What gift you can offer to God?

It is the same gift that Jesus offered to the Father. When we do not offer the same gift Jesus offered before the altar, we seem to be off the rails, outside of God’s will.

What you do during the day, you must have the courage to offer on the altar. But if you use drugs, do you have the courage to put it on the altar? So do not do drugs. Do not act away from the altar what you cannot offer to God.

The greatest gift we can give God is our life. The wafer and wine are chosen to be placed on the altar to represent that they are not born, not born wine or bread, but were grabbed, which passed by a sacrifice of men and women until they reach the altar. All that is good. We do not have oxen, or goats, or calves, because we need to offer on the altar that which is made with love.

We need to start on Monday to prepare our offerings to be presented at the altar on Sunday. What can you give God? Drinking, drugs, lies, rampant sex? Let’s see what we do day in day to offer to God.

Jesus came to bring us abundant life and we can not settle for a mediocre and partial life. As the Gospel tells us, our home should be firm. If our house is falling apart it is not the work of God, it is because we live our lives not knowing how to offer them to God.

St. John Chrysostom is venerated because he knew how to live in God’s presence. If today I make the wrong step, another tomorrow, the end cannot get me anywhere.

When Jesus tells us: “Do this in remembrance of me,” He means that we must submit to Him what it costs us.

Care for drug addicts is demanding, we can not simply have a “love” for them. For the care of them is greater  if we do not expect to receive anything in return. We give free love, not love because we are loved back, we love because God loves us.

Bishop Irenaeus Danelon

Portuguese Transcription and adaptation: Rogéria Nair