9/4/22 - Worship in Spirit and Truth

 9/4/22

Sunday is about adoring God. It is a strange form of adoration our God wants. We hear His word to nourish our minds, direct our wills, lift up our souls. There are commands, yes, but in Scripture He gives us more than He asks of us. 

We bring bread and wine. We are asked to make a financial contribution for the support of the parish, but these are free will offerings. No one is forced to give (or at least shouldn’t be). He gives us in return the Body and Blood of His Son. Food for the journey. The new mana for our pilgrimage through the desert of this life. A preparation for the eternal banquet. Yes, we kneel in adoration during the Eucharistic Prayer, and before receiving the Bread from Heaven. But it is food for us. We aren’t asked to do anything extraordinary. Just believe. 

My work is not my prayer. But when we leave the Mass and feed the poor, visit the sick, love others as myself, we are extending the “amen” we made both at the end of the Creed and when we received Communion. When we refrain from unnecessary work on Sunday we’re showing trust in God. Even if we don’t have the wherewithal to renounce all our possessions, we can for one day put all we have in God’s hands, trusting he will provide what we need. What does he ask in return? An hour, more or less, at Mass, maybe pray a bit more? Then He says, go! Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Enjoy with your family and friends. Take a rest. Tomorrow it’s back to work. Today is a foretaste of Heaven. 

When we do these things we are confirming that our prayer is not empty words or pompous show. When we live the Gospel we hear, when we become the Body of Christ we receive our worship is extended out into every aspect of our lives, and we become a living sacrifice of praise.