom,
my portion, my possession, my treasure.
In you may my mind and my heart
be fixed and secure and rooted
forever without any change.
Amen.

The Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me;
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, wash me;
Passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesus hear me;
Within your wounds hide me;
separated from you, let me never be;
From the evil one protect me;
At the hour of my death, call me;
And close to you bid me; That with your saints,
I may be praising you forever and ever.
Amen.