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The early church knew that, in all creation, there is no one who is worthy through his own spiritual effort, through this own "worthiness," to partake of the body and blood of Christ, and that therefore preparation consists not in a calculation and analysis of one's "preparedness" or "unpreparedness," but in the answer of love to love:
"That we also, together with all the saints who through the ages have been well-pleasing to Thee, may become partakers of Why eternal good things, which Thou hast prepared those who love Thee, O Lord." When the celebrant proclaims the word "Holy things are for the holy," the Church responds, "One is Holy. One is the Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.: But in affirming and declaring this confession, she knows that the doors to the "homeland of the heart's desire" are open to all, and that "there will be no separation from each other, O friends.""
Fr. Alexander Schmemann, "The Sacrament of Communion" in "The Eucharsit." Trans. by Paul Kachur (New York: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1987) 241.
Prayer, however lonely and imbued with man's sense of unworthiness to speak with God on account of his many transgressions and vices, is above all the sign of love exchanged with God. The love of God is shown in drawing the heart of man to prayer and to standing in His presence, and the love of man is manifested by submitting his heart to God, even in its sinful and penitent state.
Prayer then is a response of love. At first the prayer of love is very subdued and unsusceptible to verbal expression. It is uttered more in words of regret and repentance. But advance prayer, being a mark of matured love, is not short of words of love.
God is love, all love and the spring of love. The human heart, which does not respond to the divine love, remains distant from God, deprived of his radiant and abundantly generous nature. The first indication of responsiveness is when a person is prompted to speak with god, and this is prayer. Prayer is the first proof that God's love has been poured into a human heart.
The reason why a person is at first taken up with the confession of sins is that the divine love, although it awaken and attracts the heart, is so pure that is cannot tolerate sin. So the first response to love becomes prayer and forgiveness. Repentance and purging are a preparation for the mutual exchange of divine love from a pure heart. In praying with tears and contrition of heart we are responding to love and our hearts are being cleansed to prepare us for receiving the Lover Himself. Jesus Christ calls us to repentance so that we may become worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. During prayer, where Jesus Himself is present, the Kingdom of Heaven comes very close to us, and the sense of penitence is so intensified that a person is ready to atone for his or her sins by sacrificing everything, even life itself. This is caused by the power of Christ's love, which He puts into our hearts as we pray in a way which we cannot perceive, but which fuels our fervor in worship to an amazing extent. "Love is as strong as death" (Song of Solomon 8.6). Prayer gives God an opportunity to pour His spirit of love into the human heart; then love performs by itself its work in the heart. First of all, it puts sin to shame, then condemns it, and finally forgives it. By accepting this series of actions during prayer, the person who prayers is accepting love. For prayer is but an acceptance of the spirit of love and a means of submission to its purifying effects.
Fr. Matta el-Meskeen (Fr. Matthew the Poor), Guidelines on Prayer
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