We kicked off Saturday with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As we prepared our hearts before the celebration, our Host Ennie Hickman reminded us that the Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our faith. We were taught that worship is a response to what we value. We want to worship the Lord with the praise and adoration that is due to only Him.
Fr. Mike Schmitz celebrated the Mass, along with dozens of priests from groups attending the conference. Fr. Mike began by encouraging us to be intentional with our relationship with God. We need to be present and aware when we approach the worship of the Mass.
Homily–Love is Showing Up
Fr. Mike started his homily by telling us that his mother made it a point to cook elaborate meals for his family each and every day. This tradition was meaningful to Fr. Mike, but it wasn’t until he was older that he realized an ironic truth–his mother was not a great cook. Not only that, but she also hated cooking. However, even though she did not like it and she wasn’t good at it, she did this daily duty of love for her family. Because sometimes, loving means just showing up.
God doesn’t expect perfection from us. He does not require us to excel or succeed. No matter if it is our best of days or worst of days–God will keep showing up for us. He will continue to love us. In every Mass, He will make Himself present in the Eucharist. He continues to humble Himself into the appearance of bread and wine. He will always be there for us.
In the first reading from Genesis, we learned that Jacob tricked his father and stole a blessing that was meant for his brother, Esau. Fr. Mike let us know that just before this, Esau had also given up his inheritance to Jacob. In that story, Esau was hungry, and traded the great gift of his inheritance for some basic porridge.
God Himself is our inheritance. We don’t need to look anywhere else. Our true home is found in Christ. Our true joy and our worth are in Him. We can know this not only because it is revealed in the Gospels, but also because God continues to show up for us. Let us continue to show up for Him.
Follow this link to watch our Saturday morning session.
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