This week we Lectio The Liturgy with the Prayer Over the Offerings for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. In this prayer, we learn that when God accepts our offerings He sanctifies them and outcome of that is pretty important for us.
Accept our offerings, O Lord, we pray, and in sanctifying them grant that they may profit us for salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
In the Latin form of the prayer, for the word offerings, we find the word munera. In ancient Roman times, munera were public works and entertainments, which were provided by those of high status and wealth, for the benefit of the people. I find it interesting how that definition parallels with the gifts God gives to us. All of our gifts are provided by God for the benefit of others.
When you think about it, we have a wide variety of gifts to offer. Our gifts can include our mission or ministry, and even our vocations from God. The gifts also include our duties or offices, and our charisms, or spiritual gifts.
Why do we need to offer them back? So God can sanctify them. His action of sanctifying, or blessing, our gifts changes them from a human strength into a supernatural strength which profits us for salvation enabling our gifts to bear supernatural fruit. This is the fruit that endures.
In John 15:16, we read, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” God chose you and He appointed you to bear fruit that remains. We also learn that when we ask the Father, in the name of Jesus, to sanctify our gifts, He will answer our prayer.
As I meditated on this prayer, I used it as an overlay on the offering of Jesus. The offering of Jesus is the same offering the we celebrate at Mass.
Jesus asked the Father to accept His offering, which was Himself. The Father blessed and glorified the offering of Jesus, and through the fruit of His offering, we profited salvation.
Now it’s our turn. Offer your gifts to God. Know that the Father will strengthen you by accepting them and sanctifying them, allowing you to not only bear fruit that will last but to also be the fruit that feeds others.
Thanks for praying with me,
Julie