What could I possibly give?

Do you feel as if you’re never enough? Maybe you are a mother and are constantly being bombarded by your children’s needs and you feel like a failure at the end of each day. Or maybe you’re a father and can’t provide for your family financially or spiritually. Or perhaps you are single and all of your friends are getting married and you feel undesirable-like you aren’t enough for anyone.

We were created to be self-donators, to give our whole selves away to something worthy enough. But we often come up short. How can we give what we do not have?

Pope Francis declared this year the Year of Mercy, and as it is coming to an end, we were encouraged to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day until today’s feast day-the Solemnity of Christ the King. I was praying this morning and kept stumbling over these words: “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world”. As I said the words, I kept thinking, “How can I offer God His own Son? What does it mean? Jesus has already offered Himself and how could I possibly offer Him again? I have nothing to give!”

Then I read this reflection in today’s Magnificat by our dearly beloved Saint Augustine:

Christ is our King

                      See if you have anything you may offer, and you will find you have nothing. God does not want your rams nor your goats nor your bulls. All things are His, whether you offer them or not. Offer Him therefore a clean oblation.

                       But you are a sinner, you are impious, your conscience is defiled. Made clean, you may perhaps offer something clean; but to make you clean, something has to be offered for you. What therefore will you offer for yourself, so as to be made clean? If you are made clean, you can offer what is clean. Therefore let the Unstained Priest offer Himself, and let Him make you clean.

                       This Christ did. He found nothing that was clean in man, that He could offer for men; and so He offered HImself, an immaculate Victim. O blessed Victim, true Victim, immaculate Host! He did not therefore offer what we gave Him; rather, He offered what He took form us, and offered it immaculate. For He took flesh from us; and this He offered.

                       Where did He take it? From the womb of the Virgin Mary-that He might offer what was without stain for those who were unclean. He is our King; He is our Priest. Let us rejoice in Him.

So, what can we offer? We can offer what has been given to us: new life through our Savior Jesus Christ. But first, we have to receive it. So friends, what has Christ offered you that you are neglecting to receive? Is it His unconditional love that you are failing to recognize as the answer to your insecurities of being accepted? Is it His promise of provision that you fail to trust because it seems as if everything is falling through? Is it His healing and cleansing that you are pushing away because you think you are too dirty to be cleaned?

Whatever Christ is trying to give you at this very moment, know that it is a good gift. Our God only gives good gifts because He Himself is Goodness. Open your hands and receive the gift. Only then can we offer something back to God: Christ in us. You see, when we allow Christ to bond us to Himself, we participate in His life and therefore in His offering to the Father. What an incredible privilege!

Stop trying so hard to be enough. Christ has already declared us enough! Not by what we have done but by who He is. Empty your hands, receive the gift of love and mercy, and give it back to God. Then, and only then, will you discover that God sees you through the lens of the sacrifice of His Son: perfect, without stain, completely and wholly loved.