Previously I dwelt on the issue
concerning reverence during the Eucharist. Coincidentally (really!), I find it apt that
the next post should be related to the previous write-up. Not too long ago I
was reading a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, and I came to appreciate how
beautifully linked Matthew 8:8 is to the Communion Rite. While I am aware that the verse is quoted just
prior to receiving Communion since years ago when it was first introduced in
the Mass by then Pope Benedict, my recent contemplations on the Eucharist have caused
this piece to shine with greater radiance.
In Matthew 8:8, the verse
reads, “But the centurion answered Him, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have You come
under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.’” A few verses
later, the same chapter continues in verses 10 and 11, “…‘Truly I say to
you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come
from east and west and sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the
kingdom of heaven,’” before proceeding to heal the said servant (13).
Taken as is, the events behind this
passage may seem to have little relevance to the Mass. Looking deeper, the four
verses foreshadowed the time when people around the world will unite and sit at
the table of the Kingdom through the Eucharist. Today in every Mass, the priest
raises the Body of Christ, pronouncing the Lamb of God who takes away the sins
of the world; happy indeed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb. Every time we
eat the Bread and drink from the Cup, we are united, heaven and earth, since “the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Consequently, we too are united with the
saints who now dwell in Heaven sitting at the table in the Kingdom, linked by
one Bread, one Body, under one Lord.
None of us by ourselves are worthy
of entering the Kingdom of Heaven (Romans 3:23), yet God by His grace saved us
through the faith we received (Ephesians 2:8). Fitting then, is the prayer said
after the Our Father, right before the sign of peace and shortly before Holy Communion, “Look not on
our sins but on the faith of Your Church…” For it is not merely our
personal faith, but the faith handed down to us by the Apostles (1 Corinthians
15:1-3; Ephesians 2:20). It is a faith both personal and universal.
Recall the words of Jesus during
the Last Supper, “‘This is my Body which is given for you. Do this in
remembrance of me,’” and “‘This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my Blood’” (Luke 19:20-21). These words
are later echoed by St Paul during his exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, and repeated
today by the priest in every Mass before Holy Communion. It is by His
Body and Blood poured out for us that we are saved. Like the centurion’s
servant in Matthew 8:5-13 who was not present at Jesus’ side, we may not be
able to see Jesus in His complete bodily form in this life, yet as the priest
by proxy transforms ordinary bread and wine into the Real Body and Blood
through transubstantiation, we too are healed as we partake in the Food that
Christ provided through the hands of His anointed servants.
As we approach the altar during Holy Communion, let us
constantly be aware that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witness, and that
every time we partake in the Blessed Sacrament, we are partaking in the feast
of Heaven on earth, eating the Food which gives life and heals our souls. The
next time before we approach Our Lord to receive Him, let these words leave our
lips in all sincerity, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my
roof but only say the word and my soul will be healed.”
RFG always.
