How do we do this? First, we should prepare ourselves ahead of time for Sunday Mass. Ideally this should involve reading and reflecting on the readings, because the readings, in turn, prepare us for the Eucharist. The readings make present to us the reality of salvation history, the action of God in redeeming the world. Then, during the liturgy of the Eucharist, God does what He just told us about in the readings—He redeems the world. The wonder of it is not just that this is happening before our eyes, but that we are called to be a part of it. By joining ourselves to Jesus’ sacrifice to the Father, we become participants in redemption—first, our own redemption, and then, that of the whole world.
How, our own redemption? To fully, consciously, and actively participate in the sacrifice of the Mass, we must, in turn, offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice†to the Father. This we cannot do on our own—that is why Jesus has gone before us, and he enables us to do it, if we are united with Him. So what does this mean? It means that we give back to the Father all that we have received, both the good and the bad, as an offering of love. It is certainly no less an offering that is made between spouses, when they renew their marital bond through the act of sexual self-giving. If we can give ourselves—all of ourselves, not just the good parts, but the bad parts, too—to our spouses in love, surely we can give as much, if not more, to God. We give to the Father, in thanksgiving, all of the joys and blessings we experience. Can we think of them, one by one, and then offer them back to the Father in gratitude? We also give to the Father all of our sufferings, the trials we are presently going through, at home or work, whether physical or emotional, psychological or spiritual. All that we are, and all that we have, we relinquish control over—not just symbolically, but really. Really let it go—give it to the Father in the same way that Jesus gave everything over to the Father on the Cross. Jesus will help us do it. Then, if we do this, will we be participating in the Eucharist.
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