Lesson 25 – The Proper Disposition: How to Receive the Eucharist Worthily and Well

The greatest gift God has given to the world is the Eucharist, and to receive holy communion even once is a gift of inestimable value. For the Eucharist is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ himself present in our midst, and Jesus Christ taught us “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.”

The Eucharist actually causes the life of grace to grow in our souls, but our state of mind and heart also make a difference in how fruitful the sacrament is when we receive it.

So, let’s talk about the spiritual dispositions necessary for a fruitful holy communion.

Course Reading

Summa Theologiae III, q. 80, a. 3 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Summa Theologiae III, q. 80, a. 4-5 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Excerpt from the Summa Theologiae III, q. 80, a. 4-5

In this sacrament, as in the others, that which is a sacrament is a sign of the reality of the sacrament. Now there is a twofold reality of this sacrament, as stated above (Question [73], Article [6]): one which is signified and contained, namely, Christ Himself; while the other is signified but not contained, namely, Christ's mystical body, which is the fellowship of the saints. Therefore, whoever receives this sacrament, expresses thereby that he is made one with Christ, and incorporated in His members; and this is done by living faith, which no one has who is in mortal sin.

Course Listening

The Eucharist and Growth in Holiness: Sacrifice and Sacrament | Fr. Reginald Lynch, O.P.

On the Other Side of the Confessional | Fr. Thomas Joseph White O.P.