Thank you for giving yourself to me

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him

The few moments before you receive Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass are a beautiful opportunity to turn your heart and thoughts toward the Lord.   Have you ever tried, as you walk up to receive him, to talk to him as you would a close friend?   That conversation could help you remain in his presence long after you return to your pew.

What would such a dialogue look like?

Here’s one suggestion:

“Jesus, as I come forward to receive you, I know ‘I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,’ and yet that’s just what you offer me!   Lord, I know that you see me—all of me—and you love me.   You see my strength and my weakness, my good moments and my not-so-good moments.   But you say that I am not the sum total of those:   I am the sum of your love for me.   You pour out that love here, in the Eucharist.   Thank you for giving yourself to me, not because I deserve you or because I have earned your approval, but because you love me unconditionally and delight to do it.

“Jesus, you know that I am not perfect—I have questions, struggles, and doubts—but when I eat your Flesh and drink your Blood, I receive your very life into me, and that changes me.   I give you permission to enter into my questions and struggles and to touch them with your peace and assurance.

“As I approach, Lord, I hear the words ‘The Body of Christ.’ And when I receive your Body, my soul is healed.   You have the power to remove my anxiety, illness, or heaviness.   I have nothing to fear because you are with me.   Your Eucharistic table is the table you set before me in the presence of my enemies.   As I feast, you scatter these enemies: the troubles I face in the world, my own fallen nature, my sickness and weariness.

“Jesus, I rejoice that you love to enter under the ‘roof’ of my life.   You delight in me, and you come to dwell in me because I am your beloved.   Heal my soul, and enable me to remain in you!

Word Among Us