Did You Remember Your Gift?
 
It is only natural when you are invited to a party – whether it is a birthday, anniversary, homecoming or any other celebration – to think about the gift that you will bring. Even when the invitation says, “No gifts, please,” most of us still show up with a bottle of wine or a box of candy or some other token of our affection. We bring gifts to show our gratitude for being invited and to show our love for the one being honored and celebrated. So, when God Himself invites you to the greatest celebration of all – the celebration of the Eucharist – do you bring a gift? Do you take time to wrap it in an envelope? Do you select a gift that truly reflects your gratitude for being invited to be a part of God’s family? Do you bring a gift that shows your love for the crucified Jesus, who we remember at every Mass? The invitation to the Mass does not say “No gifts, please.” In fact, since God first called the Israelites to be His people He taught them, “No one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed, but each of you with as much as he can give, in proportion to the blessings which the Lord, your God has bestowed on you.” - Deuteronomy 16:16-17 

Did you remember your gift?