That’s true. Strictly speaking, God made us sinless, then we chose to be rubbish.
there is no “they” at Mass or in the Church, we all are the Church, we all say this prayer together because it is true of all of us, from the pope on down to the rest of us sinners in the pews. Only those who have already been canonized can claim to have attained holiness. We are made worthy through Christ alone because he choses to give this gift, and we admit that in this prayer.
do you also find Christ’s response to the centurion offensive, when he commended the man for his faith and humility? if you have problems with Mass prayers taken from scripture better take the matter up with Christ himself. The Church does not put words in His mouth.
We are unworthy because we are sinners. Sin is an offense against God and thus because we renege against His love, we are unworthy of it.
:thumbsup:What a wonderful attitude you have. I can tell you that you needn’t apologize for simply asking questions. And I can tell from your response that you have more than a few things to teach me about leading a Christ-like life.
On our own, we are not worthy to receive any of the graces that God gives us.
Saying that we are not worthy reminds us of that fact. A loving God chose to send his son as a gift. Not because of our own merits. Only his sanctifying grace, which strengthens us, if we so desire, to live a life according to his precepts, allows us to merit heaven.
The story of the Centurion is deeper than the fact he cared for his servant. Christ praised his faith for a different reason. The Centurion stated that he was a man in charge, with great authority, and what he said happened. He approached Christ and recognized even more authority. The Centurion, by saying he was unworthy that Christ should enter, was saying in essence, “I know you are so powerful you don’t need to touch my servant or even see him. If you merely say the word, my servant will be healed”. See, while the Jews were asking for signs and miracles, this gentile showed what belief really was. That’s why Jesus said in all Israel I have not found such great faith.
He’s GOD!.. we will NEVER be worthy except through His grace. EVER. There is NOTHING you can do to make yourself as holy as God. All you can do is throw yourself at His feet and beg Him to make you as holy as possible so you can be in His presence.
No one, and that’s the whole point
We can do nothing to become worthy.
Because we ARE unworthy. How does it become us to deny it, or try to hide it, especially from God.
I had suffered from abuse and being told I was unloveable, worthless, Jesus didn’t love me, etc. However, I do not see the Church as saying the same thing at all. When I first came in, I didn’t read as much material emphasizing our unworthiness because I saw it as too harsh. But as my faith grows, I see it as a gift to be able to see my limited nature compared to God and to have that abundance of grace in receiving Him, even though there is nothing I can do to deserve him. I no longer see it as an insult to me but as an attempt to acknowledge the greatness of God and his profound love for us. It wouldn’t be as profound if we deserved it.
So what did Zacchaeus do to be worthy to be in the physical presence of the God of the Universe?
Sorry, thanks for correcting that.
I do not care who made the rubbish !!!
