The Mass is most powerful sacrifice of all. It is God sacrificing Himself to save all humankind, that means you and I and all of us. “The presentation of the offerings at the altar takes up the gesture of Melchizedek and commits the Creator’s gifts into the hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice, brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices.”(CCC 1350). The celebration of the Mass is the one and only perfect human act. Therefore, our intentions should be a sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice.
What does it mean to sacrifice?
Sacrifice means to give up something that you value for someone else. My dad sacrificed for his family. His father, my grandfather, died of a massive heart attack at a young age. As the oldest son of the family, my dad quit school to work and support his mom and siblings. Again, my dad sacrificed for his own family. He worked two jobs so that my brothers, sisters, and I could go to Catholic schools. It wasn’t easy, but he did those things out of love. His sacrifice came from his heart. Just the same way our gift of time or talents can be offered to God as a sacrifice from our hearts, as a true sacrifice.
Even our monetary sacrifice or stipend should be offered with the right intention. God doesn’t need our money. He needs our repentant hearts. “Then render to Caesar what is Caesar; and to God what is of God.”(Matthew 22: 21) The money must be offered with the right intention. Remember the Widow who gave her last two coins. In the gospel Luke 21:2-4, Jesus said, “ Truly, I say to you, that this poor widow has put in more than all the others. For all these , out of their abundance, have added to the gifts for God. But she, out of what she needed, has put all that she had to live on.”
So how do we offer our Mass intentions?
Our Mass intentions should be offered as a loving sacrifice with repentant hearts. A true sacrifice of our love for God.