The Offertory: Part 1 – Putting Your Heart on the Line

Parable of the Wealth Man and the Poor Woman

A wealthy landowner was once visiting a small mountain village. While at the local coffee shop he met a beautiful woman and became completely enamored of her. She was a poor woman, but she owned a tidy little cottage on a gorgeous plot of land just outside the city. She loved that cottage more than anything in the world, and she poured all her earnings – her very heart and soul – into making it more beautiful and comfortable day after day.
 
As they sat there, chatting and sipping coffee, the wealthy man made an offer to the poor woman. “Marry me, come back with me to my estates, and I will give you everything your heart desires – land, wealth, good food, fine clothing… whatever you want will be yours.”
 
“What’s the catch,” the woman asked skeptically?
 
“The only thing you have to do is sell your cottage,” the man replied. “That’s it!”
 
“But that cottage is everything to me,” said the woman. “I’ve lived there since I was a little girl. I’ve invested my entire life-savings in it. It’s the only thing I own… the only thing that I can say is totally mine.”
 
The man replied, “I have houses, land, and wealth beyond your wildest dreams. All of them will be yours if you will just sell your cottage, marry me, and come with me back to my estates.”
 
It seemed a huge gamble to the poor woman, but after careful consideration she decided to go all-in. She put her cottage up for sale, married the wealthy landowner, and went away with him to their estates…
 
Going “All-In”

This little story is a good illustration of what takes place in the next part of the Mass – the Offertory. It would be easy to skip over this part of the Mass because it’s so brief and seemingly insignificant. The ushers take up the collection, there’s a procession to the altar with the gifts of bread, wine, and the collected money, and then the priest says a few brief prayers. That’s it.
 
So why is this part of the Mass so crucial? What is it that we’re doing here on a deeper level?
 
If you pay close attention, the significance of the gifts being brought up becomes clear. We’ll save talking about the bread and wine for our next newsletter. For now let’s talk about…
 


Money, Money, Money. All You Do Is Talk About Money.

Jesus tells us, “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” This has traditionally been interpreted as our need to detach ourselves from the things of this world – especially the accumulation of wealth – and to attach ourselves more fully to God, the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). It’s a good interpretation. And we should spend some time pondering the question: What greater sign of detachment is there than for us to give away our wealth?

But let’s look at this passage another way. How we use our money reveals what’s important to us. Some people spend great deals of money on nice clothes and shoes. Others like to buy fast and fancy cars. Some folks spend fortunes dining in fine restaurants. And some folks spend great deals of money buying the latest toys and gadgets for their children. These things aren’t bad in and of themselves, but when we make an offering at Mass we should ask ourselves: “Am I giving God my leftovers or my first-fruits?”
 
When we offer the first-fruits of our income to God for the support of the Church and the service of the poor – before spending our money on those other things – we are acknowledging that God is the one who “prospers the work of our hands” (cf. Psalm 90:17). He provides everything for us, and asks only that we give our hearts to Him in return.
 
So, when you make an offering to God from the first-fruits of your labors, remember that you aren’t just laying some money at the foot of the altar. Your monetary gifts are a symbol that you are laying your heart at the foot of the altar, offering yourself as a living sacrifice to God (cf. Romans 12:1) and trusting that he will return your gift a hundredfold…
 


What Happened to the Woman?

The landowner was better than his word. Not only did he give the poor woman everything she could possibly want, but he was also a good man who treated her well and loved her deeply. Despite her incredible happiness, she couldn’t help but miss her humble cottage from time to time. And she would often spend hours staring out over the mountains toward her cottage, wondering who had bought it and whether they were caring for it.
 
On their tenth anniversary, the wealthy man decided to take his bride back to the coffee shop where they’d met. The road into town passed her cottage, and the woman was astonished to see that it was more beautiful than ever. The flowers and landscaping were perfect. The freshly painted house sparkled in the sunlight. It had a brand-new roof and new windows. And it appeared that whoever now owned it had also purchased some of the surrounding property, adding to its beauty and charm.
 
“Stop the car,” the man told the driver.
 
“What is it,” his wife asked?
 
“I know how much you loved this house,” her husband replied. “And yet ten years ago you were willing to give it all up – to sell everything you owned and come with me to be my bride. Your cottage sold quicker than you expected it to. I was the one who bought it. I told you ten years ago, everything that I have is yours. Now I give your cottage back to you, more beautiful than ever. Happy anniversary.”