It was love that brought Mary and Joseph to present the infant Jesus at the Temple with a sacrifice of two doves. A young family all smiles and full of love for each other and God. Truly, Jesus, the Holy One of God, needed no consecration; but, still an infant in Mary’s arms, He is offered to God. The family did this through love. It was through love, Jesus offered all to God: his entire life, work and sacrifice. Through love, Christ sacrificed himself for our sins. It should be through love that we come to the sacrifice of the Eucharist.
But why sacrifice? According to the dictionary definition sacrifice is the surrender of something of value for the sake of something else. This is the concept of sacrifice in scriptures. Sacrifice is also a characteristic of love. Love demands that we make many sacrifices.
In love, all that is sacrificed is a gift of love. A gift must be given freely to truly be a gift. That is the ultimate truth of all sacrifice. It does not matter if it is parents sacrificing for their children or Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Each of these the gifts of life and self are offered freely.
The sacrifice of the Eucharist is not just the sacrifice of Christ for us. It is what we bring through our relationship with Christ to God. It is in the sacrifice of our self that we come freely and willingly, giving all that we are to God.
This is a giving that extends past the doors of the Church. Giving the gift of life and self that we are blessed with to others freely and with love is a sacrifice we can share. This is done in our works of charity, justice, and dignity. It is done when young men and women in religious formation give the gift of their lives to God.
Do you see the smile of the Holy Family reflected in you? Sharing our gifts makes our lives become considerably more enjoyable. I think this is where we find the smile that Pope Francis believes is shared by all Christians as a joyful witness to our faith.
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