Sue O'Donnell. 04.11.20
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the (wo)man who trusts in Him.” (Psalm 34 v 8)
The holy sacrifice of the Mass
Come down to us through the centuries,
Is no less than Jesus, God’s Son
Giving up His precious life for us.
Why is this?
Our Father’s righteous anger regarding our sinfulness,
Could only be appeased by a holy sacrifice.
His Son Jesus, alone could supply this.
He lived perfectly to die sacrificially,
That we, His family, could be atoned for.
What more does life need than this knowledge.
We need a personal experience of Jesus,
As Lord and Saviour, to be convinced of all of this.
The gift is unique, completely extraordinary.
Before Jesus died, before He was crucified,
At the Last Supper with His disciples,
He instituted what has come to us as the Mass.
Jesus is actually present in the sacramental celebration.
He comes to us hidden beneath substances we recognise.
“Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” (Psalm 42 v 11)
We are given Jesus as bread, His body for nourishment.
We are gifted Jesus as wine, His blood,
The same blood as was poured out at the †.
Making this sacrifice to be for our purification.
How can we believe in this unlikely process?
We need God’s Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus,
Firstly, to convict us of sin, then to encourage us
That when we believe in the Lord Jesus,
And especially when we receive uniquely of Him,
In the celebration of His holiness sacrificed for us,
This is the occasion we call ‘The Mass’,
Through this Sacramental Mystery we receive the One,
God’s perfectly holy Son, come to us.
He died on the † to be resurrected three days later,
The amazing, absolutely incredible work of the Spirit.
This powerful Spirit is now shared with us
That we believe we receive of the Word of life,
To combat sins’ strife and make us holy.
This is a process and the Mass an invaluable part,
Where we can pray from the heart asking to receive.
“ ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you’.” (Luke 11 v 9)
“ ‘For everyone who asks receives, and (s)he who seeks finds, and to him (her) who knocks it will be opened’.” (Luke 11 v 10)
Father God, I thank and praise You for the Person of Your Son. He is our holiness as we are transformed by His presence, offering us Your love and mercy.
It is in receiving the Lord Jesus, we find a solution for our sinfulness. Thank You too, for releasing the holy Spirit to help make us resolute in faith.
The Man is a unique gift of love and mercy where “Mercy and truth have met together,” in our Saviour and “Righteousness and peace have kissed” (Psalm 85 v 10) as forgiveness allows us to find peace by
knowing our right standing has been re-claimed.
We are redeemed and restored to Your grace and favour, by our Saviour. This is made real to us by the Holy Spirit who purifies and sanctifies us. Thank You so much for this privilege. It is the highest honour we can
employ to receive of the Lord Jesus in Person.
May the Spirit ensure we pursue a righteous life, in order to delight You and honour the sacrifice made at the † for us. This cost the Lord Jesus the agony of suffering for a godly cause, and He did not flinch, nor flee
away.
What a truly amazing, most incredible blessing it is to receive so closely of our Saviour’s presence. Thank You that the Mass is celebrated world wide daily, our safety ensured.
No longer are we hapless victims of satan, for Your covenant promise to be our Protector and deliver us from evil, has been fulfilled by the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus, our Saviour Brother, is life to us in all the fullness of hope of reaching heaven to enjoy the company of the Trinity eternally.
But we have to remain united with the Lord Jesus’ purpose, His quest for our holiness so as to delight You, Father God. May we not be a disappointment to the Trinity in this process.
We are blessed incredibly in the Mass, united by love, with love, all for the sake of love, so You can work all things together for good in the life of mankind.
This would not have been possible if we had not been gifted a Saviour to atone for our sinfulness, and reclaim us as a family who can be made holy. May we not fail in this lofty plan and purpose.
The call to holiness is answered in the Mass, whereby we benefit hugely from holy communion. We come to church not as an obligation, although there is one, but to rejoice.
We rejoice in the actual presence of the Lord our Saviour, hidden beneath the form of bread and wine, so He can be consumed by us, to live within us and through us. What an amazing plan!
Our Saviour sets us free from satan’s bondage. He opens the eyes of those blind to Your mercy and He offers us the comfort of being with us forever.
Oh that the world comes to know that we have a forever Saviour, the divine Healer never forsaking us, His † as relevant to us today as it was centuries ago.
Our world would not be broken in society if everybody, touched by the Spirit, sought the repair available to us in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
His presence is vital, life giving, life living, life saving work, the highest blessing, always addressing the fears, anxieties, doubts and worries of mankind because He works only with love.
Let us then, all fall under the supreme, life enhancing power of the Holy Spirit, who works with the Lord Jesus to make us holy. We have to taste of this holiness and find it to our liking.
May we then, as we pray the Mass, ask not only for the Lord Jesus to be ever present with us, but His Spirit too, in all supernatural, godly power, the power to bless us.
We claim a share in the Lord Jesus for the very purpose of holiness. It is by living a holy life we experience hope, peace and an incredible joy, all because we share in the love of the Trinity.
May the power of holy love make a very real difference to our world in the every day. Society at large needs to see we are touched by the Holy Spirit, and drawn to the Lord Jesus by love, for this is Your purpose for our life on earth, holy Father.
Let us then ever seek to find, be open to receiving, acknowledging and thanking the Lord Jesus for all He accomplishes for us, hoping to receive of the Spirit’s gifting. We will not be disappointed.
Lord, You want us to become godly. Thank You for the Lord Jesus. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Thank You for the Mass. May the world accept the grace of Your goodness towards us, the mercy of forgiveness.
How steadfast is Your merciful, loving kindness, Lord God. Forever let us praise You. Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
EUCHARIST
MASS
