October 23, 2020

Eternal God, accept the sacrifice of my life for the mystical body of thy holy Church. - ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

Words like eternal, sacrifice, and mystical intimidate me (maybe they’re above my pay grade?).  When words are difficult for me to sort out, I start with their definition.

Eternal can be defined as “lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning.” So, when we read eternal God, that’s not so hard to understand. God has always been, and God will always be. God is eternal!

Sacrifice can be defined as “an act of offering to a deity something precious.” Here’s where it gets interesting. No doubt, my life, your life, all life is precious. So, we’re supposed to sacrifice our lives for the mystical body of the Church? Really?

I grew up hearing, “Offer it up, Mary.” Those of you who knew my mom can almost hear her saying those words, can’t you? What she was asking me to do was to sacrifice whatever it was that was difficult for me in the moment for the greater good, for someone else’s benefit, ultimately, for the glory of God. God used my ‘offering it up,’ my sacrifice, then and now, for the good, His good, to build up God’s kingdom. (“…in all things God works for good, with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28) That doesn’t mean it’s always easy to do or to understand. We are human, after all.

Mystical can be defined as “beyond ordinary understanding, having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence.” So, the mystical body of the holy Church is beyond what we can see or touch, beyond what our human minds can comprehend. Well, that’s a relief!

Whatever sacrifices we make today, let’s make them with a happy heart, trusting that the eternal God will use them for good, for building up the mystical body of the Church, in ways beyond our ability to understand.

Come, Holy Spirit.


©Mary V. Pribbenow