Do you believe......?

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A very worthwhile prayer to pray often. Thank you for mentioning it.

The prayer I was referring to though was an Act of Humility and was my attempt to respond to the OP and a poor attempt at that, to explain that as God being so perfect and holy and us being such wretched sinners, His invitation to receive Him was the encouragement etc., thus why with all this being so, we still receive.

This prayer isn’t the same as the Litany as I’m sure you are aware. But the Litany certainly keeps one humble!

Or perhaps you were making a point in response to my reply to Thomasbradley312, when I commented how the Act of Humility wasn’t in the ordinary form missal. I honestly don’t know why it isn’t, or why the Litany is there instead. I was just stating a fact. I am not a mind reader as to why those decisions were made by those who did make those decisions, hence why I said “My guess”. I was not infering the EF missal is superior as a consequence.
 
Yes, I believe it.
I’m not worthy to receive him and in fact, before we receive we all pray in unison, " Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." This is from the Gospel (the words of the centurion to Jesus asking him to cure his servant). The old wording from about 1970 to 2010 was “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you…”

Jesus heals us from our sin and comes to us though we aren’t worthy.

Receiving him in the Eucharist is his own command to us in the Gospel (unless you eat of my flesh, you shall not have life within you, he said). It’s been confirmed by the Church which in recent centuries has encouraged us to receive frequently. It pleases Jesus when we receive, presuming we’ve taken steps to reasonably think we’re in a state of grace when we receive (in other words, no mortal sin on our soul) and have followed the Church fasting requirement . Jesus wouldn’t be happy if we met the requirements but chose not to receive him out of feeling unworthy.
 
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Yes, I believe.
I’ve only been a Catholic a little over two years. I’ve never felt more at home than when I’m at mass. He welcomes me and comforts me as I receive Him.
 
Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of Your mystical supper, O Son of God, for I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You:

Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master, when You come into Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One, when You come into Your kingdom.

May the partaking of Your Holy mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of my soul and body. O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive, is truly Your most precious body and Your life-giving blood, which, I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting

Amen

O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
O Lord forgive me for I have sinned without number
 
I love that prayer. I try to pray it during mass if I can squeeze it in since I am not at a Eastern Divine Liturgy. I also love the prayers chanted before the readings.
 
Do you believe that God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth is present in the communion wafer you consume each Sunday at Mass?

After the first Consecration, the substance of the bread no longer exists. After the second Consecration, the substance of wine no longer exists. The communicant receives the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ under the appearance of bread and/or the appearance of wine.

Sight, taste, touch in Thee are each deceived;
The ear alone most safely is believed…
  • St. Thomas Aquinas
As for being worthy, a Catholic must be in the state of sanctifying grace, have a right intention, keep the Eucharistic fast, and be modestly dressed (according to Pope Pius XI).

1 Cor. 11: 23-32 (including footnotes):

[23] For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. [24]And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me. [25] In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me.

[26] For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come. [27] Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. [28] But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. [29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. [30] Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep.

[27] “Or drink”: Here erroneous translators corrupted the text, by putting “and drink” (contrary to the original) instead of “or drink”.

[27] “Guilty of the body”: not discerning the body. This demonstrates the real presence of the body and blood of Christ, even to the unworthy communicant; who otherwise could not be guilty of the body and blood of Christ, or justly condemned for not discerning the Lord’s body.

[28] “Drink of the chalice”: This is not said by way of command, but by way of allowance, viz., where and when it is agreeable to the practice and discipline of the church.

[31] But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. [32] But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world.
 
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Attend a Byzantine or Ukrainian Greek Catholic Divine Liturgy. We’re “codified” too and are in full communion with the Holy See. 😉
 
Why did you remove this. I didn’t see anything wrong with what you wrote.
 
ontheway1 said:
Yes. Of course I know what the scriptures say and the “I am not worthy” statement. But, that is really not the question. To re-phrase a bit: what are your thoughts and feelings when you are approaching the altar, believing that you are approaching GOD. No “fear and trembling”? No angelic choirs in you ears? Nothing extra-ordinary, not so say miraculous? Your knees don’t buckle under you?
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This is a bit weird. Catholicism is not about “feels” or knees buckling. It’s about Jesus being with us in our daily life. Some days one will have emotional communions and some days they will be mundane. If you go to a lot of daily Masses to receive Our Lord, you will be receiving in all kinds of moods. Ecstatic, depressed, tired, miserable, content, prayerful, upset, doubting, frustrated, you name it. On the good days, you can pray, Lord, thank you for this day and for coming to be with me here in Eucharist to make it even more special. On the bad days you can pray, Lord, thank you for coming to be with me in the Eucharistic today, even though I’ve had a frustrating day/ I’m tired / I’m not feeling very spiritual right now. Please be with me and help me always.

When you’re married to someone you love, is every day an ecstatic experience? No. Some days you will probably bicker or burn the dinner or not feel like conversing. But you love each other anyway, even on bad days. That’s what receiving Jesus regularly is like.
 
We unworthily presume to receive and ask that reception will not be a cause for damnation but an emptying out of our vices.

Domine non sum dignus ut intres sed tectum meum sed tantum dic verbo et sanabitur anima mea.
 
ontheway1 said:
Yes. Of course I know what the scriptures say and the “I am not worthy” statement. But, that is really not the question. To re-phrase a bit: what are your thoughts and feelings when you are approaching the altar, believing that you are approaching GOD. No “fear and trembling”? No angelic choirs in you ears? Nothing extra-ordinary, not so say miraculous? Your knees don’t buckle under you?
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The Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy calls the faithful forward with:
Approach With the Fear of God and with Faith
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Prior to that we say:
O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of Your mystical supper, O Son of God, for I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You:

Remember me, O Lord, when You come in Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Master, when You come in Your kingdom.
Remember me, O Holy One, when You come in Your kingdom.

May the partaking of Your Holy mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of my soul and body. O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive,is truly Your most precious body and Your life-giving blood, which, I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen.

O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me.
O Lord, forgive me for I have sinned without number.
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Thank you Vico. This is quite beautiful and appropriate. It clearly expresses reverence for the sacrament. Also, your post mentions “fear of God”, which is what my original question was aiming at. The Orthodox seem to understand the concept. We Catholics, on the other hand are quite 'fearless". I would also point out the “mystical supper” concept which in our church became “a meal”.
 
If you confess your venial sins at mass, and have peace from doing that, you are ready to receive Jesus.
 
ontheway1 said:
Thank you Vico. This is quite beautiful and appropriate. It clearly expresses reverence for the sacrament. Also, your post mentions “fear of God”, which is what my original question was aiming at. The Orthodox seem to understand the concept. We Catholics, on the other hand are quite 'fearless". I would also point out the “mystical supper” concept which in our church became “a meal”.
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There is a different expression – a different sacramental discipline. Note that St. Thomas Aquinas wrote of fear and love in the Summa Theologiae > I - II, Question 107. The new law as compared with the old > Article 1. Whether the New Law is distinct from the Old Law?:
Objection 2. Further, Augustine says (Contra Adamant. Manich. discip. xvii) that “there is little difference between the Law and Gospel” [The ‘little difference’ refers to the Latin words ‘timor’ and ‘amor’]—“fear and love.” But the New and Old Laws cannot be differentiated in respect of these two things: since even the Old Law comprised precepts of charity: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18), and: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” (Deuteronomy 6:5). In like manner neither can they differ according to the other difference which Augustine assigns (Contra Faust. iv, 2), viz. that “the Old Testament contained temporal promises, whereas the New Testament contains spiritual and eternal promises”: since even the New Testament contains temporal promises, according to Mark 10:30: He shall receive “a hundred times as much . . . in this time, houses and brethren,” etc.: while in the Old Testament they hoped in promises spiritual and eternal, according to Hebrews 11:16: “But now they desire a better, that is to say, a heavenly country,” which is said of the patriarchs. Therefore it seems that the New Law is not distinct from the Old.
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http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2107.htm
 
I don’t wish to derail the thread; but if you or others can briefly explain why the Church fasting requirements are necessary before receiving the Eucharist, I would appreciate it. Is it for the purpose of spiritual purification and cleansing so that one can focus on G-d rather than the mundane and profane?
 
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ontheway1 said:
Do you believe that God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth is present in the communion wafer you consume each Sunday at Mass?
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Yes.
ontheway1 said:
If so, what is it that makes you worthy to receive Him?
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The blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross and His call to me to receive Him. As unworthy as I may feel, He says differently. And as you said, He’s “God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth” and who am I to argue?
 
meltzerboy2 said:
don’t wish to derail the thread; but if you or others can briefly explain why the Church fasting requirements are necessary before receiving the Eucharist, I would appreciate it. Is it for the purpose of spiritual purification and cleansing so that one can focus on G-d rather than the mundane and profane?
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I believe it is a discipline prescribed by the Church to encourage a degree of physical hunger and thirst for the Lord.
 
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