A private devotion of great antiquity, made within and after the Mass: the Roman Missal itself provides for a period of sacred silence after Communion, and the traditional prayer books gather the prayers of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Anima Christi, and the prayer before a crucifix for this moment. It is the personal side of what the Church does corporately in the prayer after Communion; nothing in it may be allowed to displace attention to the liturgy still being celebrated.

After returning to your place, kneel or sit and keep silence — do not reach for a book at once. Make an act of faith in the presence of Christ within you, then adore, thank, ask pardon, and petition. Stay for ten or fifteen minutes after Mass if you can. The classic prayers for this moment are the Anima Christi, the prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas after Communion, and the prayer before a crucifix, 'En ego, o bone et dulcissime Iesu' — 'Behold, O good and most sweet Jesus.' End by offering the day and the work ahead to the Lord you have received.

About 15 minutes

Citation

Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, 4th ed. (Apostolic Penitentiary, 1999), grant attached to the prayer 'En ego, o bone et dulcissime Iesu' (the Prayer before a Crucifix): a plenary indulgence when it is recited after Communion before an image of Christ crucified on a Friday of Lent, and a partial indulgence at other times. The governing norms are those of Paul VI, Indulgentiarum Doctrina (1967).

eucharistic