Preparation of the Gifts

Excerpts from the book, A Biblical Walk Through The Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do in the Liturgy written by Edward Sri, S.T.D. and printed by Ascension Press in 2011.

In the second half of the Mass, called the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is made present by the priest. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, bread and wine are offered as gifts by the people and then consecrated and changed into the body and blood of Christ, which we receive in Holy Communion.

The presentation of the gifts in the liturgy has its roots in the early Church. This part of the Mass has also been known as the “Offertory” based on the Latin word offerre, which means to present, to bring, or to offer. The offering of bread and wine in the Mass has strong support in Scripture. In addition to being used in the Passover of Jesus’ day and in the Last Supper, bread and wine were offered up regularly in Israel’s sacrificial rites.

Since there was a close connection between the sacrificial gifts and the individual giver, offering bread and wine symbolized the offering of one’s self. In the bread and wine, we offer back to God the gifts of creation and the result of our labors. Ultimately, the rite symbolizes our giving of our entire lives to God in the offering of bread and wine. The practice of giving money (which eventually overshadowed the offering of oil, flax, and other sundry gifts) can be seen in the same light. Our money embodies hours of our lives and hard work, which we now offer to God during Mass in the presentation of the gifts.

We need to grow in self-giving love, and this is one reason why he invites us to unite our lives to him in this way. In the presentation of the gifts, it is as if we bring our entire lives and all our little sacrifices to the hands of Jesus himself. Though it was a common practice in the ancient world to dilute wine with a bit of water, Christians have seen profound theological significance in the mixing of water and wine at this moment in the liturgy. The mingling of the water and wine points to the Incarnation: the mystery of God becoming man.

Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have received
the bread we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands,
it will become for us the bread of life.

Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for thorough your goodness we have received
the wine offered you:
fruit of the vine and work of human hands
it will become our spiritual drink.

Notice how the sacrifice envisioned in this prayer is not some thing being offered to God, like bread and wine, but the people assembled. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego cried out to God with a “humble spirit” and a “contrite heart”. These men associated their very lives with a sacrifice offered up to God. Our lives are bound up with the bread and wine offered to the Lord, and now the priest cries our on our behalf to God with a “humble spirit” and a “contrite heart”, asking that we be accepted as a pleasing sacrifice.

Next, the priest washes his hands in a gesture that signals a dramatic event is about to take place. Ritual hand washing symbolizes the internal cleansing of the heart required before a person could draw near to God’s presence in the sanctuary. The priest’s hand washing at Mass indicates that he is about to stand in a most holy place, one that is even more awe-inspiring than Israel’s tabernacle or temple. God is about to come to his people in an even more intimate way.

On the alter before which the priest stands, the gifts of bread and wine will soon be changed into Chris’s very body and blood, and Our Lord will soon dwell within us as we receive him in Holy Communion.

Priest: Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.

People: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name
for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

The people respond with a prayer that recognizes how both sacrifices, Christ’s and their own, will be united and offered to the Father through the hands of the priest.