Fr. Mike Schmitz: Giving the Best Gifts

(View segment from 4:36 to 9:26)
What was wrong with the gifts Fr Mike and his siblings gave to their mom?

  • The gifts they gave were really to please themselves, not her.
  • They didn’t give something they really believed she would appreciate.
  • They also didn’t give her anything she asked for.

What does God ask us to give Him at the Mass?

  • God asks us to give at Mass: 1) the sacrifice of the Son to the Father and 2) ourselves, our very best.
  • In Eucharistic Prayer IV the priest says: “We offer You His Body and Blood, the sacrifice acceptable to You which brings salvation to the whole world.”
  • The hardest part of gift-giving is searching and searching for that special gift that will really delight our loved one.
  • AMAZINGLY, we already know the best gift we can ever give to God! We know what pleases Him the most! And we have the ability to give it to Him! Rejoice!
  • So, the goal of the Mass is to give something, not to just get something. We do get God’s word and God Himself, but, the point of Mass is to give God worship. God cherishes and relishes in the sacrificial gift of Christ’s loving heart re-presented to Him at each Mass along with the gift of our loving hearts presented to Him!

Since we know the gift that pleases God the most, how often should we go to Mass?

  • We should go to Mass every Sunday and every Holy Day of obligation. That is law of the Church.
  • However, we are also invited to please God by going to Mass any or all of the other days of the week!
  • The Mass is celebrated many times everyday throughout the world.