Week Two: "SACRIFICE"
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Last week, we explored the idea that fasting is a discipline of preparation, no matter what form it takes. But whether your Lenten fast involves a fast from food or entertainment or whatever-it-is, on some level it will involve SACRIFICE. On some level, fasting is a giving up of something good and an experience of its absence.
But why? Is it because we love to beat ourselves up or just make ourselves uncomfortable for 40 days to “earn” Easter? By no means! Our discipline of sacrifice is a response to God’s sacrifice on our behalf. We believe that Jesus actually existed and was actually human — and that he actually suffered and died on the Cross! This is the sacrifice of all sacrifices, and it was an act of love for you and for me.
When we sacrifice something good to God, we participate in this act of love in which Christ emptied himself for our sake. Our Lenten fast is a gesture of response and a moment of participation with the divine love that has come before us. It is the means by which we turn from ourselves toward the God who is in love with each of us, and it’s the way we say YES to this love.
So, how will you fast and participate in this dynamic of SACRIFICE this week?
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Genesis 22:1–2, 9a, 10–13, 15–18God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" he replied. Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you."
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered. "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son." As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command."
This seemingly strange story, referred to as the “Binding of Isaac” or the “Testing of Abraham” recounts Abraham’s obedience to the Lord, even to the point of sacrificing his only son. Do you have that level of obedience toward God? What would it take to get to that level of obedience?
God recognizes that Isaac is loved by Abraham, which is why God so readily blesses Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice him. How does Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice something (or someone) he loves connect to the idea of fasting? Think about what you are “giving up” in your own fast — do you love it?
After God stops Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, God provides a ram for the offering instead and then blesses Abraham, promising to make his descendants as countless as the stars of the sky. Why do you think God put Abraham to the test before blessing him this way? Recall from last week that even Jesus went through testing. Why does God allow this?
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Psalm 116:10, 15, 16–17, 18–19
R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
1. READ the psalm, making sure to recite at least the refrain (in bold) aloud. Read it once or twice, simply allowing the words to sink in.
2. REFLECT on what words or phrases seem to capture your attention. Return to them and ask God to reveal why these words or phrases might be resonating with you.
3. RESPOND to God, sharing openly and vulnerably what might be on your heart.
4. REST in silence and listen for God to respond to you.
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Romans 8:31b–34
Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us, who will condemn? Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised—who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
This passage from Paul’s Letter to the Romans is one of the most triumphant and beautiful passages of the New Testament. What words or phrases inspire you the most? Why?
Paul’s language of God’s not sparing his own Son draws a parallel with Abraham’s willingness to not withhold his own son from God. In what other ways might this passage be connected with the First Reading?
This passage makes it clear that God will not condemn his chosen ones, but that God is for us. Does this assurance inspire you to respond to God with a sacrifice of fasting more or less?
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Mark 9:2–10
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
The account of the Transfiguration is a revealing of the reality that Christ himself shines with the glory of God. What details or imagery capture your imagination from this story? How do you think you would react in the moment if you were there?
Immediately after this revelation of God’s glory, Jesus tells of his imminent sacrifice that he must make. Why do you think Jesus’ glory and Jesus’ suffering are so closely connected?
What other connections do you see between all the readings for this week?
How do they connect to the idea of fasting in any way?
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"Sacrifice"
by Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O.7 MIN READ
. . . When divine love invades the world of broken people, a world in which there is suffering and limitation, it is certain to be rejected. It is precisely by being rejected, and yet still remaining steadfast in boundless compassion, that its divine character is ultimately proved. Moreover, divine love triumphs over every obstacle, including suffering and death. This is why the passion of Jesus is the most magnificent and comprehensive revelation of divine love that exists. It reveals the ultimate meaning of reality, which is sacrifice. In a world of imperfection, divine love is proved by sacrifice. . . .
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Fr. Keating draws a distinction between sacrifice and suffering, writing that sacrifice is primarily an attitude that can transform suffering into joy. When have you experienced suffering in your life? And when have you experienced suffering as a joyful sacrifice? How is fasting a practice in this transformative attitude?
Fr. Keating writes of sacrifice as a form of self-giving love, which is most perfectly exemplified by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. How do you connect the idea of sacrifice to love? How can your practice of fasting becoming a gift of self?
Fr. Keating concludes that the spiritual life entails the total surrender of ourselves to God, which he sometimes refers to as the death of the false self. What do you think about the idea of a “total surrender” to God? What do you think is needed for you to make this gift of yourself to God?
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St. Maximilian Kolbe
3 MIN READ
. . . Near the end of July, there was an escape attempt from his unit of the camp. The penalty was always the same. Men from the block were selected for death by starvation, by way of reprisal. When Francis Gajowniczek was picked, he cried out in despair. Kolbe stepped forward. “I am a Catholic priest,” he said. “I wish to die for that man. I am old; he has a wife and children.” The officer agreed and Maximilian went to the death chamber, helping the others prepare to die with dignity. . . .
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St. Maximilian Kolbe,
who gave your life to become a priest in service of others,
pray for us.
St. Maximilian Kolbe,
who reflected the passionate love of God in your zeal and mission
to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world,
pray for us.
St. Maximilian Kolbe,
who sacrificed your life in Auschwitz so that another might live,
pray for us.
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