An Offering

lift your intentions to God through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at St. Benedict’s Abbey

by Fr. Gabriel Landis

In 1997 I heard the Lord call. To ask Him for special graces to aid me in my discernment, I wanted to have a Mass offered. Having never requested a Mass offering, I turned to a priest-friend to seek his guidance. He reminded me that, first and foremost, the Mass is the font and height of prayer, and that there is no greater way to lift my intentions to the Lord than through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He also encouraged me to send a small stipend along with my prayer request.

Now, this article is not just how you can support St. Benedict’s Abbey by sending a sacrificial stipend to us for your Mass Intentions. There is something greater going on. You see, first, we need to be aware that the Mass is not just about reliving the Last Supper. The Mass is the same sacrifice that Christ made on the Cross, but unbloody, made on the altar. And there is a something greater going on: You are partaking in Christ’s salvific suffering. You get to offer up and unite your own sacrifices, your own sufferings, your own prayers to those of Christ on the Cross. Does this always mean you have to send in a stipend when requesting a Mass? No. Does the stipend aid you, by its sacrificial nature, in sharing the salvific work of Christ? Yes. My point is this: for the good of souls, at every Mass, unite to Christ some kind of sacrifice, be it your own prayers, physical or mental pain, an act of charity to someone, a stipend, or something else. By doing so, you participate in Christ’s salvific work.

It is true that Mass stipends are a benefit to the Abbey. They help sustain our liturgies and our lives, enabling us to, as our Holy Father St. Benedict directed, “do battle for the true King, Christ the Lord.”

In every issue of Kansas Monks, there is an envelope asking you how we at St. Benedict’s Abbey may intercede to God for you in our prayers. Each week we receive these envelopes with many requests like, “Pray for my deceased son/daughter/wife/husband/friend.” Or “Pray that my children come back to the Church.” Or “Pray in thanksgiving for our wedding anniversary.” Many times in these prayer requests we are asked to offer a Mass for these intentions. It is a great privilege to share in your lives by lifting your needs to the Father in our daily prayer and through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If you would like to have a Mass offered for a friend, loved one, or any other intention, request a packet of Mass cards with the enclosed envelope or visit Kansasmonks.org/Mass – if you wish, a card featuring art from St. Benedict’s Abbey may be mailed to the person or family for whom the Mass is being offered. At each conventual Mass, a priest of St. Benedict’s Abbey personally lifts your intention to God, uniting his and your prayers with Christ’s Salvific offering.

Would you like to have a Mass offered for a friend or loved one? Visit our website at Kansasmonks.org/Mass to request a Mass online, contact us by phone at 913.360.7866, or email info@kansasmonks.org, to request a complimentary packet of five Mass cards. The cards feature art from St. Benedict’s Abbey.