Steve Marshall Professor Michael Barber Theology of the Catholic Church September 8, 2008

The Offertory of the Mass: An Extravagant Gift

I. II. III.
IV. V. VI. VII.

TOPICS Action/definition Origins Hymn and procession Blessed be God forever... By the mystery of this water and wine... Lavabo and incensing Oratre Fratres

What is the first thing you think when you hear offertory? For me, it was the baskets of money collected from the congregation. It is the part of Mass where you sing a song and the ushers come up to make everybody tithe. A necessary evil, a harsh reality of running a non-profit organization, and just something you have to do in order to keep A/C running inside the church. Wouldn't it be great if we could have mass without it? Imagine a Sunday mass where you could just focus on the liturgy: listen to the readings and meditate on the Eucharist, without having to pull back into the 'real world' halfway through to think about how much is in your bank account? That was my opinion, and I was dead wrong. As it turns out, the offertory is a prayer, with an amazing history and beautiful, incredible symbolism. It is the very first piece in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and is vital as a way of preparing ourselves to receive the most extravagant gift in history: Christ's own body, blood, soul and divinity. Are you ready to dive in?

Action/definition The offertory is also called the preparation of the gifts. That amounts to the simplest explanation of what goes on. Bread and wine are brought to the altar, blessed by the priest and consecrated for their use in the Eucharistic meal. If it is a Sunday mass or special occasion (wedding, funeral, holy day of obligation, etc.) a collection is taken up and brought forward by members of the congregation, along with the bread and wine. Up until the Reformation in the fifteenth century, gifts of any kind were accepted by the church at this time. In the more wealthy communities, it was not uncommon for the faithful to prepare lavish gifts of expensive materials and beautiful artwork to present at Mass.1 It was like a procession of gifts brought to the court of a king. How many of us think about that when we drop our check in the basket? No matter what it is that we are giving, be it a large or small amount, or even just the bread and the wine for communion, the offertory prepares us for the amazing gift that Christ is about to give us: His very body and blood on the altar we are preparing. With that in mind,
1 Joseph A. Jungmann S.J., The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development. Volume Two (New York: Benziger Brothers Inc., 1955) 19.

how could we hold anything back?

Origins When did the offertory begin? Far from being a modern concept (something invented at the same time as envelopes and 501(c)'s,) the offertory is described as far back as Justin Martyr in the 1st century: When we have concluded our prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water; and the president, in like manner, offers up prayers and thanksgivings with all his strength.2 A presentation of the material to be consecrated is described, but there is no special ceremony attached to it. Certainly not the extravagant parade we see in the fifteenth century, or the more conservative ceremony we know from the modern liturgy. Two reasons for that emerge from looking at the historical context. First, as long as the Eucharist was joined to the fraternal meal there was scarcely any occasion for such special stress, because the gifts were already at the table.3 The early Church celebrated Mass in the homes of believers, around a table spread with a meal.4 Bread and wine were close at hand, and the tradition of having specially prepared materials had not yet developed. Also, the early church had to set itself apart from the plenitude of pagan religions that were extant. One of the important ways it did this was in de-emphasizing the material side of their celebrations, focusing instead on spiritual truths and fellowship with the Apostles.5 This movement was taken to an extreme by the Gnostic heresy of the second century, who saw the material world as evil, and taught that everything 'human' should be shunned like the devil. In response to the Gnostics, the church began to authoritatively reassert the value and beauty of earthly creation, which we can see especially reflected in the mystery of the Eucharist.6 The offertory emerged as a vehicle for teaching how created human nature is sanctified and consecrated by Christ, for the purpose of union with
2 Justin, The Works Now Extant of S. Justin the Martyr (Oxford: J.H. and Jas Parker, 1861), 52. 3 Jungmann, 1. 4 Acts 2:42-47, 20:7-11; Romans 15:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2. All scripture quotations from The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004). 5 Jungmann, 1. 6 Jungmann, 3.

Him. Without both elements: the human and the divine, we cannot partake in the mystery. In the third century, St. Cyprian tied together all the elements we are familiar with today: the bread and wine brought to be consecrated, the mystery of the incarnation that it points to, and the spirit of charity that permeates the entire community.7 Faced with such a beautiful gift, he says, our response must be to give of our own selves. He really emphasized that this part of the mass is completely permeated with a spirit of charity and giving, and this is a major part of what ties us together as members of the church.

Offertory hymn and procession Between the third and fifteenth centuries, the offertory procession became a major production. It involved parades around the church, special rooms and enclaves built specifically to receive the gifts given by the faithful, and even the celebrating clergy giving gifts of their own. An offertory hymn was introduced, intended to reflect the jubilation of heart that the faithful experienced in the act of giving.8 After the Reformation, the church became less entangled in economic affairs, and limited the procession to the bread and wine for consecration and the proceeds of the collection. This is the tradition that we keep now, and though it is a simple action, it is highly symbolic, and there are still many layers of meaning to be found in it. We bring our gifts to the altar, recognizing that all we have comes form Him. This includes our wealth that goes into the basket, but also our time, and our selves that we bring to the celebration. In essence, we are to place our lives there with the bread and wine, asking God to transform us into His body and blood. There is a beautiful nuptial imagery here as well, that the gifts come forward from His church (brought by a member of the congregation), and are in fact, His church! We can see in it a symbol of the Bride of Christ presenting herself to Him, the one who is about ot give His body to her in complete

7 W.A. Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers (Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 1970), 235. 8 Jungmann, 27.

self-giving love.9

Blessed be God forever... Then He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying...10 Did you know we have a Hebrew blessing in the Mass? The prayer of blessing over the gifts is taken directly from the benediction over the bread and wine during the seder meal.11 It could conceivably be the same prayer that Jesus prayed over the first Eucharist during the Last Supper. This prayer can remind us of the historical background of the sacrament in the paschal meal, and especially in the context of the offertory, contains some deep symbolism that we may not always pick up on, because of how often we hear the prayers. Imagine that you are seeing Mass celebrated for the first time. The gifts are being offered to become the body and blood of Christ. Granting that, why bread? Why wine? The species used have a very specific symbolism, and meditating on that can help us enter into the Eucharistic celebration in yet another way. Obviously, bread and wine were used in the passover meal. That may be the first thing that comes to mind, especially in the context of the seder blessing said at this point in the Mass. That still doesn't give us the meaning behind the species, though. I certainly wouldn't claim superiority of concept, but you can find some interesting material for meditation if you try thinking like a first-century Jew. Bread, back then, was far from the pre-packaged supermarket item that we know it as today. It was a daily necessity, which meant that every day, someone would have to grind the flour, knead the dough, wait for it to rise, and then bake it in a hot oven (which involved a lot more effort than modern ovens do). It was hard work! It wasn't fun, could get monotonous very quickly, and since flour wasn't prepackaged either, it involved running a huge millstone quite frequently. You might call it the first century version of the 'daily grind.' A loaf of bread represented several hours of work.
9 Ephesians 5:25-27 10 Luke 22:19 11 Rev. G.H. Box, Jewish Antecedents of the Eucharist Journal of Theological Studies 3, April (1902): 361.

We get it easy. Our communion wafers come in a little box, which the sacristan probably keeps in a cupboard somewhere. When this part of the offertory comes, we can use this as an opportunity to offer our own 'daily grind' on the altar. The boring, repetitive labor, the things we do every day just to keep food on the table, can be used by God for our own sanctification and the sanctification of others. We can bring it to the altar and ask God to bless it and make it holy, just like the bread and wine for the Eucharist. So, that's bread, what about wine? To the Jewish community since Bible times, wine has represented happiness, festivity and song.12 Life isn't always dull and dreary. We offer up both the humdrum, day to day chores and the happiness we experience, because both are a part of life, and all of life is a gift from God.

By the mystery of this water and wine... ...may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity. This prayer is whispered by the priest between the blessing of the bread and the wine. When you hear the word 'mystery,' you know there's something deep there. The simple action of pouring one drop of water into the chalice of wine is so intensely symbolic, so saturated with meaning, its exact interpretation has been debated for centuries. It is an amazing thing to say that there is a mystery in front of us, and that by it, we share in Christ's divinity. The mystery it points to could be the sanctifying power of the sacraments. The Council of Trent points to the last drops of blood and water which flowed from Jesus' side at the crucifixion: It has been enjoined by the Church on priests, to mix water with the wine that is to be offered in the chalice... because from His side there came out blood and water; the memory of which mystery is renewed by this commixture.13 This image of blood and water has been used often to represent the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist, by which we enter into the sacramental life of the Church. This is where we find and experience the sanctifying power of God. Through the sacraments we are sanctified and made more
12 Marvin R. Wilson, Our Father Abraham, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1989). 13 The Council of Trent, trans. J. Waterworth, (London: Dolman, 1848), 157. John 19:35.

perfect, more Christlike, and He makes us worthy to enter heaven through no power of our own,. It is a great mystery, how His sacrifice, the body and blood that he offered so long ago, could be made present to us now, and have the power to sanctify our fallen human natures, and perfect us to a point where we are worthy to share in the divine life of the Trinity in heaven. Then, by the mystery of this baptismal water, and the wine which becomes the blood of His sacrifice, we share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself and poured out the last drop of His blood for us. As if that's not enough to meditate on, St. Cyprian gives us another direction to approach it from: that this mystery points us to the Incarnation. The idea that in Christ, the absolute power of God and the total helplessness of man are merged in such a perfect way that we become inseparable from Him. The mixing of the water with the wine symbolizes the intimate union of the faithful with Him to whom they have bound themselves in faith; and this union is so firm that nothing can sever it, just as the water can no longer be separated from the wine... Just as the wine receives the water in itself, so has Christ taken to Himself us and our sins.14 The compounded sins of all mankind, from the very beginning of time until the end of the world,. Are like one drop of inert water in the vast expanse of God's potency. His power remains undiluted, completely unchanged by His loving unity with us. Cyprian goes on to point out that in the book of Revelation, humanity is represented by water.15 In the offertory, the water is blessed, but the wine is not. This represents the fact that we, as humans, still need expiation, still need His saving power. Through the mystery of Christ's becoming man, coming lovingly to meet us, taking on our nature, He has become the bridge, the mediator, the way in which we are able to become part of the divine life. Then, by the mystery of this human water, mingled with the potency of Christ's power, man becomes one with the divinity of Christ, the creator of the universe, who humbled Himself, chose to bring us to Himself by sharing in our humanity.

Lavabo and incensing

14 Jungmann, 38-39. 15 Revelation 17:15

What is our response to this amazing miracle? Complete humility. We have presented the best that we have, we brought our gifts and our very selves and prepared them in the best way we can. Now we pray that He will receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice that we offer with humble and contrite hearts. This quote, and the prayer during the Lavabo (the washing of hands), come straight from the most beautiful song of repentance in the Bible: Psalm 51. The sacrifice I make is more than just waking up early on a Sunday morning, or giving a piece of my paycheck, it is more than just the bread and wine. Recognizing my sinfulness, my brokenness before God, I know that my sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.16 This is the point in the Mass where we acknowledge how much we need God. We are not getting into the heavenly banquet on our own steam. The glowing coal and the smoke arising from it draw the mind to the very highest thing that we can beg of God as answer to our gift offerings the fire of divine love.17 The incense is a beautiful image of God's burning love, how it purifies us and raises us up into heaven. We can almost watch our prayers drift up to heaven. It engages all of our senses in this beautiful sign for how we are brought into the presence of God, and our prayers become part of the eternal heavenly liturgy.18 The further incensing of the altar and the congregation is intended to envelop the gifts in the holy atmosphere of prayer which 'ascends to Thy countenance like incense clouds'; thus it is intended to symbolically represent and to fortify the primary action at the altar.19 Orate fratres Pray, brothers, that this our sacrifice will be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father. We know that we can never be worthy, all we can do is pray that we will be acceptable. He knows that we have done our best, and is willing to accept it like a loving father. As the Almighty One, He is able to complete our preparation, and use these 'earthen vessels' for His glory, to bring His love to each of us, and through us, to the whole world.
16 17 18 19 Psalm 51:19 Jungmann, 72. Revelation 5:8 Jungmann, 15.

In conclusion... The offertory is a celebration of total giving. We begin by presenting ourselves to Him, bringing Him our gifts and our selves, preparing to receive Him as the bridegroom of our souls. We recognize that anything we could offer Him would be completely unworthy, but still He is coming to meet us. We recognize our brokenness, and that still, Christ will use His church to give Himself to the world. Our response is humility, love and acceptance, repenting of our sins and praying that God's will be done. In the Tridentine rite of the mass, the offertory was concluded with the Sucipe Sancte Pater. We will conclude this paper in the same way. It was a prayer of complete humility, whispered intimately by the priest as the final piece before the Eucharistic prayer. The offertory is a prayer that we begin in joy for the gifts we are giving, and end in the whispered acknowledgment of how much we are loved, and how far beyond our comprehension is the gift that we are about to receive.

Receive, oh holy Father, almighty and eternal God, this spotless host, which I, thy unworthy servant, offer unto Thee, my living and true God; for my own countless sins, offenses and negligences, and for all here present... that it may avail both for my own and their salvation unto everlasting life. AMEN