©2019 Victor R. Claveau, MJ
What is a sacrifice? A sacrifice is some good thing that we give to God. When we give this gift to God, we give up all claims to it and it can no longer be used for our purpose. We should give our best to God as Christ gave his all.
In the Old Testament Book of Genesis, we read of the thanksgiving sacrifice of Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel offered gifts to God. Cain offered the first fruits of his harvest; Abel offered a lamb. They gave these gifts to God by burning them. By destroying these things, they gave up any claim to them, acknowledging the authority of God. Yet, this is not the deepest meaning of the word sacrifice.
True sacrifice comes from the recognition of personal sin; it flows from the desire to make reparation for the injuries to our soul and for the prideful rejection of God’s law. Man knew he sinned and the punishment should have been his own death, but this he was not willing to do. By slaughtering a living animal and offering it to God, Abel substituted the animal for himself. He transferred the guilt of his sins to the animal, then killed it and begged God to accept the death of the animal to pay for his sin. This was the meaning of most of the Old Testament sacrifices (There were also sacrifices of thanksgiving).
We must ask, can an animal really take the place of man in this matter? How many animals would it take to render satisfaction to God for the sins of humanity? Obviously, no animal can substitute for man who is a rational being endowed with free will. God demanded that the Jews sacrifice animals, which represented the gods of Egypt, as a daily reminder that they were false gods and that there is only one true God.
What sacrifice could make up for man’s sin? Only one sacrifice would do, and this sacrifice came in the fullness of time in the form of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was to take away the sins of the world. An animal cannot be substituted for man, but God could be. An animal could be killed, but God can never die. So, the Son of God became man; He assumed human form and had a human nature. Only then could there be a fitting sacrifice to bridge the gap between God and man. Jesus, the God-man, offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice which would wipe out the debts of man’s sin. Only Jesus could make full satisfaction for us. Our Lord’s sacrifice on the Cross is this worthy sacrifice for our sins.
But was that all that was necessary for us to be saved? Is there something else that we must do to gain heaven? Yes, we must embrace the Cross. Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). We must make the sacrifice of the Cross our own; it must become our sacrifice. The Lamb of God must be placed in our hands, and we must, in turn, offer it to our Father in heaven, for our salvation. We must ask ourselves, how can this be possible? Has God given us a way by which we can offer such a sublime offering to God on our own behalf? Yes, Jesus entrusted the means to His Church in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Jesus knew that He would have to pay the ultimate price to reconcile us with His Father. When He instituted the Eucharistic doctrine at the Last Supper, He was anticipating the great Sacrifice He was to offer on Golgotha the following day. For at the Last Supper He said: ‘Take; this is my body’. And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many’ (Mk 14:22-24). This same sacrifice which Jesus offered on the Cross, and which He anticipated at the Last Supper, is re-presented at every Mass. So, the Mass is not only a living memorial, but also a sacrifice, the un-bloody renewal of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. Christ’s sacrificial Body and Blood are truly present and are truly offered in this mystical re-presentation of Golgotha.
When Moses met God on Mount Horeb, he asked God his name. God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO AM’ (Exodus 3:14). Theologians tell us that this expression means that God is the Eternal Now. In other words, there is no time or space, as we understand these concepts, for God. For God there is only the ‘now’. Two thousand years in our future is now for God as He is not limited in time as we are. Two thousand years ago in our time is also now for God. The Sacrifice of Jesus, which took place two thousand years ago in our time, is now in heaven; the Sacrifice of Jesus is perpetually ongoing in heaven. During the Mass, in one sublime moment the Holy Spirit re-presents that one original Sacrifice on the altar of God in our Churches.
Now we understand that the sacrifice of the Mass is the unique and true sacrifice of Christendom, and that it is the most extraordinary worship on the face of the earth. When we go to Mass, we are walking up to Calvary. Christ is sacramentally dying for us on the Cross and we are kneeling beside Mary, the Mother of God, and Saints Mary Magdalene and John.
Mary’s greatest sacrifice was her consent to the death of her only Son. She did not try to drive back the executioners, the way that Peter did in a gesture of compassion; for she knew that the crucifixion was the Father’s will for Jesus. Mary simply conformed to that will. Standing at the foot of the Cross, Mary endured in her heart all that her Divine Son suffered in his flesh. That is how she became Co-Redemptrix* with Christ. If we accept our crosses as the will of our Heavenly Father, we also, through the Mass, may become pleasing to God; and like Jesus and Mary, saviors of souls.
* The prefix “co” comes from the Latin term “cum”, which means with and not equal to. Co-redemptrix as applied to the Blessed Mother refers to her complete cooperation with and under her divine Son Jesus, in the redemption of humanity, as expounded in sacred scripture.