What Did the Saints Do at Mass?

You're waiting in your pew while the people in front of you are lining up for Communion. It will probably be one, maybe two minutes before your pew starts moving. What do you do?

We have a good idea of what St. Thomas Aquinas did in situations like this — he prayed. He wrote down one of the prayers that he used, and shared it with his brother Dominicans. They must have been so struck by the prayer that they kept it, copied it, and handed it on, down through the generations. Today, you can find St. Thomas' "Prayer Before Holy Communion" in the free Catholic Information Service booklet, Prayer Time: A Collection of Catholic Prayers.

By attentively praying the words St. Thomas gave us, we can have one of the greatest teachers of the Church guide us to a more intimate relationship with God and a more worthy and effective reception of Communion. His prayer reflects his deep understanding of our position before God, and the true meaning of the central Sacrament of the Catholic Church.

Using the prayers of the saints has long been a Catholic tradition. We recognize saints as those whose lives reflect their close friendship with God. Their prayers serve as a door through which we too can enter into this friendship more deeply. St. Thomas' "Prayer Before Holy Communion" is just one of the many prayers of the saints found in the 62-page booklet, Prayer Time. Also included is his "Prayer After the Reception of Holy Communion," St. Ignatius' profound prayer of self-abandonment, St. Francis' classic prayer for peace, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy of St. Faustina and many more traditional Catholic prayers.

 

Click here to order your free copy of Prayer Time

 

Offered by the Catholic Information Service of the Knights of Columbus

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