- Feb 5, 2002
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“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands —
O prosper the work of our hands!” (Ps 90:17)
There is a moment in the Mass when the priest quietly acknowledges one of the stranger aspects of the miracle that is about to take place. During the preparation of the gifts, the priest prays, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.” He then makes a similar blessing with the wine: ” … fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.” For many of us, these prayers are very familiar, but that shouldn’t distract us from how peculiar they are. Although we rarely give it much thought, there is something deeply counterintuitive — startling, even — in Our Lord’s decision to use the human artifacts of bread and wine rather than the divine inventions of grain and grapes to give us his body and blood. In a profound way, it is the work of human hands which the God of the universe uses to make himself sacramentally present in the world.
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
and prosper for us the work of our hands —
O prosper the work of our hands!” (Ps 90:17)
There is a moment in the Mass when the priest quietly acknowledges one of the stranger aspects of the miracle that is about to take place. During the preparation of the gifts, the priest prays, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.” He then makes a similar blessing with the wine: ” … fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.” For many of us, these prayers are very familiar, but that shouldn’t distract us from how peculiar they are. Although we rarely give it much thought, there is something deeply counterintuitive — startling, even — in Our Lord’s decision to use the human artifacts of bread and wine rather than the divine inventions of grain and grapes to give us his body and blood. In a profound way, it is the work of human hands which the God of the universe uses to make himself sacramentally present in the world.
Image and likeness
Continued below.
The divine purpose in human work: a Scriptural reflection
Explore how our work, from the Eucharist to human work and creativity, reflects God's divine plan, inviting us to participate in creation.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
