An offering in spirit and truth

When we celebrate the Eucharist, every element is important. The Church’s liturgy is the result of centuries of development, enabling us to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth by drawing us into Jesus’ own perfect sacrifice on the cross. 

One part of the Mass we often overlook is the Offertory Procession during which a few members of the faithful bring forward the bread and wine to be consecrated, as well as the gifts offered by the faithful during the collection. This ancient and beautiful ritual is too often seen as a kind of “break” between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

It is far more meaningful than that!

In his Apostolic Exhortation, “Sacramentum Caritatis,” Pope Benedict XVI explained that this offering “enables us to appreciate how God invites man to participate in bringing to fulfillment his handiwork and, in doing so, gives human labor its authentic meaning since –through the celebration of the Eucharist – it is united to the redemptive suffering of Christ.”

This is a profound point that deserves some reflection. 

In whatever manner we make our offering – whether cash, check, online – we unite our gifts, the sign of our self-offering, with the bread and wine offered in the Mass. In this way, these gifts (the fruit of our human labor) are united with the Sacrifice that Christ the High Priest offered on the altar. Through this gesture, the work we do every day becomes not just burdensome or monotonous toil but a way to participate in the redemptive work of Christ.

This offering is a way in which we offer our very selves. In giving our gifts to the Lord, we are making a sacrifice of our very livelihood and sustenance, trusting that the Lord will provide everything we need and acknowledging that the thing we need most is the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ Himself! 

With the offering of ourselves, the Lord transforms our hearts by this great sacrifice, so that every one of us can be recreated in the image of Jesus, becoming the saints he calls us to be.

Rather than merely “zoning out” to read the bulletin or looking around to see who is at Mass, I encourage you to use the time during the offertory procession as a moment in the Mass to acknowledge all that the Lord has given each of us. 

As we offer the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving to God, we offer these gifts back to him. When you see your fellow parishioners taking gifts to the altar, call to mind the prayers and intentions you wish to offer the Lord. Unite your life and the lives of your family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors to the redemptive work that is happening. 

Let this moment be, for all of us, a moment where we are drawn ever more deeply into Christ’s sacrifice, so that his sacrifice can be for us, and for the world, a true moment of transformation and renewal.