November 21 2023 (school mass) - Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - I am totally yours

 Imagine, you are three years old. And one day, you ask your parents to bring you to Church because you want to speak to God. And so they do. They bring you to Church. But you ask them to wait in the back of the Church as you go to speak to God. So they do. You then walk up the long aisle. You kneel at the steps of the sanctuary here, and you tell God, “God, I know that you made me for a special purpose. Do with me whatever you want. I give my whole life to you. If you want me to be a leader, I will be a leader. If you want me to be a teacher, I will be a teacher. If you want me to go live in a cave where I will pray all day to you, I will.”

That’s a pretty amazing thing for anyone to do, wouldn’t you say? It’s even more amazing, for a three year old, to love God that much, to trust God that much, to offer themselves to God for whatever God wanted.

Well, that is precisely what we celebrate today. When she was 3 years old, the little Blessed Virgin Mary asked her parents to bring her to the Jerusalem Temple. And there, she prayerfully spoke to God, and consecrated herself to God, offering herself to God for whatever God wanted of her.

Do you trust God that much? Do you love God that much? If not, why not?

God made us in a way that we are happiest when we do what He wants. God designed us that way. He made us that way. We are hard-wired for God. Our minds work as they are supposed to. Our bodies work as they are supposed to. Our hearts work as they are supposed to, when we, like Mary consecrate ourselves to God. When we say, God, I’m yours. I am totally yours, do with me as you will. Whatever it is, I know, that is what will make me happiest. 

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.”

If you don’t trust God enough to say that, ask God to help you trust Him more. Because until you do. You are missing out. 

What a beautiful story for us to consider as we go off on Thanksgiving Break. The best way we can show our thanksgiving to God for all of the good things in our life, all of your natural abilities, all of your possessions is to offer them back to God, and to say, all that I have Lord, I offer back to you, everything is yours, do with it what you will. For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

8th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Offering ones life to God

God's Word commands us not to come before the Lord empty-handed (Sir 35:4). This means we must come to the Lord with our offerings — with the fruit of our service, finances, parenting, work, and life.

One of the prayers you may have learned in Catholic Grade School is The Morning Offering: O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.

It is good to begin the day calling to mind the need to offer everything to God, to not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

One of the great mysteries of our faith which we contemplate during the upcoming season of Lent, is the Lord’s willingness to give everything to His Father. He was “obedient unto death, death on a Cross” writes Paul to the Philippians. And Our Lord himself said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”.

Following the commandments to love God and love neighbor, imitating Jesus, all require this willingness to give of ones-self, to hold nothing back in service to God. This of course does not mean we need to spend 16 hours a day in Church. We give of our selves at the altar, in order that, we might give of ourselves OUT THERE.

When Peter says today in the Gospel, 'We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus detects that Peter was just giving lip-service. He hadn’t given up everything, for he did not possess the willingness to give his life.

The OTHER St. Ignatius—Ignatius of Loyola—also has a wonderful prayer of offering, called the suscipe prayer, that we do well to pray often: “Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.”

By offering everything to God in union with Jesus we becoming receptive to an abundance of graces which can truly transform the world for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the upcoming season of Lent may be a source of renewal and spiritual growth for the entire Christian Church.

For the freedom and willingness to make of ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

For the Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of March: for respect for the rights of persecuted Christian communities and their closeness to Christ.

For all those who share in the sufferings of Christ—the sick, the sorrowful, and those who are afflicted or burdened in any way.  We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased clergy and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray to the Lord.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.