XV About our preparation for Holy Communion
XV
About our preparation for Holy Communion
WE have to prove ourselves, examine ourselves, purify ourselves. For it is in the highest degree right and fitting that, with great care and great devotion, we should make ourselves ready to receive food so holy and so adorable as this. In it we receive the Lord of all the earth. Priests and people alike must come with holy fear and love to this heavenly feast. Even in the old law, God ordered the priests to sanctify themselves when they drew near to Him, lest He should strike them. Much more should we prepare ourselves when we draw near to the very city of the living God, and to God Himself who is the Judge of all.
Now as to our preparation we have to consider three things: A, the majesty of this most holy Body; B, the Host of bread; C, the type of the Paschal lamb.
The first and second points, A and B, will be considered in this meditation, and the third point, C, in the next.
A. This Body of Jesus is a Body of the greatest purity. It is full of the living God, and hypostatically united to Him. For receiving it therefore we must with great care make ourselves ready by three things.
1. By fulness of faith. When St. Paul says, ‘With a true heart,’ he means that our intellect must be without error. When he says, ‘In fulness of faith,’ he means that we must believe, without any doubt, those things which we cannot see, namely, that under the species of bread there is the whole Body of Jesus Christ, true man and true God. Because of the great merit of faith, St. Peter promises that they who believe in Christ, whom they do not see, shall rejoice with joy unspeakable.
2. By cleanness of heart. It is fitting that a vessel which has to receive a most clean body should be clean itself. You will see how great that cleanness should be. Moses told the children of Israel to take one vessel for the manna, as much as to say that it should be clean with a great cleanness. St. Paul says that the vessel for the manna in the Holy of Holies was of pure gold. Thus the heart which has to hold the Bread of Heaven must be in its great cleanness like the very purest gold. Pope Alexander says, in words quoted before and fittingly repeated here, ‘Nothing in sacrifices can be greater than the Body and Blood of Christ; nor is there any oblation better than this. It excels all others, and with a pure conscience it must be offered, and with a pure mind received.’ Hugo says, ‘A pure conscience is that which has on it no just accusation as to the past, and no unjust delight as to the present, but a just will as to the future.’ Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the Body of Jesus in clean linen. Now that clean linen in which Jesus was wrapped is the pure conscience with which you must receive Him. Hence comes the custom of the Church that Mass should be said, not on silk, nor on any dyed cloth, but on pure linen.
N. But, mark, in those three things by which the linen corporal is bleached to whiteness, there are seen three things which tend to our purification: a, it is washed; b, it is wrung; c, it is dried. If, then, any one wishes to be very clean in heart, so as to receive his Lord worthily, he must be: a, washed in the water of tears; b, wrung by works of penance; c, dried up as to all moisture of fleshly desires by the fire of the love of God.
3. By devout prayer. St. Mary Magdalen and the other holy women brought aromatic spices while they sought for the Body of our Lord. So when we are going to draw near to the Body of our Lord we must pour forth devout prayers, that if perchance we should be too little prepared by fasting and confession, the want may be supplied by spiritual incense, that is, by the sacrifice of prayer. A great part of the people who were not sanctified ate the phase, and King Ezechias prayed for them. St. Augustin says, ‘Though any one should be tormented with venial sin, yet if he have the will to sin no more, let him make satisfaction by tears and prayers, and then, trusting to the mercy of God, approach the Holy Eucharist in safety and without fear.’
B. Secondly, the manner of our preparation is learnt from the Host of bread. As the grains of wheat gradually, by the skill of man, are made into bread, so the sinful soul is brought, by the grace of God, to that good state in which it lawfully receives the Body of our Lord.
1. First, the grains of which the Host is made signify the state of the sinner for three reasons: a, they are hard; b, they are covered with bran; c, they are separate from one another. So the sinner is hard when he wills not to be converted from his iniquity to our sweet God. He is covered, as it were, with bran in being covered with the hideousness of sin. He is cut off from his neighbour by want of charity.
2. Next, the grains are brought to that state in which they are in the Host by three steps: a, their hardness is crushed in the mill, and they are broken into very small bits; b, they are cleansed from the bran; c, the flour is mixed with water, baked by fire, and hardened into bread. So the sinners who would be worthy to receive our Lord must prepare themselves by the three things which are signified in this: a, by contrition of heart; b, by confession of the lips; c, by the love of their neighbour.
a. We should have in our souls a spiritual mill of two grindstones by considering the mercy of God and His justice. This will soften the hardness of the heart. His mercy is the upper stone, which goes round now and does its work, but after this life will be at rest. His justice is the nether millstone, which now lies still and is at rest, but after this life will be raised and go round and work.
b. As bran is winnowed from the grain, the impure from the pure, so by confession the soul is cleansed from the filthiness of sin. Judas Machabeus and his brethren going up to cleanse the holy places stand for those who confess their sins. Blessed is he who daily purifies his heart that it may receive God as its indweller. He who has God can want no good, for in himself he has the Maker of all good things.
c. When the three men, representing God, stood before Abraham, he set before them a calf very tender and very good; but before this Sara mixed three measures of flour, and made cakes upon the hearth. Now this means that we, before we approach the Altar, should have true love for three classes of men, namely, those beneath us, our equals, and those above us. St. Augustin says, ‘He who receives the mystery of unity, and does not hold the bond of peace, receives the mystery, not for himself, but against himself.’ Again, the marriage-garment spoken of by our Lord is charity. Because of the things already noted about the bread, Israel at a certain time had to eat bread that was unleavened; and this was a sign and memorial to them. It signified, as has been said: a, contrition of heart; b, confession of lips; c, love of our neighbour. By these things we should make ourselves ready to draw near worthily to the Body of our Lord.
The Voice of the Holy Ghost
About preparation; The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of the Blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the Body of the Lord? 1 Cor. 10:16.
Let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice: for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s Body. 1 Cor. 11:28, 29.
The priests also that come to the Lord, let them be sanctified, lest He strike them. Ex. 19:22.
A. The majesty of the holy Body; 1. The fulness of faith; Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith. Heb. 10:22.
Having the loins of your minds girt up, being sober, trust perfectly in the grace which is offered to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. 1:13.
2. Purity of heart; Take one vessel and put manna into it, … and lay it up before the Lord, to keep unto your generations. Ex. 16:33.
After the second veil the tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, having the golden censer, and the ark of the testament covered about on every part with gold, in which was the golden pot that had manna. Heb. 9:3, 4.
When it was evening there came a certain rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate, and asked the Body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded that the Body should be delivered: and Joseph, taking the Body, wrapped it up in a clean linen cloth. St. Matt. 27:57–59.
N. The whiteness of the corporal; a. Cleansing by tears; Let us draw near, … having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb. 10:22.
Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet in it, when they are going into the tabernacle of the testimony, and when they are to come to the Altar, to offer on it incense to the Lord, lest perhaps they die. Ex. 30:19–21.
Wash thy heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayest be saved; how long shall hurtful thoughts abide in thee? Jerem. 4:14.
Every night I will wash my bed and water my couch with tears. Ps. 6:7.
b. Works of penance; Thou shalt make the tabernacle in this manner: thou shalt make ten curtains of fine twisted linen and violet and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, diversified with embroidery. Ex. 26:1.
I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps when I have preached to others I myself should become a castaway. 1 Cor. 9:27.
Torture and fetters are for a malicious slave; send him to work, that he be not idle; for idleness hath taught much mischief. Ecclus. 33:28, 29.
Many are the afflictions of the just, but out of them all will the Lord deliver them. Ps. 33:20.
c. The love of God; He hath set His tabernacle in the sun. Ps. 18:6.
Thou art all fair, O my Love, and there is not a spot in Thee. Cantic. 4:7.
3. Fervent prayer; They asked and the quail came, and He filled them with the bread of Heaven. Ps. 104:40.
Before I eat, I sigh. Job 3:24.
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. St. Mark 16:1.
Ezechias prayed for him, saying, The Lord who is good will show mercy to all them who with their whole heart seek the Lord the God of their fathers; and will not impute it to them that they are not sanctified: and the Lord heard him, and was merciful to the people. 2 Paralip. 30:18–20.
B. The Host of bread; 1. a. Hardness of the grains; They have made their faces harder than the rock, and they have refused to return. Jerem. 5:3.
b. Covered with bran; How exceedingly base art thou become; going the same ways over again. Jerem. 2:36.
c. Separation; Their heart is divided: now they have perished. Osee 10:2.
2. The bread-making; a. The mill; Take a millstone and grind meal. Is. 47:2.
Mercy of God; Thy mercy is great towards me: and Thou hast delivered my soul out of the nethermost hell. Ps. 85:13.
Thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Ps. 22:6.
Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in Thee. Ps. 32:22.
Withhold not Thou, O Lord, Thy tender mercies from me; Thy mercy and Thy truth have always upheld me. Ps. 39:12.
Thy mercy is magnified to the heavens. Ps. 56:11.
The mercy of the Lord is from eternity and unto eternity upon them that fear Him. Ps. 102:17.
But Thou, O Lord, do with me for Thy name’s sake; because Thy mercy is sweet. Ps. 108:21.
Justice of God; I will judge thee according to thy ways.… My eye shall not spare thee, and I will show thee no pity. Ezech. 7:3, 4.
See then the goodness and the severity of God; towards them indeed that are fallen the severity; but towards thee the goodness of God, if thou abide in goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. Rom. 11:22.
Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. St. Matt. 21:44.
b. The winnowing; Behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel, among all nations, as corn is sifted in a sieve. Amos 9:9.
Then Judas and his brethren said, Behold, our enemies are discomfited; let us go up now to cleanse the holy places, and to repair them. 1 Mac. 4:36.
They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls. Ecclus. 2:20.
c. The mixing; Abraham made haste into the tent to Sara, and said to her, Make haste; mix together three measures of flour, and make cakes upon the hearth. And he himself ran to the herd, and took from thence a calf very tender and very good; and gave it to a young man, who made haste and boiled it. He took also butter and milk, and the calf which he had boiled, and set before them; but he stood by them under the tree. Gen. 18:6–8.
Condemnation; The king went in to see the guests; and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he said to him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having on a wedding garment? But he was speechless. Then the king said to the waiters, Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. St. Matt. 22:11–13.
If, therefore, thou offer thy gift at the Altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee, leave there thy offering before the Altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother; and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift. St. Matt. 5:23, 24.
Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread. Ex. 12:15.
Prayer
O Holy Ghost, give me a great reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, because of the Majesty of Jesus, God and man, who dwells in it. Do Thou purify my heart and fill it with faith. Let it be as gold that is tried in the fire. Cleanse my conscience from dead works that I may love Thee, for Thou art my Sanctifier. Give me true sorrow for my sins. Give me strength to do works of penance, pleasing to Thee. Give me an ever-burning love for God. Let my prayers and my tears go up always in Thy sight. Fill my soul with adoration of Thy mercy and Thy justice; with adoration also of the mercy and the justice of the Father and the Son, from whom Thou dost proceed. O Spirit of justice, O Spirit of love, cleanse me and strengthen me and enlighten me, and make me more and more Thy temple and a sanctuary of Thy love. If I have Thee not, I have nothing, and the greatness of my poverty stares me in the face. If I have Thee, I desire and can desire nothing more, for Thou art God over all, blessed for ever. As I go up to the holy Altar, fill my soul with love and fear before the splendour of the Heart of Jesus, hypostatically united to the Word. Jesus is God, as Thou art God; and Thou dost ever love Him with an uncreated love. O adorable Spirit, give me a great love for Jesus in the Sacrament of the King.