A sacrifice that has no obvious meaning for you and me

A sacrifice that has no obvious meaning

Whenever anyone makes a pledge to give up a habit, addiction, or just a gift for someone else to make a difference in their own life, the depth of this emptying out can become a gift with meaning.  However, the meaning must become a reality in the life of this person if it is to complete a faithful approach to spiritual sacrifice.  We know that removing a habit, addiction, or making an offering for Lenten observance does no good if it is just an expression for others to see.  It must be a real pledge of offering for someone else whom we may not know.  

As each of us takes the walk of empty direction, that is unsure of who or what our sacrifice may help, then the meaning will become a reality within our individual path to find what Christ has placed in our future.  There will be times when each moment we move towards a hurting person, one who may not even know Christ, the sacrifice may not become obvious in our mind, but some soul will have entered into a grace known only to God.  

Jesus, giving his life over on the cross, as a man only didn’t know cognitively to whom his death would free from eternal death.  As the Son of God he already knew who would accept this eternal gift of salvation.   

“By its union to the divine wisdom in the person of the Word Incarnate, Christ enjoyed in his human knowledge the fullness of understanding of the eternal plans he had come to reveal.  What he admitted to not knowing in this area, he elsewhere declared himself not sent to reveal.”  (CCC 474).  Knowing what believers and non-believers were contemplating, the Spirit of Jesus did know  It is another mystery of the Trinity and the three persons of the One God.  

Like a mystery in a movie script the ending can leave a surprise as the final scene concludes with what none of us expected.  Yet, when the whole world is exposed to their own life on earth the final revealing of their beliefs will shock many who always expected a scene of God’s forgiveness, but without any effort of love from them towards their fellowmen, they will encounter the surprise of their own story.  If they were to write a novel leaving out the essence of fairness to someone else, the ending would portray a “B” type of story-telling with a sad ending.  That will become the final draft of everyone who fails to see Christ’s intention of his Sacrifice lived out on the altars in every Catholic Church.

Again, as noted in past articles, the Catholic Church, through the Magisterium and Traditions, has placed the Truth that Christ taught us from Incarnation to Ascension the very Truth that is God alone.  Rewriting our own story without the grace of God will end in a trash heap “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”  (Mk 9: 48).  A sad ending to a story no one will ever read!

Ralph B. Hathaway