“If we desire to improve (which is to repent) and are not under priesthood restriction, then, in my opinion, we are worthy. If, however, we have no desire to improve, if we have no intention of following the guidance of the Spirit, we must ask: Are we worthy to partake, or are we making a mockery of the very purpose of the sacrament, which is to act as a catalyst for personal repentance and improvement?” (“The Beauty and Importance of the Sacrament,”Ensign, May 1989, 38).
“Without some provision for further cleansing after our baptism, each of us is lost to things spiritual. We cannot have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and at the final judgment we would be bound to be ‘cast off forever’ (1 Ne. 10:21). How grateful we are that the Lord has provided a process for each baptized member of His Church to be periodically cleansed from the soil of sin. The sacrament is an essential part of that process” “We are commanded to repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament in compliance with its covenants. When we renew our baptismal covenants in this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. In this way we are made clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us. The importance of this is evident in the Lord’s commandment that we partake of the sacrament each week (see D&C 59:8–9)” (“The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 38).
In what ways can you prepare to worthily partake of the sacrament?
Take a moment and reflect on the last three days of study. What does the sacrament mean to you?
There is strength in participating in the sacrament with those around you. Read Luke 22:15. Why was Jesus desirous to spend the passover with His apostles? What does this mean to you while you partake of the sacrament.