In our most beautiful Catholic theology, the ultimate sacrifice is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, a “once for all” offering that atones for the sins of humanity. The concept of making the ultimate sacrifice for a follower of Christ involves participating in Christ’s own sacrifice through martyrdom or by uniting one's daily sufferings and offerings to his passion. Our church also teaches that this singular perfect sacrifice is made present again to the Eucharist at every Mass, allowing the faithful then to participate in it.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the sacrifice of the cross and the sacrifice of the Eucharist “are one single sacrifice.” Beyond the action of Christ on the cross and its re-presentation in the Mass, Catholics are called to offer their own lives as a living sacrifice. When we make our sacrifices in Stewardship, it is not about losing something, but about giving to God and neighbor out of love, following the example of Christ. These small and large sacrifices that we make become meaningful when they are joined spiritually with the offering of Jesus on the cross.
So, it is with great admiration and appreciation that this weekend we celebrate our commitment Sunday here at Corpus Christi. On behalf of our parish stewardship committee I extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to all the members of our parish who have signed up expressing their desire to sacrifice their time, their various talents, and their financial treasures to help us continue in our mission of bringing Christ to people and people to Christ.
We see it come to fruition as we see our Fully Alive – Mental Health Group put together resources for us to view in the gathering space of Church as part of suicide awareness month. This week kickoff another season of Faith Formation programs and opportunities for our children and adults. This year we begin “Walking with Purpose” to help the women in the parish study and learn together more about Sacred Scripture. We are offering another new opportunity for our children aged 4-8 to learn more about the Sunday Scriptures as we begin Children’s Liturgy of the Word at the 10:00 a.m. Mass. This Wednesday, the 17th, we celebrate a special Mass at 6:00 p.m. to gather our parents and students who will be in Religious Education to begin this year of study by receiving the sacrifice of Jesus in the Eucharist before their first session that evening.
There is so much more that we can experience of the love and sacrifice that our God makes for us all, the more that we make our sacrifice of Stewardship in our homes, classrooms, workplaces and parish community. Let us rejoice for all that our God has done and continues to do for us and give more of ourselves in thanks.
God bless,
