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| Body and Blood of Christ |
O
precious
and wonderful banquet!
From the work by Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest
Since it was the will of God’s only-begotten Son that men
should share in his divinity, he assumed our nature in order that by becoming
man he might make men gods. Moreover,
when he took our flesh he dedicated the whole of its substance to our salvation. He offered his body to God the Father on the
altar of the cross as a sacrifice for
our reconciliation. He shed his blood for
our ransom and purification, so that we might be redeemed from our wretched
state of bondage and cleansed from all sin.
But to ensure that the memory of so great a gift would abide with us
for ever, he left his body as food and his blood as drink for the faithful to
consume in the form of bread and wine.
O precious and wonderful
banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves
and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is set
before us as our food. What could be
more wonderful than this.
No other
sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues
are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual
gift.
It is offered in the Church for
the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all
may be for the benefit of all.
Yet, in
the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which
spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the
memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.
It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon
the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last
Supper.
As he was on the point of
leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with his
disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion.
It was the fulfillment of ancient figures and
the greatest of all his miracles, which for those who were to experience the
sorrow of his departure, it was destined
to be a unique and abiding consolation.
Prayer of St. Ambrose
Preparing
to Receive
Christ in the Eucharist
Lord Jesus Christ, I approach Thy banquet table in fear and
trembling, for I am a sinner, and dare not rely on my own worth, but only on
Thy goodness and mercy.
I am defiled by
my many sins in body and soul, and by my unguarded thoughts and words.
Gracious God of majesty and awe, I seek Thy
protection, I look for Thy healing. Poor
troubled sinner that I am, I appeal to Thee, the fountain of all mercy. I cannot bear Thy judgment, but I trust in
Thy salvation.
Lord, I show my wounds to
Thee and uncover my shame before Thee. I
know my sins are many and great, and they fill me with fear, but I hope in Thy
mercies, for they cannot be numbered.
Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal King, God and man, crucified for mankind,
look upon me with mercy and hear my prayer, for I trust in Thee. Have mercy on me, full of sorrow and sin, for the depth of Thy compassion never ends.
Praise to Thee, Saving Sacrifice, offered on the wood of the cross for me and for all mankind!
Praise to the noble and precious Blood, flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ and washing away the sins of the whole world!
Remember, Lord, Thy creature, whom Thou has redeemed with Thy Blood; I repent my sins, and I long to put right what I have done.
Merciful Father, take away all my offenses and sins; purify
me in body and soul, and make me worthy to taste the Holy of Holies.
May Thy Body and Blood, which I intend to
receive, although I am unworthy, be for me the remission of my sins, the
washing away of my guilt, the end of my evil thoughts, and the rebirth of my
better instincts.
May it incite me to do
the works pleasing to Thee and profitable to my health in body and soul, and be
a firm defense against the wiles of my enemies.
Amen.
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| Prepare your Soul to receive Christ in the Eucharist |
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