As I have encouraged participation in at least one daily Mass each week especially to those who participate faithfully in Mass every weekend as I believe it to be the most important way to grow in one's spiritual life and in peace and joy in the Lord, I give you now another reason to do so. In every Mass there is a prayer that is led by the celebrant of Mass that has a response from the congregation. This response is said not once but twice during Mass and in most places it is only said by the people at daily Mass. Those who rarely if ever come to daily Mass, might not know what that response is. It comes after the priest holds up the bread and then the wine at the offertory time of Mass and says "Blessed are you Lord God of all creation, through your goodness we have this bread (or wine to offer you)......" The people's response (which the priest says at a Sunday Mass because an offertory song is being played and hopefully sung) is "Blessed be God forever!"
While many of the Faithful realize how important it is to give thanks to God and do so often or at least at the end of the day (and remember the Greek word for Eucharist means Thanksgiving), the great Spanish mystic and doctor of the Church, St. John of the Cross once wrote: "A single 'Blessed be God' in adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of thanksgiving in prosperity," I would ask each one of you to ponder that. When I did, I thought of the book of Job which tells the story of Job, a faithful servant of God who literally lost everyone and every material thing he had and his health as well and still uttered the famous words of faith. " The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, Blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21). This was not saying that God was responsible for his woes (as we know from the story that was the devil who willed these losses upon Job in the hope that Job would then curse the Lord). Job believed in the sovereignty of God which means among other things his total trust in God! I hope those who do attend and participate in daily Mass (and I pray that more of you will do do) will give deeper thought about what they say at the offertory at Mass and truly Bless God in words and in deeds in adversity AND in prosperity knowing through his Son, Jesus Christ that our eternal destiny is in His Hands.!!
While many of the Faithful realize how important it is to give thanks to God and do so often or at least at the end of the day (and remember the Greek word for Eucharist means Thanksgiving), the great Spanish mystic and doctor of the Church, St. John of the Cross once wrote: "A single 'Blessed be God' in adversity is worth more than a thousand acts of thanksgiving in prosperity," I would ask each one of you to ponder that. When I did, I thought of the book of Job which tells the story of Job, a faithful servant of God who literally lost everyone and every material thing he had and his health as well and still uttered the famous words of faith. " The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, Blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21). This was not saying that God was responsible for his woes (as we know from the story that was the devil who willed these losses upon Job in the hope that Job would then curse the Lord). Job believed in the sovereignty of God which means among other things his total trust in God! I hope those who do attend and participate in daily Mass (and I pray that more of you will do do) will give deeper thought about what they say at the offertory at Mass and truly Bless God in words and in deeds in adversity AND in prosperity knowing through his Son, Jesus Christ that our eternal destiny is in His Hands.!!