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Very thorough explanation.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Meditation
Luke 7:1-10

Lord, I am not worthy. . . . (Luke 7:6)

At Mass, every time we echo the centurion’s prayer, we remind ourselves of our unworthiness to receive something as amazing as the body and blood of Christ. But there’s got to be more to these words than an admission that we have failed to measure up.

The gift of the Eucharist is just that: an undeserved gift! Humbling, isn’t it? Even greater, the Eucharist is the very gift that makes us worthy of it! No matter how hard we try, it seems that we fall short of God’s purposes for us. Still, Jesus gives himself to us to heal and strengthen us. And by receiving him with the open, humble heart that this prayer expresses, we invite the Lord to keep working in us. “Keep transforming us, Jesus! Keep making us more and more worthy of the very gift you are giving us!”

St. John Vianney, who wrote frequently about Communion, once exhorted his parishioners: “Go to Communion, my children; go to Jesus with love and confidence; go and live upon him, in order to live for him. . . . It is true, you are not worthy of it; but you are in need of it. If our Lord had regarded our worthiness, he would never have instituted his beautiful sacrament of love: for no one in the world is worthy of it, neither the saints, nor the angels, nor the archangels, nor the Blessed Virgin. But he had in view our needs, and we are all in need of it. Do not say that you are sinners, that you are too miserable, and for that reason you do not dare to approach it. I would as soon hear you say that you are very ill, and therefore you will not take any remedy, nor send for the physician.”

How beautiful! The more unworthy we are, the more we need to turn to Jesus and become generous recipients of his generosity! We need never hide in shame. We just need to keep following Jesus and making acts of faith like the centurion’s. By cooperating with God, we will become so “worthy” of Christ that our souls “will shine like beautiful diamonds in heaven, because God will be seen in them!” (St. John Vianney).

“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

1 Timothy 2:1-8; Psalm 28:2,7-9

Thank you for the link...it was very thorough...I can better understand your point of view...I can understand and emphtasize the sorrow of Mary and how she suffered (what they called her martyrdom), but this paragraph I did not concur with..

And why, O Lady, didst thou also go to sacrifice thyself on Calvary? Was not a crucified God sufficient to redeem us, that thou, His Mother, wouldst also go to be crucified with Him?" Indeed, the death of Jesus was more than enough to save the world, and an infinity of worlds; but this good Mother, for the love she bore us, wished also to help the cause of our salvation with the merits of her sufferings, which she offered for us on Calvary.

It does properly address Christ's sacrifice but adding to his sacrifice via the merits of her suffering has no basis anywhere...Only Christ provided what is necessary for our salvation...no one else...God sees his perfect sacrifices and justifies us by this sacrifice...Yes, Mary suffered greatly, but only Christ provided our salvation...

Thank you again, I appreciate you providing materials for me to better understand your point of view...God's blessings to you...