God Wants Us as We Are

A reflection by Amelia, 12th grade, Bishop Moore CatholicAs we enter into this moment of grace, I invite you to reflect in this moment about giving the gift of our hearts. As we know, Mary gave herself as a gift to the Lord. She opened herself to the Holy Spirit, and in return, the world was given the greatest gift of her Son. Often times in our world, we feel that we can’t give ourselves to the Lord because we feel unworthy...that our gift isn't good enough or it's tainted in some way. The Lord wants to bring us out of that thinking and tell us that we are enough. He wants us to come simply as we are and place ourselves at the altar. Even if you think you are broken, He is ready to receive whatever you give Him. It is then that He can take the gifts and talents He has given us and perfect them. God will then use us like He did Mary, to bring our gifts out to the world. We aren’t perfect and He knows that; He just wants us to trust him. So today during the consecration and when we see Jesus on the altar, I invite you to do three things.

• Christ wants to pour out His love, we just have to say yes. In that yes, we give Him permission to work in our hearts.
• Give yourself as a gift to Him so He can perfect your talents.
• And lastly, never forget that you are not a burden, rather you are a gift — especially to this community.