Our Response to the Invitation of the Presider.

We respond to the invitation of the presider by asking God to accept the sacrifice that we offer at the hands of the priest. We then ask for specific benefits from the sacrifice that is being offered. Specifically, we ask:

That the Lord accept this sacrifice

For the praise of God’s name, For our good, For the good of all God’s people.

It is good to spend a few moments reflecting on the posture of this response. We stand in response to the priest’s invitation but we approach God tentatively, asking Him to accept our sacrifice, for the praise of His name (as we are Him to accept our sacrifice, for the praise of His name (as we are His creation), that it might be for our salvation and the salvation of all. It is a prayer we should say with much reflection.

Prayer over the gifts.

All of these prayers are now gathered by the presider in a prayer that takes to heart the special circumstances of the day and asks God again to accept the gifts that we offer Him in faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. We respond with an “Amen!”

Now we may miss out ourselves, by sometimes being too used to the ritual of the Mass and not noticing the momentous event that this simple start signifies. May God enliven in us a deep sense of His desire to come and to “stay with us”

Opportunity for Spiritual Growth.

Give of yourself at every Mass you attend. Be a good steward of all that God has given you:

Use your voice to praise Him and answer the prayers meaningfully. Use your voice to sing with the congregation

Use your body to reverence God by genuflecting, standing, beating your breast, and sitting, making the sign of the cross, bowing, and kneeling.

Give generously in the collection, giving back to God’s Church some of what you have received.