The Eucharistic Celebration which is the source and summit of our Faith is in essence a thanksgiving Mass. In order to fully embrace the celebration, we need to bear in mind the following reasons for our attendance. The acronym ACTS commonly used to remember the four dimensions of prayer, helps us to remember the very same thing….
Adoration – To adore our one Triune God
Contrition – To ask pardon for our sins
Thanksgiving – To thank Him for His many gifts and to praise Him
Supplication – To plead for what we need.
With this understanding and preparation we can be led into an interior union with Christ enabling us to actively participate in the Liturgical Celebration.
More on ACTS..
Adoration is the first act of the virtue of religion. To acknowledge the creator and the immeasurable gifts of creation. It is our destiny and highest joy, to worship, and to kneel before Him. Adoration is at the very heart of the spiritual life. In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 4, the 24 elders prostrate themselves before the throne of God, cast the honor of their golden crowns before him, and sing, “Holy, holy, holy. You are worthy, O Lord.” No one else is truly holy; no one else is worthy, worth it, worth all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. All sin and misery come of forgetting this truth, and going after the worship of false gods, whether these are corruptions of real religion, or mere creatures like sex, money, and power.
Contrition is the awareness and expression that we are weak and flawed in the presence of the Holy One. We make mistakes; we fail; we fall. God loved us before we existed and knows all our faults. God is merciful. God forgives no matter how many times we fail. Once we recognise this fact then we should look forward often, to receive absolution through the loving Sacrament of reconciliation for our mortal sins as well as accumulated venial ones.
Thanksgiving – we thank God by always remembering Him. Remembering Him means that He is a part of our thoughts, words, and deeds. To give thanksgiving unto God we must recognize His hand in our lives. The many blessings, gifts and talents we receive from Him. Thanksgiving is joyous praise of God. When we can thank God for everything, good or bad, we become truly happy people. Through expression of prayerful gratitude and thanksgiving, we show our dependence upon a higher source of wisdom and knowledge.
Supplication simply means — petition. We ask God for what we need. Most prayers are for asking while others are for listening to do His Will. The Our Father is a list of petitions, from “hallowed be thy name” to “deliver us from evil.” Jesus has encouraged us, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7).
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