Preview: Saint Thomas More on Devotion to the Body of Christ

As promised, we'll continue our discussion of Saint Thomas More's Treatise to Receive the Blessed Body of Our Lord on Monday, October 17 on the Son Rise Morning Show. 

We'll pick up where we left off last Monday after St. Thomas More urges his readers not to be discouraged: And verily it is hard but, that, this point deeply rooted in our breasts, should set all our hearts in a fervour of devotion toward the worthy receiving of that Blessed Body.

So I'll be on about 6:50 a.m. Central/7:50 a.m. Eastern in the last segment of the second EWTN hour (there's a local hour after that just on Sacred Heart Radio). You may listen live here.

Thomas More, who'd been serving a monarch for several years and knew about Court etiquette, etc., uses an example from life in Tudor England as a comparison to receiving Holy Communion:

But now having the full faith of this point fastly grounded in our heart, that the thing which we receive is the very Blessed Body of Christ, I trust there shall not greatly need any great information further to teach us, or any great exhortation further to stir and excite us, with all humble manner and reverent behaviour to receive Him. For if we will but consider, if there were a great worldly prince, which for special favour that he bare us, would come visit us in our own house, what a business we would then make, and what a work it would be for us to see that our house were trimmed up in every point to the best of our possible power, and everything so provided and ordered, that he should by his honourable receiving perceive what affection we bear him, and in what high estimation we have him. We should soon see by the comparing of that worldly prince and this Heavenly Prince together (between which twain is far less comparison than is between a man and a mouse), inform and teach ourself with how lowly, how tender loving heart, how reverent humble manner we should endeavour ourself to receive this glorious, heavenly King, the King of Kings, Almighty God Himself, that so lovingly doth vouchsafe to enter, not only into our house (to which the noble man Centurion [ac]knowledged himself unworthy), but His Precious Body into our vile wretched carcass, and His Holy Spirit into our poor simple soul.

Part of the ground of More's comparison is that if you know how to prepare and are ready, willing, and able to welcome a human prince to your house, you should know how to prepare and be ready, willing, and able to welcome the High Prince of Heaven to your body and soul. (It's interesting to note that More compares behavior when entering the presence of a prince or monarch or other authority to how we pray when entering God's Presence in The Sadness of Christ, noting that we wouldn't be distracted or inattentive in the first situation--so why are we in the second?)

We would use the same metaphor now--would you go meet the President of the United States of America wearing the same clothing you wear to mow the lawn? would you be distracted and inattentive when he spoke to you? Probably not. Then, if you do so such things when you go to Mass, why?

His Gospel--and Liturgical reference--also drives his message home: The Centurion's words from Matthew 8:8 ("Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.") have become our prayer before receiving Holy Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

Once we admit our unworthiness, we rely upon God to make us worthy, as only He can.

More continues, comparing all that God has done for us to the little we can do in return:

What diligence can here suffice us? What solicitude can we think here enough against the coming of this Almighty King, coming for so special gracious favour not to put us to cost, not to spend of ours, but to enrich us of His, and, that after so manifold deadly displeasure done Him so unkindly by us, against so many of His incomparable benefits before done unto us? How would we now labour, that the house of our soul (which God were coming to rest in) should neither have any poisoned spider, or cobweb of deadly sin hanging in the roof, nor so much as a straw or a feather of any light lewd thought, that we might spy on the floor, but that we would sweep it away.

" . . .coming for so special gracious favour not to put us to cost, not to spend of ours, but to enrich us of His"--I wonder if More is thinking of line from the Roman Canon that "we, your servants and your holy people, offer to your glorious majesty, from the gifts you have given us, this pure victim, the holy victim, this spotless victim" (our current approved translation). Or as More would have read it when attending Mass: "offerimus præclaræ maiestati tuæ de tuis donis ac datis hostiam puram, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam".

All we can offer to God is what God has given us.

His metaphor of our sins as spiders, cobwebs, straws, and feathers is not to be taken lightly except that as More reminded us earlier in the Treatise, "we can (with the help of His special Grace diligently prayed for before) purge and cleanse our souls by Confession, Contrition, and Penance"!

Next Monday (October 17): More from More on the Graces we receive at Holy Communion.

Soul of Christ, be my sanctification;
Body of Christ, be my salvation;
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;
Water of Christ’s side, wash out my stains;
Passion of Christ, my comfort be;
O good Jesu, listen to me;
In thy wounds I fain would hide,
Ne’er to be parted from Thy side;
Guard me, should the foe assail me;
Call me when my life shall fail me;
Bid me come to Thee above,
With Thy saints to sing Thy love,
World without end. Amen. (Newman's translation of the Anima Christi)

Saint Thomas More, pray for us!