When the Prayers of the Faithful are complete, we sit down for the Offeratory. We will often sing a hymn during this time, but we should not get distracted from the many things that are going on.
For one thing, on Sundays and Solemnities, the ushers come around to take up the collection. We should make an effort to give as much as we are able. Supporting the Church is an obligation for us, and while no one should ever dictate an amount for us to give, we should strive to be generous. After all, our parish provides us with Holy Mass and the other sacraments.
The deacon or priest prepares the altar during this time as well. We notice that he carefully places the corporal (the cloth that rests on top of the altar cloth) and sets out the sacred vessels. Then the priest brings or receives the gifts of bread and wine. On Sundays and Solemnities, parishioners carry these gifts forward and present them to the priest. We should join ourselves to them spiritually, for the bread and wine are offered by the entire congregation, and they symbolize the offering of everything we have and everything we are to God.
As the priest lays the bread and wine on the altar, we should place ourselves on the altar as well. We should give God our joys and sorrows, our worries and anxieties, our triumphs and trials, our families, our jobs, our leisure. And mostly, we must give Him ourselves, for we are His anyway. Without Him, we would not exist, and without His constant care, we would cease to exist. The Offeratory is the perfect time to recognize this and give everything back to God, for He has given it all to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment