Holy Communion is the climax of the Mass — receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Here's the meaning of "Behold the Lamb of God" and "Lord, I am not worthy," and how the early Church prepared to receive.
Receiving Holy Communion at Mass: "Behold the Lamb of God" and "Lord, I Am Not Worthy"
The Mass moves toward its climax in Holy Communion. In this session of The Mass Explained, Dr. Brant Pitre opens up the words that surround it: the priest's "Behold the Lamb of God… Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb," which joins John the Baptist's cry (John 1:29) to the marriage supper of the Lamb in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 19:6–9); and the people's response, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed," taken almost word-for-word from the centurion whose servant Jesus healed (Matthew 8:5–13). He explains why the very word "communion" means a participation (Greek koinōnia) in the Body and Blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16–17), and how, from the earliest centuries, the communicant's "Amen" is a profession of faith that this truly is the Body of Christ (St. Ambrose; St. Leo the Great). Drawing on St. Paul's warning about receiving "in an unworthy manner" (1 Corinthians 11:27–29), the Didache's call to confess sins first, and the Catechism, he shows how the Church prepares to receive — examining our conscience, going to Confession when conscious of grave sin, and observing the Communion fast (CCC 1385).
Key passages & sources examined: "Behold, the Lamb of God" (John 1:29); the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6–9); the centurion's "I am not worthy… only say the word" (Matthew 8:5–13); "communion" as koinōnia and receiving worthily (1 Corinthians 10:16–17; 11:27–30); the Didache on confessing sins first; St. Ambrose and St. Leo the Great on the communicant's "Amen"; and the Catechism on preparing to receive (CCC 1385).
What does "Behold the Lamb of God" mean at Communion? It echoes John the Baptist (John 1:29) and the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6–9).
Where does "Lord, I am not worthy" come from? From the Roman centurion in the Gospel: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof… only say the word" (Matthew 8:8).
Why do we say "Amen" before receiving? As the priest says "The Body of Christ," the "Amen" is a profession of faith that it truly is — a practice St. Ambrose already describes in the 4th century.
How should I prepare to receive Communion worthily? By examining our conscience, going to Confession if conscious of grave sin, and keeping the Communion fast (1 Corinthians 11; CCC 1385).
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It is a great service to provide the excellent Mass Reading Explained by Dr. Brant Pitre. I like the feature to download the transcript of the video which is very helpful. However, there are some rooms for improvement as followed:
1. The media player's controls are spotty. Very often, the Closed Caption button is not available. Therefore, I could not enable the subtitle.
2. It will be very helpful if the videos can be searched or sorted by the calendar date, and not just the "Number of Sunday in Ordinary Time".
3. It will be nice if you have an app (for both iOS and MacOS) to launch it, such that I do not have to open a web browser and type in the URL address manually every time. I talked to your support folks on this and I was informed that an app is coming soon. Please make sure it supports both iOS and MacOS.
Thank you very much for your hard work.
Yours in Christ
simon
The only thing I'd prefer is to have a search options within the readings/explanations. For example, like youtube, except now that I purchased the service, I'd like to have Sunday explanations for Purgatory or Predestination. It would really help when I'm debating Calvinists because I could resource back to Pitre.
It is a great service to provide the excellent Mass Reading Explained by Dr. Brant Pitre. I like the feature to download the transcript of the video which is very helpful. However, there are some rooms for improvement as followed:
1. The media player's controls are spotty. Very often, the Closed Caption button is not available. Therefore, I could not enable the subtitle.
2. It will be very helpful if the videos can be searched or sorted by the calendar date, and not just the "Number of Sunday in Ordinary Time".
3. It will be nice if you have an app (for both iOS and MacOS) to launch it, such that I do not have to open a web browser and type in the URL address manually every time. I talked to your support folks on this and I was informed that an app is coming soon. Please make sure it supports both iOS and MacOS.
Thank you very much for your hard work.
Yours in Christ
simon
The only thing I'd prefer is to have a search options within the readings/explanations. For example, like youtube, except now that I purchased the service, I'd like to have Sunday explanations for Purgatory or Predestination. It would really help when I'm debating Calvinists because I could resource back to Pitre.
