Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Book 4 Chapter 1: The Great Reverence with which Christ should be Received

“The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

Christ told us, “Take this and eat” (Matthew 26:26). This is My Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).   These are the words spoken by Christ commanding us to “take and eat” His body.  These words should fill our heart with great joy that Christ has provided Himself in a perpetual form for our eternal salvation.  It is through the Eucharistic feast that we can encounter Christ on a daily basis.  Paul tells us that we should approach the Eucharist with great reverence.  To approach it without a clean heart is a grave sin. We should be terrified by our sins when we approach the Eucharist because in our sinfulness we are unworthy to receive, but we know that Christ still calls us forth.  He calls us forth to the table of life.  But who am I, the “poor and needy” to approach this table.  When I approach the altar, I must acknowledge that I am unworthy.  It is in our humility that we proclaim, “I am unworthy that should enter under my roof, but only say the words and my soul shall be healed.”  Even in our unworthiness, Christ says to us, “Come to me, all you who are burdened.”  It is through our own acknowledgment that we are unworthy that we share in the great humility of this sacrifice.  I must realize that at this great altar, all the Angels and Saints sit in awe of God, yet He calls me forth.  As I approach the altar, my heart should burn with love for God while at the same time I should be full of tears knowing my unworthiness.  When you go to Mass, you must realize that the one hour prior to Communion is not adequate time to prepare yourself for what you are about to receive. Before Mass, you must acknowledge that you do not deserve to be in His house and beg for His forgiveness.  We must acknowledge our sinfulness and more importantly we must find it in our heart to forgive those who have offended us.  We must take this hour of time before communion to adequately prepare ourselves.  We must realize that it is truly God that we receive in this Sacrament.  The Lord enters into our house to purify us.  We should pray with a contrite heart that He be merciful; we must beg for his forgiveness.  When we approach the altar, we should approach with great joy knowing that Christ has called us forth to “Come to me”. He has called you individually to come to the table of life and to receive Him who is King of all the Angels and Saints.  All of Heaven stands on bended knee before Him who we are about to receive into our heart. “In the Sacrament of the altar, you are wholly present, God and Man; and here also, in all its abundance, is the fruit of eternal salvation… To this Sacrament we are drawn not by curiosity, levity or sensuality, but only by firm faith, devout hope, and pure charity.”

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I am unworthy to receive you into my heart, yet you call me forth.

Lord, I am unworthy to receive you into my soul, yet you forgive me my sins.

Lord, I am unworthy to receive you into my body, yet you provide me with everlasting life.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon