|
Home - Latest News |
Introduction |
Bayside Messages |
Directives from Heaven |
Testimonies |
Veronica Lueken |
Miraculous Photos |
Videos |
On the Worthy and Unworthy
Participation of the Divine Eucharist (St. John Chrysostom)
"When
a man has stepped over the threshold and allowed himself to fall into mortal
sin, he must be purified by trial, but he must also, My children, be purified by
the rule of penance and confession.
"What manner of evil is being set now upon mankind that
compels him to lose his soul by rejecting the Sacraments, by no longer
confessing to his confessor, but coming to receive My Son in sacrifice, while
his soul is degraded by sin of mortal nature!" - Our Lady, September 7, 1976
St. John Chrysostom (347 – 407), Church Father and Doctor of the
Church. He was Archbishop of Constantinople, and is celebrated for his preaching
eloquence ("chrysostom" means "golden mouthed").
How many now say, I would wish to see His form, the mark, His clothes, His
shoes. Lo! You see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. And you indeed desire to see
His clothes, but He gives Himself to you not to see only, but also to touch and
eat and receive within you.
Let then no one approach It with indifference, no one faint-hearted, but
all with burning hearts, all fervent, all desiring. For if Jews standing, and
having on their shoes and their staves in their hands, ate with haste, much more
ought you to be watchful. For they indeed were to go forth to Palestine,
wherefore also they had the garb of pilgrims, but you are about to be brought
unto Heaven.
Wherefore it is needful in all respects to be vigilant, for indeed no small
punishment is appointed to them that partake unworthily.
Think how strong is your own anger against His betrayer, against those who
crucified Him. Take care lest you yourself should become guilty of the Body and
Blood of Christ. They put that Sacred Body to death; but you, and this after so
many kindnesses received from Him, receive this Body into an evil soul. It was
not enough that He became man, that He was struck in the face, that He was
slaughtered, but He also commingles Himself with us; and this not alone through
faith. He has in very deed made us His own Body. Who should be more free from
sin than one who partakes of such a sacrifice? As spotless as the sunbeam should
be the hand that breaks that Body, the mouth that is to be filled with this
spiritual Fire, the tongue that is stained by this awesome Blood! Consider with
what honor you have been honored; at what Table you feast. That which the Angels
tremble to behold, and dare not gaze upon because of Its flashing brightness. It
is with This we are nourished, to This we are joined; made one Body and one
Flesh with Christ....
Let us then not hold this honor lightly: we who have been held worthy of
such honor. You see how eager infants are for the maternal breast, how thirstily
they drink from it? Let us with a like eagerness approach this Table, and to the
breast of the Spiritual Chalice. Let us with even more eagerness drink deep,
like infants at the breast, of the love of the Spirit; and let it be our one
grief that we should be deprived of this Food. These gifts set before us do not
come from human power. He Who then made them at that Supper, the Same now makes
what is here before us. We who minister, hold but the place of servants; it is
He who consecrates, He who changes them.
"He who has sinned, and comes to
Holy Communion, is lower than one possessed by a demon. For those who
are afflicted by an evil spirit are not on that account punished. But
these others, should they come, unworthy, to the altar, they are handed
over to everlasting punishment." - St. John Chrysostom
|
Therefore let there be no Judas present; no lover of silver. If there be
any one who is not a disciple, let him withdraw; the Table does not receive such
as these. For He says: "I make the Passover with my disciples." And This is the
same Table, and upon it there is no less than there was upon That. It is not as
though Christ had wrought at that Table, and man at This. It is He has prepared
this Table also. This church is that Upper Room where they then were; it was
from here they went forth to the Mount of Olives. Let us go forth, to the hands
of the poor; for there is the Mount of Olives: the multitude of the poor are as
olive trees planted in the House of God, from which drops the oil that is
profitable to us Above; which five virgins had, and the five others who had it
not perished for want of it. Having it, we too may enter in, so that with our
lamps burning brightly we may draw near to the Bridegroom. Receiving it let us
go forth from here. Let no one who is inhuman be present, no one who is cruel
and without mercy, no one at all that is unclean.
What I am saying, I say to you also who minister, as well as to
those who are ministered to. For it is necessary that I also address myself to
you; that you may distribute the Sacred Gifts with great caution. For your
punishment is not light should you, knowingly, admit anyone to the Communion of
this Table whom you know to be unworthy of it. "His blood will be required at
your hand" (Ezech. 33:8). And even though he were a general, or a governor, or
even he who wears the crown, should he draw near unworthy, forbid him: for
higher is your authority than his. For if a spring of pure water were
placed in your care for your flock, and you saw a sheep coming, with its mouth
smeared with mud, you would not let it put down its mouth to dirty the well. Now
you have been given charge of a well, not of water, but of Blood and the Spirit;
and should you see someone draw near who is soiled with sin, a more grievous
thing than clay or mud, and you are not moved to wrath, and you do not drive him
away, how do you deserve to be forgiven? It was for this God honored you with
this dignity: that you might exercise judgment in these things. This is your
office; this is your own security; this is your whole crown: not that you may go
about clothed in a shining white habit.
And how, you may ask me, can I know about this person or that person? I am
not speaking of those you do not know, but of those you do know. And shall I say
something more serious? It is not as dreadful to be possessed by evil spirits,
such as those of whom Paul speaks, as to tread Christ under foot, and to "hold
the Blood of the testament unclean, and offer an affront to the Spirit of grace"
(Heb. 10:29). He who has sinned, and comes to Holy Communion, is lower
than one possessed by a demon. For those who are afflicted by an evil spirit are
not on that account punished. But these others, should they come, unworthy, to
the altar, they are handed over to everlasting punishment.
Let us drive away not these only, but all without exception whom we see
draw near who are unworthy. Let no Judas receive, lest he suffer as Judas did.
This gathering is also the Body of Christ. Watch therefore, you who fulfill the
office of deacon in these Sacred Mysteries, that you do not provoke the anger of
the Lord by not purifying His Body: that you do not give a sword in place of
food. And though such a one should approach the altar out of ignorance, exclude
him, and be unafraid. Be in fear of God, not of man. For if you fear a man, you
will be laughed at, even by him. But if you fear God, you will have the respect
of men. Yet, if you do not dare to do this, then bring them to me. I shall not
suffer that this be even attempted. I would lay down my life first, before I
would present the Lord’s Blood to one who was unworthy of It; and pour out my
own blood rather than give this Fearful Blood contrary to what is fitting.
But if you do not know who is unworthy, though exercising much care, then
there is no fault on your part. For what I am saying is about those who are well
known. If we correct those, God will soon disclose those we do not know. But if
we do not disturb those who are known to be unworthy, why should God make the
others known to us? I say these things to you, not to drive these away, not
simply to cut them off, but that we may lead them to do what is right, that we
may take care of them. For by doing this God will be gracious to us, and we
shall find many who will then receive worthily. And for our own zeal, and
because of our care for the souls of others, our reward shall be very great.
And to this may we all attain, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ, to Whom be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
From Homily 82 on the Gospel of Matthew.
"My Son is much grieved, My child,
in the manner in which many come to Him in His House. They come with disrespect.
They do not have love for Him in their hearts. My child, please, they lead
themselves onto the road to satan. They must not accept My Son with sin in their
hearts. Many do not go to Our representatives. They accept My Son with sin on
their souls! Shout it, My child, from the roofs: you must honor the Eucharist!"
- Our Lady, November 23, 1974
Directives from
Heaven
D146 -
Honor the Eucharist, Part 1
PDF
D147 -
Honor the
Eucharist, Part 2 PDF
D198
-
Kneel
Before Your God PDF
D223 -
Adultery
& Divorce
PDF
D228 -
Consecrated
Hands
PDF
D405
-
The Holy
Priesthood, Part 2
PDF
Articles
The consecrated hands of a priest
ConsecratedHands.htm
Bishop
Laise speaks out against Communion in the hand
BishopLaise.htm
Modernist and Protestant
revolutionaries were behind Communion in the hand
CommunionInTheHand.htm
Fr. John Hardon speaks out
against Communion in the hand
Hardon.htm
VIDEO: Bishop Athanasius Schneider on Communion in the Hand
BishopSchneiderOnCommunionInTheHand.htm
Communion in the hand should be rejected
VonHildebrand.htm
Re-thinking Communion in the hand
cih.htm
More
reasons for rejecting Communion in the hand
cih2.htm
Communion in the Hand:
Documents and History (Bishop Juan Rodolfo Laise)
BishopLaiseBook.htm
Revised:
August 17, 2017