The Hidden Depths of the Mass #19

The Liturgy of the Eucharist – The Offertory Part 2

After the gifts of bread and wine have been brought to the altar, the priest holds up first the bread and then the wine and says (silently if music is being played), “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread (wine) we offer you:  fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life (our spiritual drink).”

We recognize that we have these gifts to offer only because of what God has given us.  We receive not in selfish greed but with the love God intends.  The seed God has given us must be planted and nourished until harvest.  This requires human work.  Then, we offer to God our best from what He has given us.