A Prayer Before Mass (Wednesday)

With reverence, O Lord, I come before You, remembering Your glorious Passion. Despite my sins, I approach Your altar to partake in the sacred offering that You have ordained, meant to be celebrated in Your honor for our benefit. I humbly ask You, O God most High, to accept this offering for Your holy Church and for those whom You have redeemed with Your own Blood. Do not let my unworthiness cause the cost of their salvation to be in vain, given that You Yourself became their saving Victim and Redeemer. Likewise, look kindly, O Lord, upon the tribulations of Your flock, which I lay before You; the dangers faced by Your servants, the anguished cries of the imprisoned, the sufferings of widows and orphans, and all who are in grief or despair; the needs of strangers and travelers; the helplessness and sorrow of the weak and the ill; the burdens of the weary; the frailty of the elderly and of children; the challenges and hopes of the youth; and the commitments of those who dedicate themselves to You as virgins.Amen.