Liturgy Lesson for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity: Prayer of Humble Access

November 14, 2010

In the Administration of the Holy Communion service, we begin with the Prayer of Humble Access—our humble confession of unworthiness made by the priest on behalf of all approaching the Holy Table. It prepares us to receive the Blessed Sacrament, and in the English prayerbook is very appropriately the last thing done before partaking of the Lord’s Presence in the consecrated elements. It calls us to examen—asking God the Holy Ghost to show us in our hearts where we need repentance—making adjustments in our lives to fit God’s standard, in order to avoid eating or drinking at the Lord’s Table unworthily. This is an important concept, because Scripture teaches us if we have unresolved sin (or their attendant attitudes) in our hearts, we stand more in danger of incurring God’s judgment in communion than in receiving His blessings. After this last spiritual “attitude check” we rightly approach and express our reverent feelings and humility by kneeling, taking the bread in the palm of our hand, not manipulating it with our fingers, but resting in our palms. Likewise, we take the cup firmly, with both hands, embracing Christ’s nature to replace our own, making in our hearts the devotion that St. John Baptist gave us, by praying “More of Him…Less of Me.” No wonder we usually follow with the ancient Gloria in Excelsis—we have received of the Lord completely by His Grace and through no merit of our own—and the pure praise of the Gloria is indeed a fitting response of our heart—“Glory be to God on high!”

Posted by Father Chip | Filed Under Liturgy Lessons