Precious Lord Who Offered Himself Poem by Chris G. Vaillancourt

This is my Body, broken for you
my mystic sweet communion
my Eucharist, my offering

Precious Lord who offered Himself

I was struck by these thoughts as
I lay in bed, the day after I had
been to mass.

Thinking to myself of how
great a sacrifice this man,
this God, had made

Sweet Jesus, the choir sang
Mighty God chanted the priest
Holy Spirit believed the people

Precious Lord who offered Himself

I knew in my heart that I
would never have made
the same sacrifice

I never would have let
them drive the nails
into me

So was Jesus brave or a
coward? God or a man?
What compelled Him to offer
Himself in such a fashion?

Was the fate of our souls
so in jeopardy that God
Himself needed to make
such a gesture?

Precious Lord who offered Himself

I was thinking of how much
this deity had influenced
the world

Of how many people had
sacrificed themselves
in His name

In every church in the
world His name is
sung in praise

It amazes me how little
impact He seems to
hold in daily life

Precious Lord who offered Himself

True, His name is mentioned
in a million different
conversations

His presence is felt in
zillions of infinite
little ways

But if truth was told
His followers lack
His conviction

How strange that He
would offer so much
of Himself
for a people who
offered very little
in return

Precious Lord who offered Himself

I was lying in bed with
my wife at my side
a crucifix over our heads

This image, this thought
contaminated me
filled me with awe

Do unto others this
Saviour had taught
and sin no more
He reminded

It is strange to me
to be so dedicated to
the welfare of strangers

But are we strangers
really to one another?
Don't we hold the same
desire to be redeemed

Precious Lord who offered Himself

If the truth was to be told
I must admit that His
sacrifice puzzles me

His commandments
though taught to me
often elude me

Which is true of us all
I would think

Precious Lord who offered Himself

Perhaps, sweet Jesus
you did it for nothing?
You did it so we could
go to mass once a week
and pretend it mattered to us.

How sad that your Sacrifice
has become such a ritual
of indifference.