The Post‑Communion Thanksgiving Prayer In Divine Worship: The Missal

Among the most beautiful and uplifting prayers in the Ordinariate liturgy—received from the Book of Common Prayer—is the Post‑Communion Thanksgiving, often called the General Thanksgiving or simply Almighty and Everliving God.

This prayer forms a luminous bridge between Holy Communion and the Church’s mission: having received Christ, we are sent to bear Him into the world for the salvation of souls.

The following reflection consists of:

1. a line by line commentary.
2. a brief note concerning the potential impact of the Prayer.
3. an acknowledgment of the structure of the Prayer.
4. the theological orientation of the Prayer.
5. a way to meditate on the Prayer

ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee for that thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us; and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs, through hope, of thy everlasting kingdom, by the merits of the most precious death and Passion of thy dear Son. And we humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

A LINE BY LINE COMMENTARY

ALMIGHTY and everliving God,

A double invocation:

• Almighty — the God who has just acted in the Eucharist with omnipotent power.
• Everliving — the God whose life is communicated in the Sacrament.

This pairing sets the tone: the prayer is addressed to the God who both acts and lives, and who draws us into His life through Communion.

we most heartily thank thee

Not a polite formula — a wholehearted, affective thanksgiving. The Ordinariate retains the Cranmerian warmth: gratitude is not merely liturgical duty but the soul’s response to divine generosity.

for that thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries,

This is sacramental realism in Anglican cadence.

• Feed us — not symbolically, but truly.
• Holy mysteries — the ancient term (μυστήρια / mustérion) for sacraments, emphasizing divine action hidden under visible signs.

The Eucharist is actual nourishment, not metaphor.

with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ;

A dense theological cluster:

• Spiritual food — not “non‑physical,” but food that vivifies the spirit.
• Most precious Body and Blood — the Ordinariate’s way of affirming the Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence without scholastic terminology.
• Our Saviour — the One whose saving work is made present and applied in Communion.

This line binds together Incarnation, Passion, and Eucharist.

and dost assure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us;

Communion is not only nourishment; it is assurance. This is Cranmer’s deepest insight: the Sacrament is both gift and pledge — God’s enacted promise of mercy. In Divine Worship, this assurance is understood sacramentally: the Eucharist is the sign and instrument of divine favour.

and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son,

This is ecclesiology at its richest.

• Very members — truly, not figuratively.
• Incorporate — literally “made into the body.”
• Mystical body — the Pauline term (Corpus Mysticum), meaning the Church as Christ’s living organism.

Communion builds the Church; it is not private devotion but ecclesial union.

the blessed company of all faithful people;

A phrase that carries the Anglican sense of the Church as a fellowship of the redeemed. It emphasizes:

• communion with the saints on earth,
• continuity with the saints in heaven,
• the joy of belonging to the redeemed community.

and are also heirs, through hope, of thy everlasting kingdom,

Eucharistic eschatology:

• Heirs — the Eucharist confers not only present grace but future inheritance.
• Through hope — hope is not wishful thinking but confident expectation grounded in Christ.
• Everlasting kingdom — Communion is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

This line ties the Sacrament to the final consummation.

by the merits of the most precious death and Passion of thy dear Son.

This is the soteriological hinge—the divine accomplishment that secures the salvation of humanity.

The Eucharist applies:

• the merits of Christ (Catholic doctrine),
• His death and Passion (the once‑for‑all sacrifice),
• to us personally.

The Ordinariate preserves Cranmer’s language but places it within Catholic sacramental theology: the merits of Christ are communicated through the Sacrament.

And we humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father,

The prayer now shifts from thanksgiving to petition.

• Humbly — the posture of those who have received mercy.
• Heavenly Father — Communion restores filial confidence.

so to assist us with thy grace,

Grace is not automatic; it must be continually given. This line acknowledges:

• the need for divine help to persevere,
• the insufficiency of human strength,
• the Eucharist as the source of ongoing grace.

that we may continue in that holy fellowship,

Communion creates fellowship; grace sustains it. This is a petition for:

• perseverance in the Church,
• fidelity to Christ’s Body,
• unity with fellow believers.

and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in;

A direct allusion to Ephesians 2:10. The Eucharist strengthens us for vocation:

• good works are not self‑generated;
• they are prepared by God;
• we “walk in” them — a biblical metaphor for the Christian life.

This line ties liturgy to discipleship.

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

All grace flows through Christ, the Mediator.

to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

This marks the grand elevation of Divine Worship, with the Missal taking precedence over the revered 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

• a fully Trinitarian doxology,
• harmonizing the prayer with the Roman Rite,
• sealing the thanksgiving in praise.

It transforms Cranmer’s devotional prayer into a liturgical act of worship.

THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THIS PRAYER ON THE SOUL

If you sit with it, it forms you in three movements:

1. Gift received — Christ given to you.
2. Identity bestowed — you made part of His Body.
3. Vocation entrusted — you sent to walk in His works. It is one of the most perfect expressions of Anglican patrimony elevated into Catholic fullness.

THE PRAYER'S STRUCTURE: A THREE MOVEMENT THANKSGIVING

1. Thanksgiving for the Gift Received. The Prayer begins by acknowledging what has just happened:

• “Thou dost feed us… with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son.” This is not metaphorical nourishment; it is the Anglican Patrimony’s classic way of affirming the real and effectual feeding of the soul.
• “And dost assure us thereby of thy favour and goodness towards us.” The Eucharist is not only food; it is assurance. Divine Worship preserves Cranmer’s insight: the Sacrament is both gift and pledge — God’s own enacted promise.

2. Thanksgiving for the Identity Bestowed. The Prayer then shifts from what God gives to who we become:

• Very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son. This is strong, almost corporeal language: incorporate — literally “made into the body.” Communion is not merely private devotion; it is ecclesial union.
• The blessed company of all faithful people. A phrase that carries the Anglican sense of the Church as a fellowship of the redeemed — not merely an institution, but a living communion.
• Heirs, through hope, of thy everlasting kingdom. The Eucharist is eschatological: it points forward. It is a foretaste of the inheritance.

3. Petition for Perseverance and Fruitfulness. Having received and been made something, the prayer asks for grace to continue:

• So to assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship. The Eucharist binds us to Christ and his Church — but perseverance requires grace.
• And do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in. This is Ephesians 2:10, woven seamlessly into the liturgy. The Eucharist strengthens us for vocation — not vague moralism, but the specific works God has prepared.
• Through Jesus Christ our Lord… world without end. The prayer ends where it began: Christ is both the gift and the goal.

THEOLOGICAL ORIENTATION OF THE PRAYER

Three themes dominate:

1. The Eucharist as Real Participation. The Prayer is not content with symbolic language. It insists:

• We are fed.
• We are incorporated.
• We are assured. This is the Anglican Patrimony at its richest — sacramental realism that speaks the language of worship rather than the language of analysis

2. The Eucharist as Ecclesial Formation. Communion makes the Church. It is not merely “me and Jesus”; it is “us in Christ.” The Prayer is personal and profoundly anti‑individualistic.

3. The Eucharist as Mission. The final petition is not inward but outward: having received Christ, we are sent to walk in the works prepared for us. This is why the Prayer pairs so beautifully with the Dismissal that follows.

A WAY TO MEDITATE ON THE PRAYER

Here’s a framework you can follow as you spend time with this prayer.

1. Pause on the verbs.

Feed

Assure
Incorporate
Make heirs
Assist
Continue
Walk

Each verb is a movement of grace.

2. Notice the shift from gift → identity → vocation. This is the Eucharistic rhythm of the Christian life.

3. Let one phrase become your anchor for the week. For example:

• Very members incorporate…
• Heirs through hope…
• Continue in that holy fellowship…

Choose one and let it shape your prayer.

4. Ask: What “good works” has God prepared for me to walk in now? This ties the liturgy directly to your lived discipleship.