The Offertory is the Gospel of life
| V. The Offering of the Mandala of the whole world. Offertorium evangelium vitae (the Offertory of the Mass is the Gospel of life). Teilhard de Chardin's " Mass on the World" from his work The Divine Milieu: "Once again, Fire descends to Earth". I visualize a ground, sprinkled with perfumed water and strewn with flowers, adorned with the Holy Mount Sumeru, the axis of the world, the four continents and the eight subcontinents, and the Sun and the Moon. I offer it as a Buddha field so that all beings may enjoy it as a Pure Land. Blessed are you, God of all Creation, through your goodness we have this Bread and Wine to offer; may they become for us the Bread of life and the Chalice of Salvation. |