Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Book 4 Chapter 12: On How We Should Prepare to Receive Christ in Holy Communion

“If you want Me to come to you and remain with you, rid yourself of the old leaven and cleanse the dwelling pace of your heart.”

What does Christ ask of us before we receive Holy Communion?  That we purify our heart and prepare our soul for His arrival.  Truly, we are not worthy that He should enter under our roof, yet He enters into us through this most blessed Sacrament.  Therefore, we should “shut out the whole world and the clamor of evil passions” in silent preparation before Mass.  When we arrive at church, we must take time to quite our hearts and reflect on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is during the preparation that we should reflect on the sins that stain our soul and ask God to cleanse us, to make us ready for the reception of the Mass.  We must realize that there is nothing we can do to perfectly prepare ourselves for what we are about to receive.  Just being there should be considered a great honor.  It is purely through His “generosity and grace” that you are allowed to approach the His altar.  We are no better than the beggars on the side of the street with the sign that reads, “Hungry, I need something to eat.” I should pray that Christ will give to me what I do not deserve.  And for this great treasure, I must realize that all I can do is give thanks for the kindness that He poured out for me.  There is nothing I can do to merit what He provides for me.  But this is all He asks of us.  He asked that we approach the Altar of His sacrifice with humility because we know that He has taken pity on our soul.  We must find the strength in our devotion to Him to stir in our heart the desire to be purified by His love.  When we approach the altar, we are asking God to alter us.  We are asking to be transformed by the grace of His love.  We must realize that we need Him.  It is Him through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that sanctifies and changes us.  Therefore, we must carefully prepare our heart and then bring it to the altar for His transformation.  Once we receive Holy Communion, we also have an obligation to carry this transformation forward.  We must be careful to guard the gift that was just given us.  By doing so, we continue to ask for the grace of God to flow into us. 

A Simple Prayer

O Lord, Who is Creator of all,

You who created the Universe for me,

Cleanse me and purify me.

Make me worthy to receive you into my heart. 

Make my heart on fire for you now and forever.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon