Omnipotens sempiterne Deus

The preparation prayer of the Church’s greatest theologian.

Printed in the Roman Missal for the priest’s preparation and prayed by countless lay Catholics since. It is unsparing about the state of the person approaching — sick, unclean, poor — and entirely confident about the One being approached.

The Prayer

Almighty and eternal God,
behold, I come to the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.

I come as one sick to the physician of life,
as one unclean to the fountain of mercy,
as one blind to the light of eternal splendour,
as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.

Therefore I beg of You,
out of the abundance of Your immense generosity,
to heal my sickness, to wash away my filth,
to enlighten my blindness, to enrich my poverty,
and to clothe my nakedness.

May I receive the Bread of Angels,
the King of kings, the Lord of lords,
with such reverence and humility,
such contrition and devotion,
such purity and faith,
such purpose and intention
as may profit the salvation of my soul.

Grant, I beseech You, that I may receive
not only the sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood,
but also its full grace and power.

O most gentle God,
grant that I may so receive the Body of Your only-begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
which He took from the Virgin Mary,
that I may be counted worthy to be incorporated into His mystical Body
and numbered among His members.

O most loving Father,
grant that I may one day gaze forever
upon the unveiled face of Your beloved Son,
whom I now intend to receive under the veil of this sacrament. Amen.

About This Prayer

Four images, four requests, in strict parallel: sick to the physician, unclean to the fountain, blind to the light, poor to the Lord of all. Aquinas was capable of enormous complexity and chose, here, the simplest possible structure. It is the prayer of a man who has stopped arguing.