What Archangels and Centurions and You Have in Common

On the Feast of Corpus Christi, we continue in Book 4, Chapter 1, with paragraph 3.

Thomas tells us that we have to prayerfully and intentionally invoke a conscious grace - that of being aware of our humility in coming to the Blessed Sacrament:

3. What do You mean by this most loving condescension and friendly invitation?



How shall I dare to approach You, when I am conscious of none of my own good thoughts or deeds on which I can presume upon Your favor?


How shall I introduce You into my house when I have so often provoked your anger and displeasure?

The angels and the archangels* stand with reverential awe in Your Presence; even the saints and the just are afraid: and still You say, "Come you all to Me."


Only because You, O Lord did say it, who could believe this invitation to be true?


And unless You did command it who would dare to attempt to approach Your Throne?

So our friend Thomas shows a way to imitate him so that we may imitate Christ. 

Condescension here is a positive term, in that Our Lord sets aside His own nature, taking the form of Bread and Wine to be consumed by us.  THAT is humility that we can only begin to grasp and imitate through our own mindfulness of our unworthiness.

In comparison to the Holy Angels and Saints, who you would think God would first invite them to His Table, instead He reaches out to we, the wholly unworthy, to offer Himself. 

Thomas doesn't quote it here, but it is appropriate to refer to Matthew 8:8 and following where Jesus meets the centurion and marvels at the man's faith.   The centurion declares himself unworthy to receive Our Lord in his home. 

Jesus was ready to go the the centurion's house to cure the centurion's servant, but the centurion, being a man of humility and faith, declared his unworthiness. Rather, he believed that if only Jesus spoke a word, his servant would be healed. At this, Jesus marvelled.  He declared the servant healed....and so he was.

This holds great promise for us in that if we follow the centurion's example of faith and humility in receiving Holy Communion, Jesus will enter into the souls of our homes, even though we do not deserve that He should come under our roof.  But first, we must ask Him.  He will heal His servant, that is, our own self, if we let Him.  He will heal us, he will save us (Jer 17:14).

Pray with me: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed!  May the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ bring me to everlasting life. Amen."

Thank you for reading and praying along with me. 'Til next time, be Imitators of Christ!
tim

*Scripture tells us that the Angels and Archangels are constantly before the Throne of God, worshipping Him (see, for example, Is 6: 1-4), when they are not on a Holy mission (e.g. Rev 12:7-9).