Chosen OfferingArthur ShaoBringing the offerings of bread and wine up to the Altar during Mass may appear to be a trivial task, and it was not until I was assigned the task of arranging the offering schedule at each Mass that I finally began to learn and understand the real meaning of this task. Previously, twelve families would be selected at the beginning of each year, and each family would serve all Masses for one month during that year. This would be an easier approach, since the scheduling would already be done for the whole year, and I only needed to instruct twelve families on the process of making the offering each year. However, I felt there were some shortcomings with that approach. Since presenting the offering at a Mass is a holy task, I believe more families would want to have the opportunity to serve. If we have one offering family for each of the 52 Sunday Masses, plus several weekday Masses, we can provide at least 60 families the opportunity to serve each year. Of course, this increases the difficulty of my assignment greatly, for I would not only have to arrange for a different family each week, but also need to instruct the offering procedures at every single Mass. Also, when a family has an urgent petition and wish to be the offering family during a particular Mass, it would be very difficult for me to arrange with a short notice, as I would have to displace the scheduled family for the week. In the past, when the assigned family served a whole month, it was fairly easy to honor a special intention and ask the assigned family to give up their week, since they had three other weeks of offerings. All this complexity made me realize my limitations. However, I have learned that through my weakness, I would experience God’s wonder. One day, a couple asked if they could serve as the offering family for the following week. Since they had an urgent petition, they wanted to show their sincerity and take their petition to God through making the offering. I sensed their urgency deeply, but the following week was a joint Mass with the English group, and I had already given the CCD teachers the responsibility to assign the offering family for all joint Masses. I felt sorry and helpless as I explained the situation to them, and they sadly departed. I knew they were a very faithful family and I really wanted to help them. However, it would not be appropriate to switch out the previously arranged family. Furthermore, this might be what the arranged family really needed at that time also! So in the end, I can only pray to God to help the couple. On the following Sunday, I met this couple again, and they joyfully told me they were the offering family that day. I was totally surprised and asked them what happened. They told me that even though they did not ask the CCD teacher if they could be the offering family, but out of the blue, the CCD teacher called them the day before and invited them to be the offering family! How can our loving God forsake a family that wants to serve Him? Shortly afterwards, a similar situation occurred again! A family who typically did not attend Mass at St. Clare’s was scheduled to make the offering that week. Before Mass, I searched all over the church but could not find them, and even the area leader who made the arrangement did not show up. I sighed and tried to decide if I should invite another family for the offering, but I was concerned that this previously arranged family might show up at the last minute. I was at a loss of what to do. At that moment, someone came by and told me, “ We are going to be the offering family today.” He explained to me that his mother-in-law passed away a few days ago, and so he and his wife really wished to have the opportunity to offer their intentions through the offering. With this strong desire they were immediately given this opportunity as soon as they arrived at the church. I asked him to wait for a little so I can figure out what’s going on. First, I talked to the person who gave the opportunity to them, and found out that the assigned family could not come to our church that day, and so they had asked his family at the last minute. However, they didn’t feel they were dressed properly to represent the congregation in the offering, so they asked a third family at the church parking lot, but they also had the same concern as the second family for they were wearing blue jeans and T-shirts. Just at that time, the family hoping to serve arrived at the church, passed by and heard the conversation, and naturally accepted the opportunity. They wanted to offer their broken hearts and ask God to receive their mother’s soul and heal their sorrowful hearts; God heard their prayer and made this arrangement. God’s love and compassion is always so deep and wide and in all things. The church leadership council was re-elected last year, and the transition process usually takes time to adjust to. As the offering family arrangement calendar for the previous term ended in July, and the new term was to start in September, this made August open, and so I had to make some last minute assignments. With two years of experience, I humbled myself and asked God to choose the family with the most desire or need. During a Sunday Mass in August, I focused my attention on a particular family. I could not tell why, I just knew that God had chosen them that day. They gladly accepted my invitation, and the wife went back to the car to change into formal attire, and then they joyfully made the offering. After Mass, the wife told me that they deeply appreciated this opportunity to offer, because their daughter was moving to the East Coast with her grandmother, and this was their last Mass together as a family for a while. This very meaningful offering mended some of their sad feelings before the separation. In fact, my sense was that God Himself picked them to make the offering and strengthen their family and to show them that He would continue to take care of their daughter when she was away. The task of an offering family is to represent the church in bringing the bread and wine to the Lord’s table. It is a great opportunity to become close to God. Before making an offering, we should cleanse our bodies, pray, dress in appropriate attire, and then, with a faithful heart and intention, offer the entire family to the Lord. God will surely hear and accept our prayer. I pray that each of the families in our community will receive God’s blessings, love, and compassion through our offerings. Amen. <
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