5th Sunday after Pentecost 27 June 2010 Sermon

5th Sunday after Pentecost 27.6.10 Offering a pure sacrifice

May the Lord accept this sacrifice at your hands… Of course He will accept the sacrifice insofar as it is the perfect sacrifice of His Son, and every Mass is that.

However, there is another component to the whole process, and that is our own participation in the sacrifice.

The sacrifice is perfect but our attitude in offering it may not be perfect.

The Gospel today speaks of the need for us to be fully reconciled with one another before we can offer the sacrifice of Christ.

If we are to offer the pure and perfect sacrifice our hearts and minds should be also pure and perfect.

To the extent that they are not, the efficacy of the sacrifice is reduced. Christ is giving all of Himself to the Father and to us, but we are not in a position to be able to receive what He is giving.

We need to grasp the momentousness of what we are doing by attending Mass. A very great thing is happening on the altar; we cannot be half-hearted or distracted in our own response.

It is no light thing to ask the Father to forgive the sins of all the world, including my own, yet we do this at every Mass. Lord have mercy... Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us... my soul shall be healed...

If we would approach Him with such a request we must be fully engaged to do whatever we can to stop the flow of sin; to amend our lives where necessary, and also – since we are asking for the sins of the world – to forgive those who offend us; to have a merciful attitude.

May the Lord accept (this sacrifice) including us, this current crew assembled before Him.

Avoid any malice, unforgiveness, uncharity. What we have in our hearts must be consonant with what is happening on the altar.

Much harder than just ‘saying Mass’ or ‘going to Mass’ is this internal disposition.

A lot of power on the altar, waiting to be released. People can be cold and alienated, and quarrelling with each other – after Mass just as much as before. Obviously not meant to be like that. The Mass should change us.

The Gospel is saying: Before Mass be at peace. All the more so afterwards by inference.

If we took this more seriously; if we approached the Mystery of the Sacrifice with greater identification, who knows what that would mean for the world, but it would make a major difference.

Mass is not just a formality to be dealt with. One can go to an early Mass or a shorter Mass, but give it all you have. That is the essence of the Suscipiat prayer.

Participate: you could be sitting in the back corner but very much affecting and being affected by what is happening on the altar. You are making things happen by what you are thinking about, what you are resolving. You are realizing (making real) the power of Christ’s sacrifice. Charity, Mercy, Holiness – He will make these things happen in you and through you.

We will receive a lot more than we give insofar as God loves us far more than we love Him; however, if we give less than we have we are then clogging up the paths of charity and reducing the effectiveness of the Sacrifice.

May this Mass at which we are now present be the first of many more; each time growing in understanding and response to what is happening on the altar and how it affects us.