Prayer of the child before First Communion

The First Communion of the child is one of the three great feasts of Christian life, together with Baptism (received as a little one) and Confirmation (received in adolescence). It is the day when the child, after having learned the Catechism and gone to confession for the first time, receives for the first time the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus at Holy Mass. The Church has the age of reason — around the seventh year — as the normal time for First Communion, according to the decree Quam Singulari of St Pius X (Sacred Congregation of the Sacraments, 8 August 1910), which restored this sacrament to children against the practice which delayed it by long years. The Lord himself, in the Gospel, blessed the children and said: «Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of heaven» (Mt 19:14); and he also taught: «Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven» (Mt 18:3). This prayer is for the child to pray with parents on the eve or on the morning of First Communion. Before it, the child should have made a good confession of his little sins, as St Paul teaches us: «Let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice» (1 Cor 11:28).

(The child prays, alone or with parents:)

My dear Jesus, today is the most beautiful day of my life. Today I am going to receive you for the first time within my heart. I am still little and I know so little — but you, my Jesus, have chosen to come unto me. Thank you, Lord.

Before I receive you, I want to ask you three things:

• Cleanse my heart — I have already gone to confession, but you know even better than I do all that I have done wrong: the times I disobeyed my parents, the times I spoke ill of another child, the times I was lazy or selfish. I am sorry for all this. Forgive me and prepare my heart to receive you well.
• Increase my faith — I believe firmly that you, Jesus, are truly in the small white Host which the priest is going to place on my tongue. It is not only a sign, it is not only bread: it is you yourself, the Son of the living God, with your Body, your Blood, your Soul and your Divinity. I believe, Lord; increase my faith.
• Make me good — after this Communion, I want to be a better child. I want to obey my parents, help my brothers and sisters, be loving with my grandparents, kind to my friends, attentive to my teachers. I want to pray every day, to go to Holy Mass every Sunday, to go to confession often, and to come back to receive you in Communion many and many times.

Mary, my Mother in Heaven, you who received in your Heart and in your womb the same Jesus who is going to enter now into my heart, teach me to receive him with your purity, with your faith and with your love.

St Joseph, patron of the Universal Church, and my Guardian Angel, help me also to make a good First Communion.

Jesus, come! My heart is now ready for you. Amen.