White Roses from God
(Mother Butlers are the ones who arrange and prepare the things needed for the celebration of the mass.)
Whenever I sat there by the altar as a lector or as a commentator for the mass or in one of the seats as a churchgoer to hear mass, I would always look at the offerers and wished I could one day be one of them.
One Sunday, I went to church not to join our music ministry but hoped to be one of the offerers. I believed in my heart that the Lord would give me that chance that evening.
(photo from Google)
I went to ask the mother butler if there was still a need for one offerer. They told me it all has been filled up. Some of the offerers were people from the Divine Mercy Apostolate. So, I approached Ms. Pichie Escoda, one of their leaders, and told her, " I'd like to join the offerers if only I'd have the chance." She smiled and told me, "Good thing you asked! We have flowers here and the one who's supposed to offer it left because of an unexpected problem that she needed to attend to." I gladly took the roses and sat beside her.
(photo from Google)
When it was time for the offertory, we lined ourselves on the aisle of the church. It was like a short procession going to the altar with the offerings in our hands.
(photo from Google)
As I walked holding the bouquet of white roses towards the altar, it felt like I'm a bride walking towards my groom. Then I came to a beautiful realization that the white roses came from the Lord through that woman who left them. My heart was filled with great joy! Wonderful thoughts flooded my mind. The Lord gave me white roses! He reminded me of His great love for me and of how He tenderly holds me in His sweet embrace. Yes! God gave me white roses to offer to His altar. It is a symbolism of the fact that God gave me His only Begotten Son, Jesus, unblemished of sin. He offered Himself as a sacrifice to save us from the consequences of our sins. Through Him, I would be able to offer myself and my works to God the Father. Through Jesus' sacrifice on His death on the cross, my old sinful self died with Him. And through His resurrection, I am born into this new body and new life. I am like the roses. Pure and white! Cleansed from all sinfulness by my Lord Jesus Christ! Through God's grace, I am now able to return to Him everything that He has given me. How tremendous and immense is His love!
When it came to my turn to present my offerings to the priest, I smiled and whispered in prayer, " My Lord and my God, I surrender to Your will. Do as You please with me."
"So far as the law is concerned, however, I am dead - killed by the law itself - so that I might live for God. I have been put to death with Christ on His cross, so that it is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me." - Galatians 2:19-20 NIV
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