• THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

In the same way that the Mass begins with prayers to help us prepare to hear the Scripture proclaimed in the liturgy of the Word, so now we prepare to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice. Our participation in the liturgy of the Word was centered on opening ourselves fully to the Word of God proclaimed to us. Now we prepare ourselves to join our sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ that is offered at this Mass.

Our Lord, on the night before He died, took bread and wine and instructed His apostles to do this in commemoration of Him. In this part of the Mass, we bring the bread and wine to the altar. The priest will “take the bread” from the congregation and say the “blessing” over it. This will lead us into the next part of Mass when we pray a great prayer of “giving thanks” (literally what Eucharist” means), before the priest “breaks the bread” and “gives it to us” in communion.

Reflecting on this, Saint Paul told the Corinthians: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26). Both bread and wine are made by gathering them the many and crushing them into a unified substance makes bread. Crushing grapes into juice and letting the juice age and ferment makes wine. The Church, which is the Body of Christ, is made up of the “many,” who are made one through the sacrifice of Jesus. In the preparatory rites of the liturgy of the Eucharist, we prepare to offer ourselves, along with the presider, to God the Father in union with the one sacrifice of Christ.

• THE COLLECTION

In the early Church, people would bring the bread and wine from their homes and present it to the presider during the Mass. Now the bread and the wine are brought, but we still have the opportunity to give of ourselves at Mass. One of the most concrete ways that we offer some part of ourselves in the Mass is by giving in the offertory collection.

Giving in the collection is a symbolic but very real way of dying to ourselves. It proclaims that our faith is ultimately in God, not in our material wealth. Of course, it also pays the very real bills, salaries, and expenses that the church accrues every time. Most of us will be shocked to know the amount of money that goes into these expenditures.

In the same way that our Lord handed himself over to sinful men and was sacrificed on the cross for our salvation, we now give of ourselves, too. It is not to recreate His sacrifice, but rather to participate in His sacrifice. We will offer ourselves through Christ to the Father in the Eucharistic Prayer.