Q: “Lord I am not worthy” seems like another penitential rite. We’ve already done that. At the beginning.
A: At many times, the prayers of the mass remind us of our place before God. We are God’s beloved children, but God is our God. Certainly a different prayer could be said, but this one, based on the story of the centurion, aims to help us reflect on the seriousness of what we are about to do. There are many references to healing in both the daily and seasonal prayers. There is a close linguistic connection between healing and salvation. The prayers are working from a metaphor to express that this eucharist is preparing us for a better life.