Offerings of the faithful at Mass

 St. Cyprian, martyred in Africa in 258, chided those who came to Mass and received the Eucharist but made no offering of their own: “You are wealthy and rich, and do you think that you celebrate the Lord’s Supper, not at all considering the offering? Who comes to the Lord’s Supper without a sacrifice, and yet take part of the sacrifice which the poor man has offered? Consider in the Gospel the widow… ”

St. Augustine was impressed by a fifth-century procession of gifts in Rome in which the faithful brought from their own homes things from their kitchen tables.

Augustine called this an “admirable exchange” — for their gifts God gave back Jesus. The prayer over the gifts from the sixth day in the octave of Christmas uses Augustine’s language: “Lord, receive our gifts in this wonderful exchange: from all you have given us we bring you these gifts, and in return, you give us yourself.”

All are priests and victims

Listen now to what the Apostle urges us to do. I appeal to you, he says, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. By this exhortation of his, Paul has raised all men to priestly status.

  How marvellous is the priesthood of the Christian, for he is both the victim that is offered on his own behalf, and the priest who makes the offering. He does not need to go beyond himself to seek what he is to immolate to God: with himself and in himself he brings the sacrifice he is to offer God for himself. The victim remains and the priest remains, always one and the same. Immolated, the victim still lives: the priest who immolates cannot kill. Truly it is an amazing sacrifice in which a body is offered without being slain and blood is offered without being shed.

  The Apostle says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Brethren, this sacrifice follows the pattern of Christ’s sacrifice by which he gave his body as a living immolation for the life of the world. He really made his body a living sacrifice, because, though slain, he continues to live. In such a victim death receives its ransom, but the victim remains alive. Death itself suffers the punishment. This is why death for the martyrs is actually a birth, and their end a beginning. Their execution is the door to life, and those who were thought to have been blotted out from the earth shine brilliantly in heaven.

  Paul says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living and holy. The prophet said the same thing: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you have prepared a body for me. Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and his priest. Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity. Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection. Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God that he himself has given you. Keep burning continually the sweet smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit. Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice. God desires not death, but faith; God thirsts not for blood, but for self-surrender; God is appeased not by slaughter, but by the offering of your free will.

 --Saint Peter Chrysologus, Sermon

可是讓我們聽一聽保祿使徒請求什麼，他說：「我憑天主的仁慈請求你們，要奉獻你們的身體。」他藉著這樣的請求，使眾人升高到祭司職的頂峰：「奉獻你們的身體，當作生活的祭品。」

基督徒的祭司職真是前所未聞的！他本身是祭品，又是祭司；他不必在他以外尋找、他該奉獻給天主的祭品；他個人在他內就擁有為他自己獻給天主的祭品；祭品常是同一個，而祭司也是同一的；被宰殺的犧牲仍然生活，祭司也不會死亡，因為他該獻祭。

這真是令人驚異的祭獻：肉身被奉獻，而不需要有肉身；血被奉獻，而不必流血。保祿說：「我憑天主的仁慈請求你們，要奉獻你們的身體，當作生活的祭品。」

弟兄們，這祭獻是以基督的祭獻作典範，他祭獻了他的身體，為的是將生命賜與世人；他確實使他的肉體成為生活的祭品，因為他曾被殺死、而仍然活著。在這祭品中，死亡成為代價，而祭品仍然存在；祭品依舊活著，而死亡已被懲罰。因此殉道者因死亡而誕生；結束了生命時，便開始生活；雖被殺害而仍然活著。人們以為他們在世上已經絕跡，他們卻在天上閃爍發光。

「弟兄們，我憑天主的仁慈請求你們，要奉獻你們的身體，作為生活的、聖潔的祭品。」這正是先知所唱的歌：「犧牲和素祭，都非你所喜，你便給我造了一個身體。」

人哪，你要成為天主的祭品和祭司；你不要失去崇高的天主賦與你的恩惠；你要穿上聖德的長袍，束上貞潔的腰帶。願基督作你的頭帕；願印在你額上的十字時常保護你；把天主知識的奧秘放在你心裡；要不斷的焚燒你祈禱的馨香；緊握聖神的劍；使你的心成為一座祭壇。這樣，把你的身體毫無畏懼的獻于天主，作為祭品吧！

--金言聖伯多祿主教講道集

Leo the Great: all faithful are priests and kings

Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, still, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists as an integral whole, just as the Apostle says: "We are all one in Christ." No difference in office is so great that anyone can be separated, through lowliness, from the head. In the unity of faith and baptism, therefore, our community is undivided. There is a common dignity, as the apostle Peter says in these words: "And you are built up as living stones into spiritual houses, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." And again: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart." For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?
 --Pope St Leo the Great, Sermon 

天主的普世教會是由不同的階層所組成，是為了使不同的肢體合成一個神聖的整體。然而如同保祿使徒所說的，「我們大家都在基督內合而為一。」沒有任何人，會由於職司，而與他人分離：竟至使身體最卑微的部份遠離頭部。親愛的諸位，我們由信仰與洗禮的統一，而組成一個不可分割的團體，並擁有同等的尊嚴。關於這種尊嚴，使徒伯多祿曾以最神聖的語氣說：「你們好象活石，被建造成一座神殿，成為聖潔的祭司，藉耶穌基督奉獻天主所悅納的神靈祭品」；接著又說：「你們是特選的種族，王家的祭司，聖潔的國一民，屬於主的子民。」 在洗禮中十字架的標記使所有在基督內重生的人,成為君王；聖神的傅油、更祝聖他們為祭司。這樣，除了我們牧職中的特殊職務之外，所有領受精神與超性恩寵的基督徒應該知道自己也有分於王家的種族和祭司的職務。一個靈魂由於服從天主，而作肉體的主人，還有比這更當稱王的嗎？一個人將純潔的良心奉獻與主，並在自己心靈的祭壇上，呈上虔誠之情的無玷犧牲，有什麼比這更屬祭司職務呢？這職務是藉天主的聖寵而賜下，並為眾人所共享的。你們因我們晉升教宗周年日而歡欣，猶如你們親受榮耀一般，這確是一件虔敬而值得讚頌的事。這樣是整個教會在慶祝這唯一祭司職的奧跡；當祝聖之油傾注時，誠然，聖油大量地流注在上部的肢體，然而，也充分地達到了居於下位的肢體。
 --聖良一世教宗講道集

"All of us have been made priests of our lives" -- St Josemaría and the Sacrifice of the Altar

(Fr José Mario O Mandía, Homily, June 2008)

"All of us have been made priests of our lives."

(St Josemaría, "Christ's Death is the Christian's Life," Christ is Passing By, 96)

YOU AND I CAN BECOME HOLY

Good evening, my dear brothers and sisters.

As many of you probably know,

Saint Josemaría's message was to remind everyone

that God wants all of us, you and me, to be holy,

whatever our job or occupation may be.

Carpenters, doctors, housewives, nurses,

students, teachers, plumbers, hairdressers,

vendors, businessmen, lawyers, streetsweepers,

farmers, construction workers, journalists, fishermen,

sick or healthy, young or old...

God invites everyone to His great feast in heaven,

He wants us all to experience and enjoy forever

what Pope Benedict calls the "supreme moment of satisfaction" (Spe Salvi, no 12).

"[H]e will wipe away every tear from their eyes"

the book of Revelation says of heaven,

"and death shall be no more,

neither shall there be mourning

nor crying

nor pain any more,

for the former things have passed away.

And he who sat upon the throne said,

'Behold, I make all things new.'" (Rev 21:4-5)

HUMAN WORK ON THE ALTAR OF SACRIFICE

During the sacrifice of the Mass,

as the priest offers the bread and wine,

he praises God, the Lord of all creation,

for the bread "which earth has given

and human hands have made";

he also thanks God for the wine

"fruit of the wine

and work of human hands."

Saint Josemaría echoed these words in his teaching,

because he taught that all honest work,

our family and social life,

our joys, sorrows, successes and failures

are the offering God asks of us at Mass,

so that Jesus Christ may present these to the Father,

together with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

The Holy Spirit blesses these offerings,

He makes them holy,

He sanctifies them,

so that the same job that buys us a meal on earth

can also buy for us a banquet in heaven.

Work can buy us a passage to heaven--

work can make saints of us!

OFFERING THE BEST

When you and I commit ourselves to offer God our work in the Holy Mass,

we also commit ourselves to do our very best,

to execute it as perfectly as possible,

just as God commanded in the Old Testament

that all offering should be without stain, without blemish

(the book of Leviticus repeats this at least twenty-six times!)

Slipshod work and sloppy jobs

have no place on the altar of sacrifice.

But doing our work as perfectly as possible

does not only require

that it be materially complete and thorough.

It also requires that our intention

be purely and exclusively for God's glory.

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory" (Ps 115:1),

Saint Josemaría would often exclaim,

repeating the words of the Psalm.

If our motives are stained by self-seeking,

blemished by selfishness,

tainted with pride,

we cannot say that we are giving God our all--

our offering is not perfect.

Participation at Mass, therefore,

makes us more attentive and caring at home,

more conscientious in our job,

more ambitious to be of service to others.

It makes us more aware

that our all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful Father in heaven

is interested in the tiny little details of our life,

that He truly cares for you and me.

That's why He wants our daily occupations

to yield much more than just the few dollars

that provides clothes on our back,

food on the table,

a roof over our heads,

or schooling for the kids.

In the Holy Sacrifice of Jesus' Body and Blood

God makes use of our modest contribution,

to make Food and Drink

for many hungry and thirsty souls

(that includes our own

and the souls of the people we love).

WORK OF MAN BECOMES WORK OF GOD

In the Mass, Jesus makes our work His own,

He takes it into His own sacred Hands,

and offers it to His Father.

He transforms humble human work

into God's glorious Work.

Let us thank the Lord for His great mercy.

Let us thank Him for His love.

Because He makes it possible for us

to turn every single situation,

every single event

of every ordinary day

into an occasion for loving Him,

for serving the Church and all souls

in joy and in simplicity.

The message of Saint Josemaría

helps us to convert what other people might consider liabilities

into spiritual assets.

CENTRE OF CHRISTIAN LIVING, ROOT OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

Since the founding of Opus Dei in 1928,

Saint Josemaría had always taught

that the Mass

is "the centre ... of Christian living",

because no matter what we may be doing,

our whole day ought to revolve around the altar,

so that Jesus Christ can offer us and our work to our Heavenly Father.

Moreover, Saint Josemaría considered the Mass not only as the centre

around which our life gravitates,

but also as the root which feeds our spiritual life,

the source from which we draw strength.

When we receive Jesus' Body and Blood,

He makes us grow,

He transforms us into Himself,

He makes us more and more like Him, more Christ-like,

He makes us see with His eyes,

speak with His words,

and love with His heart (cf St Josemaría, Meditation, 19 March 1975).

He makes us behave more

like authentic children of God,

so that when others look at us

they only see Jesus.

Yes, this conversion is possible!

PRAY FOR PRIESTS

Finally, an appeal to all of you.

Saint Josemaría once wrote:

"I ask all Christians to pray earnestly for us priests

that we learn to perform the Holy Sacrifice in a holy way.

I ask you to show a deep love for the Holy Mass

and in this way to encourage us priests to celebrate it respectfully,

with divine and human dignity:

looking after the cleanliness of the vestments

and other things used for worship,

devoutly, without rushing.

Why the hurry?

Do people in love hurry when they are saying goodbye?

They seem to be going and then they don't go;

they turn back once and again;

they repeat quite ordinary words

as if they had just discovered their meaning ..." (St Josemaría, Homily A Priest Forever)

The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph

lived only for Jesus.

May we, also, live only for Him

as we carry out the commonplace tasks

of every single day.

WHAT TO OFFER

If I renounce everything I possess, if I carry the cross and follow Christ, I have offered a holocaust on the altar of God. Or if I burn up my body in the fire of charity ..., I have offered a holocaust on the altar of God...; if I mortify my body and abstain from all concupiscence, if the world is crucified unto me and not me unto the world, then I have offered a holocaust on the altar of God and I am become a priest of my own sacrifice.

--Origen, In Lev. hom., 9, 9)

KINGS AND PRIESTS


Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, still, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists as an integral whole, just as the Apostle says: We are all one in Christ. No difference in office is so great that anyone can be separated, through lowliness, from the head. In the unity of faith and baptism, therefore, our community is undivided. There is a common dignity, as the apostle Peter says in these words: And you are built up as living stones into spiritual houses, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And again: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.

For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?

--St Leo the Great, Sermon

PRIESTS AND KINGS

For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?

--Pope St Leo the Great, from a sermon

THE HIGH PRIEST GATHERS THE OFFERING OF THE FAITHFUL

Here the great crucifix which towers above us serves as a reminder that Christ, our eternal high priest, daily unites our own sacrifices, our own sufferings, our own needs, hopes and aspirations, to the infinite merits of his sacrifice. Through him, with him, and in him, we lift up our own bodies as a sacrifice holy and acceptable to God (cf. Rom 12:1). In this sense we are caught up in his eternal oblation, completing, as Saint Paul says, in our flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, the Church (cf. Col 1:24). In the life of the Church, in her trials and tribulations, Christ continues, in the stark phrase of Pascal, to be in agony until the end of the world (Pensées, 553, éd. Brunschvicg).

--Benedict XVI, Westminster Cathedral, Saturday, 18 September 2010

COMMON AND MINISTERIAL PRIESTHOOD

... the Decree of the Second Vatican Council on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum ordinis, says: "For, through the apostolic proclamation of the Gospel, the People of God is called together and assembled so that when all who belong to this People have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, they can offer themselves as "a sacrifice, living, holy, pleasing to God' (Rm 12: 1). Through the ministry of priests the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is made perfect in union with the sacrifice of Christ, the sole Mediator.

(Benedict XVI, Audience, 24 June 2009)