Catholics believe that Jesus is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the Blessed Sacrament: the Eucharist kept in the tabernacle of every Catholic church and exposed for adoration in a monstrance.
Here are traditional prayers to pray when you visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, whether for a few minutes or a full Holy Hour.
The Angel's Prayer (Fatima)
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.
This prayer was taught to the three shepherd children of Fatima in 1916 by an angel who appeared to them before Our Lady's apparitions. The angel knelt with his forehead to the ground as he prayed it.
O Sacrament Most Holy
A short prayer of praise, often prayed upon entering a church or before the tabernacle:
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.
Act of Spiritual Communion
For when you cannot receive Holy Communion, because you cannot attend Mass, are not able to receive, or simply want to draw close to Jesus. This prayer is traditionally attributed to St. Alphonsus Liguori:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
The Divine Praises
Traditionally prayed at the end of Benediction, after the priest blesses the people with the Blessed Sacrament:
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 St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
How to Make a Visit to the Blessed Sacrament
- Look for the sanctuary lamp. A lit candle near the tabernacle, usually red, shows that Jesus is present there.
- Genuflect toward the tabernacle when you enter the pew: touch your right knee to the floor as a sign of adoration.
- Kneel or sit quietly. Speak to Jesus in your own words, or use the prayers above.
- Simply be with Him. Adoration doesn't need many words. You can just rest in His presence.
Many parishes have adoration chapels where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for long hours, some even day and night.
Why Catholics Adore the Blessed Sacrament
Jesus said:
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world." (John 6:51–52, Douay-Rheims)
The Church teaches that in the Eucharist, Jesus is present "truly, really, and substantially" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1374). Because He is truly there, we adore Him, just as we would if we could see Him with our eyes.
More Prayers to Jesus
- Anima Christi
- Divine Mercy Chaplet
- The Luminous Mysteries, which end with the Institution of the Eucharist