Lesson 26 – How the Mass Prepares You to Receive Holy Communion

Why do I need to be prepared to receive the Eucharist?

The Eucharist is the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And receiving Jesus at Mass is a profound act of reason and will—that is, of reason and will elevated by grace in faith and charity.

If we don’t know what we are doing, or if we don’t believe in Jesus, receiving the Eucharist would be pointless, and even an offense against God—because the Eucharist should never be rendered pointless.

Course Reading

Summa Theologiae III, q. 83, a. 4-5 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Summa Theologiae III, q. 79, a. 7 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Excerpt from the Summa Theologiae III, q. 83, aa. 4-5

Since the whole mystery of our salvation is comprised in this sacrament, therefore is it performed with greater solemnity than the other sacraments. And since it is written (Eccles. 4:17): "Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God"; and (Ecclus. 18:23): "Before prayer prepare thy soul," therefore the celebration of this mystery is preceded by a certain preparation in order that we may perform worthily that which follows after. The first part of this preparation is Divine praise, and consists in the "Introit": according to Ps. 49:23: "The sacrifice of praise shall glorify me; and there is the way by which I will show him the salvation of God": and this is taken for the most part from the Psalms, or, at least, is sung with a Psalm, because, as Dionysius says (Eccl. Hier. iii): "The Psalms comprise by way of praise whatever is contained in Sacred Scripture."

Course Listening

Transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the Mass (Part 1) | Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.

Transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the Mass (Part 2) | Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.