O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, through the love which Thou bearest to men, dost remain with them day and night in this Sacrament, full of mercy and of love, expecting, inviting, and receiving all who come to visit Thee; I believe that Thou art present in the Sacrament of the altar. From the abyss of my nothingness I adore Thee; and I thank Thee for all the favours which Thou hast bestowed upon me, particularly for having given me Thyself in this Sacrament, for having given me for my advocate Thy most holy Mother Mary, and for having called me to visit Thee in this church. I, this day, salute Thy most loving Heart, and I wish to salute it for three ends: first, in thanksgiving for this great gift; secondly, in reparation for all the injuries Thou hast received from Thine enemies in this Sacrament; thirdly, I wish, by this visit, to adore Thee in all places in which Thou art least honoured and most abandoned in the Holy Sacrament. My Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart. I am sorry for having hitherto offended Thy infinite goodness. I purpose, with the assistance of Thy grace, nevermore to offend Thee; and, at this moment, miserable as I am, I consecrate my whole being to Thee. I give Thee my entire will, all my affections and desires, and all I have. From this day forward do what Thou wilt with me, and with whatever belongs to me. I ask and desire only Thy holy love, the gift of final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Thy will. I recommend to Thee the souls in Purgatory, particularly those who were most devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and to most holy Mary; and I also recommend to Thee all poor sinners. Finally, my dear Saviour, I unite all my affections with the affections of Thy most loving Heart; and, thus united, I offer them to Thy Eternal Father; and I entreat Him, in Thy Name, and for Thy sake, to accept them. Amen.
Prayer of St. Alphonsus for a Visit to the Blessed Sacrament
The opening prayer of his Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, said before every visit: adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and 'to adore Thee in all places in which Thou art least honoured and most abandoned'.
At the start of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament; before Exposition; on Holy Thursday.
Alphonsus published his Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1745, thirty-one visits for the days of the month, and it became one of the most reprinted Catholic books of the following two centuries. This prayer opens every visit. It salutes the Heart of Jesus for three ends — thanksgiving, reparation, and the adoration of the tabernacles where He is 'least honoured and most abandoned' — and then hands over the whole self: 'From this day forward do what Thou wilt with me, and with whatever belongs to me.'
Pius IX indulgenced the prayer in 1857. The text is that of Blessed Be God (1925).
Three hundred days, each time — Pius IX, 7 September 1857.
