A PRAYER BY ALPHONSUS LIGUORI 
BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

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This prayer before the Blessed Sacrament by St. Alphonsus Liguori (pictured above), the celebrated 18th century theologian and founder of the Redemptorists order, is a moving and fitting way to begin a visit of adoration and meditation with our Lord there.

My LORD Jesus Christ, Who because of Your love for men remain night and day in the Blessed Sacrament, full of pity and of love, awaiting, calling and welcoming all who come to visit You, I believe that You are present here on the altar. I adore You, and I thank You for all the graces You have bestowed on me, especially for having given me Yourself in this Sacrament, for having given me Your most holy Mother Mary to plead for me, and for having called me to visit You in this church.

I now salute Your most loving Heart, and that for three ends: first, in thanksgiving for this great gift; secondly, to make amends to You for all the outrages committed against You in this Sacrament by Your enemies; thirdly, I intend by this visit to adore You in all the places on earth in which You are present in the Blessed Sacrament and in which You are least honored and most abandoned.

My Jesus, I love You with my whole heart. I am very sorry for having so many times offended Your infinite goodness. With the help of Your grace, I purpose never to offend You again. And now, unworthy though I am, I consecrate myself to You without reserve. I renounce and give entirely to You my will, my affection, my desires and all that I possess. For the future, dispose of me and all I have as You please.

All I ask of You is Your holy love, final perseverance and that I may carry out Your will perfectly. I recommend to You the souls in Purgatory, especially those who had the greatest devotion to
the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I also recommend to You all poor sinners.

Finally, my dear Saviour, I unite all my desires with the desires of Your most loving Heart; and I offer them, thus united, to the Eternal Father, and beseech Him, in Your name and for love of You, to accept and grant them.

St. Alphonsus Liguori was known as a tireless champion of our faith, both as a preacher and a prolific author of over 100 theological works that have since been translated into over 60 languages! His poignant prayers for the Stations of the Cross are still used in services, especially during Lent.

This prayer, which truly reflects this great saint’s devotion to our Lord, comes from his first book, published in 1745, entitled Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. It is still in print today, along with his other classics like The Glories of Mary, a stirring and highly informative series of essays and meditations devoted to our Blessed Mother.

In St. Alphonsus Liguori's prayer before the Blessed Sacrament we are making reparation not only for the sins of others, but for our own as well. St. Alphonsus also inspires us here to strive to carry out God’s will “perfectly.” (As we say in the Lord's Prayer,“Thy will be done!”) He once wrote that “he who unites his will to God’s experiences a full and lasting joy.” This ties in nicely with the popular saying “let go and let God.”

Do you have days when you feel like you’re carrying the whole world on your shoulders? Let Jesus help you! When you visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament, pray for His guidance as you turn your problems over to Him.

Our Lord can give you the grace to cope with stress as He helps you carry your cross on the road to Eternal Life! May this prayer help you draw closer to Christ in a spirit of true contrition, humility, and joy from His presence and His peace.