Jesus!
First, those who are in public sin and evil intent, such as hatred, impurity, and the like, shall not go to the sacrament. And they shall not observe the commandment of the church until they avoid such sin; for it is better to do God's commandment than the commandment of the churches, and to forbear the sacrament, than to sin against God's commandment to receive the same, which has forbidden the holy sacrament to such sinners.
2) On the other hand, those should abstain from the Sacrament who feel that they go only for the sake of the commandment of the Church or out of habit, that where they would be free and would like to abstain, they do not go of good will or desire; for the holy Sacrament seeks, as St. Augustine says, a hungry, thirsty, eager soul that desires it: but those who go by commandment or habit have neither desire nor craving for it, but rather a hunger and thirst for it. For the holy Sacrament, as St. Augustine says, looks for a hungry, thirsty, eager soul that has a desire for it: but those who go by commandment or habit have neither desire nor eagerness for it, but rather an abhorrence or awe of it, that they would rather be from it than with it. An eager heart does not wait for the commandment, nor does it look to commandment or custom, but its need and desire drive it, so that it has regard only to the sacrament it desires.
Third, you say, if this were true, it is to be feared that few people in the world would receive it worthily; for almost everyone without his election, only out of obedience
of the church. Answer: There is no help for it, there must be hunger and thirst for this food and drink, or it may not come off without harm. Just as in nature, if the body is full and full, or otherwise sick and not hungry, and takes a large, rich meal, he must become sick and die from it; but if he is hungry and thirsty, he is happy, and becomes healthy and strong from it.
(4) Fourthly, therefore, the pope does too little, indeed, unjustly, in that he urges people with commandment, without any distinction, and does not first and more take all diligence how to bring this hunger and thirst into the hearts, thereby only corrupting the souls and driving them to sins, and completely destroying the fruit of the sacrament; unless someone wanted to point his commandment only to the hungry. Otherwise it is truly a pernicious, harmful commandment, which is not to be followed until you are hungry, and are driven by yourself without commandment, so that then its commandment is no longer necessary for you. The sacrament, even God Himself, may not give anyone anything without His will, and His gifts, though they are great, demand great hunger and desire, but flee and shun a stout and unwilling heart.
Fifthly: Hunger and thirst are prepared in this way, when a man is shown his infirmity and distress without any knowledge, so that he recognizes his misery and gains a desire to be rid of it; as when you realize that you are weak in faith, cold in love, timid in hope; item, you find yourself inclined to hatred and impatience, to impurity, to avarice, or what are the vices more than you doubtless have.
You will find and feel yourself, if you look at yourself rightly; for all the saints have found themselves in this way; even if you would have been willing or fallen into some of the pieces, as infirm. Behold, the sight and knowledge of thy sin, if it be of opinion, or so much as worketh in thee, that thou wouldst gladly be rid of the same vice and wickedness, and desire also to be pure, chaste, meek, mild, humble, faithful, loving, etc. is a beginning of this hunger and thirst.
(6) The sixth: The greater and more fervent this desire is in you, the more you are sent to the sacrament; for God also gave his commandment for this reason, to recognize sin in this way, to punish some so horribly, and also to threaten death and hell with all kinds of pain and sorrow, so that he drives man and makes him long for piety, and thus ready for this sacrament. See, then man no longer respects the commandment of the church, but is glad that he may come to it, driven by himself and his need, without all commandment and demand. The pope and all priests should carry this teaching and instruction into the people and leave their commandment in place, so that everyone may remain free, and whoever does not become eager through this may abstain from the sacrament. Now, they only have to do the commandment and rush in with the crowd, so that much damage to Christianity is done.
7. seventh: When therefore a man is come to hunger, and thereby prepared for the sacrament, let him ever take heed that he be not added to his worthiness, neither let him ask for it alone, as some do who pray the verse, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof, but speak but one word, and my soul shall be healed," Matt. 8:8. Not that I reject the prayer, but that one should understand a more detailed one. These are the words when Christ begins the mass and says: "Take, and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Take, and drink of it, all of you; this is the cup of the new and everlasting testament in my blood, which is poured out for you and for many, for the remission of sins," Matth. 26, 26. ff. These words, even if the priest speaks them secretly (and if God wanted him to speak them loudly, so that everyone could hear them), are not to be understood.
(The words of the first chapter of this book were clearly heard even in the German language.) Let every Christian have them before him at Mass and pay attention to them above all things, for as they are spoken to all of us, so also the priest speaks them in Christ's stead to all who stand around him; let us also all accept them, relying on them, and not doubting that we are thereby invited as guests of the Lord to this rich banquet.
8th To the eighth: This is also what the priest means when he lifts up the sacrament and chalice and is rung with bells, which is no more than that we are reminded of the word of Christ; as if the priest and bell-ringer should say to all of us: Listen, you Christians, look here, take and eat, take and drink, this is the body and blood of Christ. So that by the lifting up of the priest and the little bell, the laity is signified as much as if they heard the words of Christ loud and clear, which the priest has read in secret. You must now build your hungry heart on these words, and rely on such a divine promise of truth, and go to the sacrament and appeal to God, saying: "Lord, it is true that I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; yet I am poor and eager for your help and grace, so that I may also become devout. So I come to no other reliance than that I have now heard sweet words, as thou dost invite me to thy table, and dost promise me unworthy, that I shall have forgiveness of all sin through thy body and blood, if I eat and drink it in this sacrament, amen. Dear Lord, your word is true, I do not doubt it, and I eat and drink with you, be it done to me according to your words, amen.
9. the ninth: This is called having gone worthily to the sacrament; which worthiness is not due to our diligence, toil, labor, prayer, or fasting, but to the divine words of truth. Some, in order to make such a desire and lust for the sacrament, have invented various fruits of the mass, one otherwise, the other in such a way: that among them some write that a man does not grow older under the mass; and so long have they fooled themselves that they have made the fruit of the mass bodily and temporal, but that they have not made any fruit of the mass.
For the sake of the mass heard, they want to be safe and happy during the day; and nothing remains of the mass, that is, of the understanding and use of this divine promise, which is the whole mass. For Christ at the supper appointed no more than these words, and gave them to be used only for spiritual benefit, as, for the forgiveness of sin, for grace and help, so that man's heart, hanging on it by faith, becomes strong in all good against sin, death and hell. He does not want temporal, but spiritual and eternal help through his words and works, and it is a disgrace to God to abuse them for temporal goods.
10. to the tenth: So when the priest administers the sacrament, he should be understood as doing the work of which Christ's words are, "Receive, and eat," etc.; and the man also should receive the sacrament in the power and consideration of the same word, and ever not doubt it be done unto him according to the sound and substance of the same words of Christ, that certainly Christ's body is given for him, and his blood shed for him, and he is an heir of the New Testament, that is, grace and favor of God unto life eternal. Behold, faith makes pious, and casts out all sin, strengthens all sickness, enlightens all blindness, heals all evil affections, guards against sins, does all good; lately, the fruit of such faith is all-sufficient, and no more infirmity; for in faith the Holy Spirit is given, by which man loves God, as in this He shows him so abundant a benefit, becomes joyful and glad to do all good, without commandment and law.
Eleventh: Now behold, how far they have gone from the road, who have taught us to go to the Sacrament worthily, to the measure that we should be wholly pure, and have made us stupid, timid, have perverted the sweet blessed Sacrament into a dreadful and yearly commerce, that few people go thither with desire and eagerness, because they always fear that they are not pure and worthy enough, by which care and fear they become most unworthy of all, and
For fear and desire do not coexist, which is why they have prevented us from coming, so that they might promote us. If thou wilt not come sooner, unless thou be wholly pure and without infirmity, thou shalt abide much better of it. The sacrament should make you pure and help you, but if you do not want to come sooner, you will never need its help, because you have helped yourself before. This is just as if you were invited to a delicious meal and ate and drank your fill beforehand, so that you had to sit over the table in disgust and disgust and let all the food be presented in vain. How will that please the host?
(12) Twelfthly, behold, it is so, when men are made godly and rightly guided by commandments and laws, that they become angry, and through such activity do unwillingly and unkindly what they do; which is then soon an obstacle to God's grace and sacrament, which he neither likes nor wants to give to the oppressed, forced, compelled by commandment and law; but to the eager, self-coming, thirsty, desiring heart; as he says in Matt. 11, 12: "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the mighty snatch it away, from the time of John's preaching"; that is, because St. John opens up his sin and infirmities to the people (which all preachers should do), they become so eager for the kingdom of God and His help that they immediately rush in with violence and snatch it away. Such guests are also dear to God, and are welcome to Him, who are thus chased away from their sins and infirmities; as the 42nd Psalm v. 2. says: "As a hunted deer is eager for fresh well water, so also my soul longs for You, my God."
Thirteenth: So he also beckons Matt. 11:28: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you and help you." It is not to be believed that the Lord speaks of bodily labor or burden, for he only helps souls: therefore such words are to be understood of the labor and burden of the conscience, which are nothing else than evil consciences of sins done and daily infirmities and inclinations.
to sins. He does not expel all of them from himself, as those do who teach us to go to the sacrament pure and worthy, nor does he give a commandment, nor does he expel anyone, but rather entices and tempts all who are sinners and find themselves burdened, if they desire help otherwise. The high sacrament must be considered not as a poison but as a medicine for the soul; as he himself says Matth. 9, 12: "The healthy have no need of a physician, but the sick. It is only necessary that you know and feel your work and your burden, and that you are eager to be rid of it; then you will be worthy of the Sacrament.
and if you believe, it will give you everything you need. But now many go without such understanding, bringing a hungry belly and a full soul; praying much before and yet not believing; taking the sacrament and not needing it; not knowing why they do so, but that they obey the commandment of the church with fear and unwillingness, so that they become the sacrament in the most unskilful way. Woe to all such teachers who not only keep silent about the sacred sacrament's custom and power, but also hinder it with their mad activity and writing. God save us from them, amen.