7 replies to this topic

[arfink]

I was doing a little reading of Pope Benedict's stuff, don't remember which it was, it was an except in something else. Anyways, I ran across something he wrote that was really striking and made me think. He said that the most boiled-down and oversimplified definition of a sacrifice is "the destruction of something precious to man."

He then went on to describe how we can clarify that, to differentiate between what's precious to man and precious to God, and how we cannot be going around destroying things precious to God as sacrifices. Or something to that effect. Jesus was able to sacrifice himself because he was God etc. but this could at least form the notion of why it wouldn't be normally admissible to have human sacrifice.

The very act of sacrificial worship then becomes tied up in the offering of things that are precious to ourselves. Our worship is acceptable because we offer up something we care about.

And it led me to believe that maybe we could use this as a measuring stick to determine to whom a sacrifice is being offered by virtue of who it is valuable to. Isn't it very telling that Satanists would be willing to offer human sacrifice? The very nature of what is being offered is what gives us the clue: it's precious to both man and God, but not to Satan. Hence the very act of offering such a sacrifice would be an act of Satan-worship. No duh.

But what about other, lesser sacrifices? What about everyday sins? When we destroy our purity and give in to lust, is that not a sacrifice being offered to Satan, and an act of worshiping him? What about other sins?

And how much of an act of worship to God would it be if we would destroy our own sinful desires on His altar as an act of worship? (hint: it would rock!)

Just a thought.

[arfink]

Once again...

WHOOOOOSH

[MissyP89]

Holy moly. You think trippy deep thoughts late at night like me.

Our lives are meant to be an offering to God. So when we sin, to what are we offering our lives?

Dang. That's pretty creepy.

[arfink]

Holy moly. You think trippy deep thoughts late at night like me.

Our lives are meant to be an offering to God. So when we sin, to what are we offering our lives?

Dang. That's pretty creepy.

Dats right. Although I thought this in the early morning, while eating my breakfast.

[AnneLine]

What are you eating for breakfast, sir! I want me some!

[arfink]

What are you eating for breakfast, sir! I want me some!

Umm, lets see, this was Thursday... what DID I eat for breakfast anyway?


Oh yeah.
Dr. Pepper and some leftover pasta salad I found in the fridge. No wonder.

[AnneLine]

Carb overload!!!!!

Story about one of the Carmelite saints, St. Teresa Margaret.... she woke up one morning with a half-fledged idea that astonished her superiors..... is it possible.... could it be done.... that if one asked God when going to sleep to be in adoration the whole time throughout the night while asleep it could happen.......

Many of us have gone to sleep with that prayer....

I'd love the idea of adding your 'and give me the grace of not worshiping ANYONE or ANYTHING but you, my Lord!' to that prayer..... not a bad way to start the night... or the day for that matter!

Yup, I think you's on to something..... GO Dr. Pepper! GO Pasta! Go ARFink!

[arfink]

I kept thinking about this idea today during our Corpus Christi mass.

In Christ's sacrifice of everything, in his total gift of self, He offered everything to the Father. Our acceptable sacrifice must be the same in substance if we are to truly participate in Christ's sacrifice, otherwise it's not actually the same sacrifice. Just as on Passover the Jews would only offer lambs, so we are called to offer a whole and complete sacrifice of self.

Obviously our sacrifice can never be fully united or complete until we are in heaven, but until that point we must transfer our offerings from other altars of false worship and place them upon the True Altar.