Prayers for Eucharistic adoration
Each day in Lent, we will be publishing prayer videos to help you pray before the Blessed Sacrament
Lent is a time for prayer and reflection, and we are called to use this time to draw closer to the Lord Jesus. To help you on your spiritual journey this Lent, we will be publishing prayer videos each day with a particular focus on the precious gift of the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, as Archbishop John said “it is the most precious gift the Catholic Church possesses, because within the Eucharist is Christ Himself”.
That is why this year, Archbishop John is encouraging people to make Eucharistic adoration a cornerstone of their prayer life. Archbishop John explains that:
“As you spend time in adoration, as a Eucharistic disciple, kneeling before Christ – truly present – you will begin to see the Lord Jesus more clearly. And he will see you.
It is in these precious moments that you will be able to offer yourself to him and feel him working within you.
It is in these moments, you will find hope.”
To help people pray during adoration, prayers and hymns have been especially chosen to affirm our faith that the Lord Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and help guide you toward him.
The videos will be published on the Archdiocese’s YouTube channel each morning. You can subscribe to the Channel, so you get an alert every time the video is posted.
Text versions of the prayers can be found below, and the hymns are performed by St George’s Cathedral Choirs.
You can find out more about the Archdiocese’s campaign, hope in adoration, here.
To find the adoration date and time in your local parish, visit our adoration directory.
This Lent, come to the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist and find Hope in Adoration.
The Archdiocese's YouTube channel is @RCSouthwark1. You can also sign up to the Southwark Spirituality Commission's daily Lenten reflections here, which will arrive in your inbox each morning.
Text of the prayers and hymns (beginning 5 March and ending 20 April)
Miserere mei, Deus
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea
Et a peccato meo munda me
O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin
A prayer of adoration before the Eucharist
Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the Eucharist
as the memorial of your suffering and death.
May our worship of this sacrament of your Body and Blood
help us to experience the salvation
You won for us and the peace of the kingdom where you live
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen
Before the Eucharist a prayer by St Ambrose
Lord Jesus Christ,
I approach your banquet table in fear and trembling,
for I am a sinner, and dare not rely on my own worth
but only on your goodness and mercy.
May your body and blood, which I intend to receive,
although I am unworthy,
be for me the remission of my sins,
the washing away of my guilt,
the end of my evil thoughts,
and the rebirth of my better instincts.
May it incite me to do the works pleasing to you
and profitable to my health in body and soul,
and be a firm defence against the wiles of my enemies.
Amen
Prayer in Full Faith by St Thomas More
Give me, good Lord, a full and fervent charity,
a love of you, good Lord,
incomparable above the love of myself;
and that I love nothing to your displeasure
but everything in an order to you.
Take from me, good Lord, this lukewarm fashion,
or rather this cold manner of meditation
and this dullness in praying to you.
And give me warmth, delight, and life
in thinking about you.
And give me your grace to long for your hold sacraments
and specially to rejoice in the presence of your
blessed body,
sweet Saviour, in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar,
and duly to thank you for your gracious coming.
Amen
An act of Adoration
Great God,
The sovereign Lord of heaven and earth
I prostrate myself before you
With all the Angels and Saints, I adore thee
I acknowledge you as my creator and sovereign Lord
My first beginning and last end
I render to you the homage of my being and life
I submit myself to your holy will
And I devote myself to your divine service this day and forever
Amen
Prayer to the most Holy Sacrament by St Francis of Assisi
I believe that You, O Jesus, are in the most holy Sacrament.
I love You and desire You. Come into my heart.
I embrace You. O, never leave me.
May the burning and most sweet
power of your love, O Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech You,
absorb my mind that I may die through love of Your love,
who were graciously pleased to die through love of my love.
Amen
Lord Jesus stay with us by St John Paul II
Like the two disciples in the Gospel, we implore you, Lord Jesus, stay with us!
Divine Wayfarer, expert in our ways and reader of our hearts,
do not leave us prisoners to the evening shadows.
Sustain us in our weariness,
forgive our sins and direct our steps on the path of goodness.
In the Eucharist, you made yourself the "medicine of immortality": give us the taste for a full life that will help us journey on as trusting and joyful pilgrims on this earth, our gaze fixed on the goal of life without end.
Stay with us, Lord! Stay with us!
Amen.
O Sacrament Most Holy
O Sacrament most Holy,
O Sacrament Divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving,
Be every moment Thine!
Amen
A prayer before the Blessed Sacrament by St Alphonsus Liguori
My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the most
Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire
to possess you within my soul. Since I am unable now to
receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my
heart. I embrace you as being already there, and unite
myself wholly to you. Never, never permit me to be
separated from you.
Amen
Forty days and forty nights
Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild;
Forty days and forty nights
Tempted, still yet unbeguiled.
True Bread Jesus
O Good Shepherd, true Bread, Jesus,
have mercy on us:
You feed us;
You guard us;
You show us good things in the land of the living!
Amen
An act of love
O most loving Lord,
who art ever lovely
and never sufficiently loved
I love you with all my heart
Above all things
I consider every moment of my life as lost
Which has not been consecrated to your love
Yes, O Divine Jesus
While you dwell within me
While you live in me
I trust you know I love you
Amen
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.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you
That with your saints I may praise you
For ever and ever.
Amen.
A prayer before the Eucharist by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val
At Your feet, O my Jesus,
I prostrate myself and I offer You
repentance of my contrite heart,
which is humbled in its nothingness
and in Your holy presence.
I adore You in the Sacrament of Your love,
the ineffable Eucharist.
I desire to receive You
into the poor dwelling that my heart offers You.
While waiting for the happiness of sacramental communion,
I wish to possess You in spirit.
Come to me, O my Jesus,
since I, for my part, am coming to You!
May Your love embrace my whole being in life and in death.
I believe in You,
I hope in You,
I love You.
Amen.
I adore you, O Jesus prayer
I adore you, O Jesus
You are in the Holy Eucharist, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.
You are My Lord and My God.
You are the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
You are both God and Man.
You come to me in Holy Communion.
You are always in the tabernacle.
You take away our sins by the Sacrifice of the Cross.
You obtain grace for us by the Cross
You offer Yourself for us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
I adore you, O Jesus
Amen
Tantum Ergo (hymn)
Tantum ergo sacramentum
Veneremur cernui,
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui.
Præstet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.
Real presence prayer
My God, I firmly believe you are here.
That you hear me.
That you see me.
I adore you with profound reverence.
I beg your pardon for my sins, and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful.
Amen
O Saving Victim
O saving Victim, opening wide,
The gate of heaven to man below!
Our foes press on from every side;
Thine aid supply, thy strength bestow.
All praise and thanks to thee ascend
For evermore, blest One in Three;
O grant us life that shall not end,
In our true native land with thee
Amen
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament,
the glory of Christians, the joy of the universal Church,
and the hope of the world, pray for us.
Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion to the most Holy Eucharist,
so that they may be made worthy to receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Through Christ our Lord
Amen
Jesus prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
Have mercy on me, a sinner
Amen
Prayer to Mary and the real presence of her Son
O Virgin Immaculate,
who, after the ascension of your Divine Son,
did console your exile on earth by the Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament,
and did spend before the tabernacle
the greater part of your days and even your nights,
make us comprehend the treasure we possess on the altar.
Inspire us to visit often the God of Love in the Sacrament
in which He abides to receive the homage that He deserves by so many titles,
and to guide, protect, and console us in this exile!
Through Christ our Lord
Amen
Divine Praises
Blessed be God.
Blessed be his holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be his most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be his most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste Spouse.
Blessed be God in his Angels and in his Saints.
Amen
Prayer After Holy Communion by Saint Padre Pio
Stay with me, Lord,
for it is necessary to have You present
so that I do not forget You.
You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak
and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life,
and without You I am without fervour.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light,
and without You I am in darkness.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart
while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.
Amen.
Before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament by Saint Faustina
I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
I adore You for all the works of Your hands,
that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy,
O Lord.
You have spread so much beauty over the earth
and it tells me about Your beauty,
even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You,
incomprehensible Beauty.
And although You have hidden Yourself
and concealed Your beauty,
my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You
and my soul recognizes its Creator,
its Highest Good,
and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of adoration.
Amen
A prayer of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament
My Lord Jesus Christ,
it is Your great love for us that keeps You day and night
present in the Blessed Sacrament,
full of compassion and love, waiting for us to visit You.
I believe that You are really present in the Sacrament of the Altar.
From the depth of my heart, I adore You and I thank You for the many graces You have given me. especially for the gift of Yourself in this Sacrament.
My Jesus, I love You with all my heart.
Amen
I beseech thee
I beseech thee, most sweet Lord Jesus
To grant that your Passion may be to me
A power by which I may be strengthened,
Protected and defended
May your wounds be to me food and drink
By which I may be nourished
Inebriated and overjoyed
May the sprinkling of your Blood
Be to me the washing away of all my sins
May your death prove to me life eternal
Your cross be to me an everlasting glory
In these be to me an everlasting glory
In these be my refreshment
My joy, my preservation and sweetness of heart
Who live and reign for ever and ever
Amen
Very Bread Good Shephard tend us
Very Bread, good Shepherd, tend us
Jesus, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.
you who all things can and know
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your Saints, though lowest,
Where the heavenly feast you show,
Fellow-heirs and guests to be.
Amen
Universal prayer by Pope Clement XI
I believe, O Lord, but may I believe more firmly;
I hope, but may I hope more securely;
I love, but may I love more ardently;
I sorrow, but may I sorrow more deeply.
I adore you as my first beginning
I long for you as my last end
I praise you as my constant benefactor
I invoke you as my gracious protector
Through Christ Our Lord
Amen
Act of Adoration
We adore you, Most Holy Lord, Jesus Christ,
here and in all your churches of the whole world,
and we bless You, because by Your Cross
You have redeemed the world.
Have mercy on us
Amen
Remain near me O Blessed Virgin Mary
O most Blessed Virgin Mary,
mother of gentleness and mercy,
I, a miserable and unworthy sinner,
fly to your protection with every confidence of humility and love;
I beg you who stood close to your most beloved Son
as He hung upon the cross,
graciously to remain near me,
a miserable sinner,
and all who throughout the whole Church,
who are to receive the Body and Blood of your Son
Through Christ our Lord
Amen
The Real Presence of Jesus by St Francis of Assisi
The whole world should tremble and heaven rejoice,
when Christ, the Son of the living God,
is present on the altar in the hands of the priest.
What wonderful majesty! What stupendous condescension!
O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the whole universe, God and
The Son of God,
should humble himself like this
and hide under the form of a little bread for our salvation.
Look at God’s condescension, my brothers,
and pour out your hearts before him, humble
yourselves that you may be exalted by him.
Amen
Sweet Sacrament Divine (hymn)
Sweet Sacrament divine,
hid in thine earthly home,
lo, round thy lowly shrine,
with suppliant hearts we come;
Jesus, to thee our voice we raise
in songs of love and heartfelt praise:
sweet Sacrament divine.
Short prayer after communion by St Thomas Aquinas
Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God,
I thank You, for even though I am a sinner,
your unprofitable servant,
not because of my worth
but in the kindness of your mercy,
You have fed me with the
Precious Body & Blood of Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Prayer from St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
When night comes, and retrospect shows that everything was patchwork and much that one had planned left undone,
when so many things rouse shame and regret, then take all as is, lay it in God’s hands, and offer it up to Him.
In this way we will be able to rest in Him, actually to rest and to begin the new day like a new life.
Amen
A prayer from St. John Vianney
O my God, come to me,
so that You may dwell in me
and I may dwell in you.
Amen
O Sacrum Convivium by St Thomas Aquinas
O sacred Banquet, wherein Christ is received; the memory
of His Passion renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and
the pledge of future glory is given unto us.
Amen
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee by Saint Bonaventure
Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ,
my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love,
with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity,
that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for Thee,
that it may yearn for Thee and faint for Thy courts,
and long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee,
the bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls,
our daily and super substantial bread,
having all sweetness and savour and every delight of taste.
Amen
Prayer of adoration to the great Sacrament
I adore Thee at every moment, great Sacrament! Living Bread from Heaven.
May our loving Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be always adored.
Lord Jesus, true God and true man,
I believe that Thou art really present in the most Holy Eucharist,
made for us a Sacred Banquet,
in which the grace of Thy sacrifice is extended to us as token of future glory.
I deeply adore Thee and desire to love Thee with all the warmth of my heart
Amen
A prayer on the Eucharist by St Pope John Paul II
Come then, good Shepherd, bread divine,
Still show to us thy mercy sign;
Oh, feed us, still keep us thine;
So we may see thy glories shine
in fields of immortality.
O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best,
Our present food, our future rest,
Come, make us each thy chosen guest,
Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest
With saints whose dwelling is with thee.
Amen
Here, O good and gentle Jesus
I kneel before you, and with all the fervour of my soul I pray that you engrave within my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and love, true repentance for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment.
While I see and I ponder your five wounds with great affection and sorrow in my soul, I have before my eyes those words of yours that David prophesied about you: "They have pierced my hands and feet; I can count all my bones"
Amen
A Prayer to Jesus in the Eucharist by Saint Catherine of Siena
O boundless charity! Just as You gave us yourself,
wholly God and wholly man,
so You left us all of yourself as food so that while we are pilgrims in this life,
we might not collapse in our weariness,
but be strengthened by You, Heavenly Food.
O, mercenary people! And what has your God left you?
He has left you himself, wholly God and wholly man,
hidden under the whiteness of this bread.
O fire of love! Was it not enough to gift us with creation in Your image and likeness,
and to create us anew to grace in Your Son’s blood,
without giving us Yourself as food, the whole of divine being, the whole of God?
What drove You? Nothing but Your charity, mad with love as You are!
Amen
Prayer before receiving communion
O Lord Jesus Christ,
King of everlasting glory,
Behold I desire to come to you this day,
And receive your Body and Blood
In this heavenly sacrament
For your honour and glory
And the good of my soul.
I desire to receive you
Because it is your desire
And you have so ordained
Blessed be your name forever
I desire to come to you like Magdalen
That I may be delivered from all my evils,
And embrace you, my only good
I desire to come to you,
That I may be happily united to you
That I may forevermore abide in you
And you in me
And that nothing in life or death may ever separate me from you
Amen
Tantum Ergo
Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
newer rites of grace prevail;
faith for all defects supplying,
where the feeble senses fail.
To the everlasting Father,
and the Son who reigns on high,
with the Holy Ghost proceeding
forth from Each eternally,
be salvation, honour, blessing,
might and endless majesty.
Amen.
Mandatum (hymn)
Jesus said to his disciples:
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.
Popule meus (hymn)
Hagios Athanatos, eleison hemas.
Sanctus et Immortalis, miserere nobis.
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament by St Pope John XXIII
O Jesus, present in the Sacrament of the Altar,
teach all nations to serve you with a willing heart,
knowing that to serve God is to reign.
May your sacrament, O Jesus,
be light to the mind,
strength to the will,
joy to the heart.
May it be the support for the weak,
the comfort for the suffering,
the wayfaring bread of salvation for the dying,
and, for all, the pledge of future glory.
Amen
Domine Iesu Christe
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who according to the will of the Father, with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, has by your death given life to the world,
deliver me by your most sacred Body, which, I, unworthy, have presumed to receive, from all my iniquities and from every evil, and make me ever to hold fast to your commandments and suffer me never to be separated from you.
Amen
