Personal prayers and pieties during Mass

[milimac]

What personal pieties, thoughts, and/or prayers occur for you during various parts of the Mass?

For example:

What do you pray before Mass begins that you have found to be helpful?

What do you do or pray when the host is consecrated? When the wine is consecrated?

What do you do or pray while in line for Communion, while receiving Jesus, after returning to your pew?

 

[milimac]

As an example, I bow my head when saying the first part of the response “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you…” and then lift my head as I say “…but only say the word and I shall be healed”. I actually imagine that it is Jesus who lifts my head. My part is declaring my unworthiness, and He lifting my head tells me it’s OK. (Not meant to be a pat on my own back or an excuse to receive him if I’m in serious sin, of course).

 

[sleep_number]

When the priest elevates the host at the consecration I say quietly “My Lord and my God”

Then when he elevates the chalice I say quietly “Lord be mindful of your humble servant for whom you shed your redeeming blood”

These aren’t original: they are right out of the 1962 Missal. More or less, can’t remember the exact words to the elevation of the chalice.

 

[Fortiterinre]

I usually pray Lauds right before Mass or right after Holy Communion. The Liturgy of the Hours is always closely associated with the Eucharist, and praying the psalms Jesus prayed right after receiving Him is powerful for me. I don’t always finish, although as I have posted before, we have LOOOONNGG Communion distribution times in my neck of the woods. If I am distracted during Mass I will repeat mentally every word the priest says to focus myself.

 

[frdave20]

Prior to Mass, i recite the Holy Rosary in order to unite my mind with the mysteries of Christ’s life and Redemptive mission.

During the procession, as the priest passes by i make a slight bow (Eastern custom), and as he ascends to the altar, i pray “Take away from us, our iniquities O Lord, so that we may worthily enter into the Holy of Holies”.

At the Kyrie eleison i strike my breast three times…
make a sign of the cross at the “misereatur”

prior to consecration, make an act of contrition. at elevation strike breast saying “My Lord and My God”

At the Dominus non sum dignus, I strike my breast.
After I have received I make an act of thanksgiving.

After Mass, i recite the Leonine prayers.

 

[baltobetsy]

At the Consecration: My Lord and my God, my Savior, my Love and my Life.

Betsy

 

[Annunciata]

Before Mass - I collect my thoughts and examine my conscience and I pray the Rosary.

At the Elevation - I always say “My Lord and my God”.

While in line - I keep repeating " Lord I am not worthy."

When receiving - I bow my head and receive on the toungue

When I return to my pew I sometimes cry out of love and gratitude… and give thanks and praise…sometimes in toungues.(quietly)

 

[maria2334]

I saw some prayers by St. Ambrose and St. Thomas Aquinas before, along with many Our Fathers, Hail Marys, etc. I make a special effort to bow my head each time Christ’s name is said. At the consecration, I say “my Lord and my God.” In line, I say the act of contrition quite a few times, and after recieving, I say the Anima Christi.

 

[Fergal]

Before Mass I ask Our Lady, St. Joseph and my Guardian Angel to create within me those dispositions necessary to enter into the most sacred mystery about to take place. I ask the Lord to cleanse my heart and my mind and to open my heart and my mind so that I may be truly nourished in word and sacrament.

Whe the Confetior is said I strike my breast at the words “I have sinned through my own fault”

When the Priest says “May Almighy God have mercy on us, forgive us…” I bless myself.

I always bow slightly as I say the Alleluia verse and just after the Alleluia verse I bow to the tabernacle and say "Cleanse my heart O Almighty God so that I may receive your life giving Word a little less unworthily"

As I am crossing my forehead, lips and heart just before the Gospel, I say silently "Lord Jesus Christ imprint your words on my mind(+ head), may I never be afraid to defend them and share them with others (+lips) and may I treasure them in my heart forever (+heart).

As the priest pours the water and wine into the chalice I say with him silently "By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the Divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity."

I also pray silently with the Priest just before he washes his fingers "Lord God we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you with humble and contrite hearts."
As he washes his fingers I repeat with him silently "Lord wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin"

At the Holy Holy Holy I give a half a profound bow as I believe we are of one voice with the Angels in Heaven as we are told our voices resound with theirs.

At the consecration I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me with His presence.

At the elevation of the Host I say "Lord Jesus Christ only Son of the Father have mercy on us all. My Lord and My God!" followed by "My God I believe, I adore I hope and I love you and I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore and do not love you." Depending on the Priest it is said with varying degrees of speed but always from the heart.

At the elevation of the Chalice I say "O Blood and water that gushed forth from the heart of Christ as a fount of mercy for us I trust in You!" and again follow it with "My God I believe, I adore I hope and I love you and I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore and do not love you."

After the Agnus Dei before the priest shows the chalice and host together, I pray silently "Lord Jesus Christ with faith in your love and mercy I dare to approach your Holy table and eat your body. Let it not bring me condemnation but health of mind and body"

Before approaching the Blessed Sacrament I again call on Our Blessed Lady, St. Joseph and my Guardian Angel to create within me the dispositions necessary to receive the precious body of our Lord Jesus Christ a little less unworthily.

As I am moving in the communion row I say "Jesus when I receive you do not consider what i truly deserve but grant me your forgivness. Jesus, if it be your will, when I receive you fill me with every grace and blessing from the heavenly places. Jesus when I receive you set my heart ablaze with love for you."

After Communion I simply talk to the Lord and thank Him and then after Mass remembering that the Blessed Sacrament remains within us for about 15 mins after we receive it I wait behind to pray the Angels prayer from Fatima x3, the Anima Christi and the Divine Praises. Nearly all the above prayers are said within the silence of my own heart.

Thats what you get for being an Altar Boy for over 16 years!!!

God Bless,
Fergal
Naas
Ireland

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

I ask that everyone present at Mass recieve communion in a worthy manner and get all graces associated with it.

I offer up prayers for all the suffering souls in purgatory, with special mention of certain family members, as well as the aborted and unbaptized, and for those in purgatory who have nobody to pray for them (namely protestants) cause they dont believe. (in mystical revelations, I read they suffer the most due to nobody praying for them whilst expiating in purgatory)

I thank the angels present at the altar in assisting the Father during the consecration.

I offer up extra prayers for the Pope and victim souls as well.

 

[Jennifer123]

sleep number:

When the priest elevates the host at the consecration I say quietly “My Lord and my God”

I thought I had heard that this was a prayer of St. Francis and he repeated it three times at the elevation of the host AND the wine? Anyone else know of this?

 

[system]

Fergal:

When the Priest says “May Almighy God have mercy on us, forgive us…” I bless myself.

I have heard that this is not to be done in the New Mass. In the Old Mass, there was some sort of partial absolution but this is no longer so.

The rest of your gestures (which I will not repeat) seem to be an attempt to mimic the actions of the priest, and do not seem like good ideas to me. After all, the big complaint about liturgical abuses is that lay people should not mimic the priest.

 

[seeker63]

I’m still a wannabe Catholic, so I do still get lost now and then in the missal or service book. Plus I have ADD and get easily distracted, especially by noises, and my mind wanders despite my best intentions. Also, my hearing isn’t that great, and I’ll think the priests are either speaking unclearly or the mike is not functioning right.

But I’m getting off the point.I have a little pocket-sized prayer book from the early 20th century, called “St. Swithun’s Prayer Book.” I’ve not learned all the Catholic prayers and creeds yet. SOME are in this book, but not all. There is something you can read if you aren’t taking the Eucharist, something called “Spiritual Communion,” which I’d never heard of before. But I either forget about it, or try to start and the Priest starts into something or a hymn is sung. Or I’ll try to get to the Church early to pray some of the morning prayers in the book, and as soon as I start, music comes up or the service starts or something —I never seem to get to finish that set of “Spiritual Communion” prayers or indeed most any of the other sets of prayers in the book.

So, in addition to more or less free-form prayers, stuck in wherever I can find room, when in doubt, I either say “Hail Marys” or just pray “Lord forgive me, a sinner,” over and over.

I don’t know if anyone else is like this, but when I’m away from Church, I find my prayers are often less formal and almost conversational in tone, while still staying reverent. Am I alone in that? Or is that a holdover from my Protestant background?