By How can we serve others through sacrifice today?
Many religions and cultures have preached offering sacrifices. This may have been a means of maintaining peace to gods, bringing good weather, or even to buy blessings.
However, sacrifice, if well-ordered or intended, can also be one of the deepest
expressions of love.
Consumerism, technology, lawsuits, ambition, addiction, and even the “American dream,” have combined to foster a society of greed.
We seem to worship at the altar of self-gratification.
The 21st century has lost the true meaning of sacrifice.
Carroll College is a Catholic, Diocesan school. At this point in the liturgical year, we have left the season of Lent and are amidst the 50 days of Easter.
Lent is 40 days of active preparation for the resurrection of Jesus. For Catholics, as well as many other denominations of Christians, it is a time of reordering hearts to imitate Christ more fully by sacrificing through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
The intentionality of Lent keeps the individual from turning inward and aids people in loving others. Making time for prayer, abstaining from simple pleasures, or gifting time to other individuals can all be meaningful sacrifices.
Davis Greenwood, a sophomore philosophy major from Boise, Idaho, shared one of the ways he worked to sacrifice during Lent in preparation for Easter.
“I gave up music and podcasts for Lent,” said Davis Greenwood, a sophomore
philosophy major from Boise, Idaho. Greenwood said. “Silence is an important part of the Christian life, and I believe God speaks in silence way more than we think.”
The Catholic Church teaches, in a very basic sense, that all sacrifice can be united to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross. This means that prayers, offerings, and sufferings can transcend time, and even the smallest act of love can serve the wellbeing of all mankind immensely.
The Rev. Tyler Frohlich, chaplain of Carroll College, shared that Lent is a time to grow closer to our maker and to reorder our hearts.
“Lent is a beautiful time to cleanse our hearts of the attachments that we form to unfulfilling things,” Frohlich said. “This sacrifice that we endure for 40 days allows us to reclaim the love of Jesus Christ, to attach to him and him alone, he who fulfills the heart and brings peace.
“In this way, we make space for the life he brings at his Resurrection. We follow him closely in his passion and death, then we receive in the depth of our own heart his eternal life.”
Lent teaches us that love is not just a feeling, but also an action. It also serves as a yearly reminder of how we should love each other in the joyful seasons of life, like Easter.
Sacrifice can take many forms.
Sacrifice for some may mean setting their phone aside during conversation.
For others, it may look like pausing a favorite song to say a short prayer when an ambulance speeds by.
Or sacrifice may be cutting back on procrastination or catching up on household chores.
A time of sacrifice is valuable no matter our faith. Sacrifice allows each of us to serve our fellow man.
Loving through sacrifice is very powerful.
What price are we willing to pay for the sake of love?
If love is willing the “good” for another, then sacrifice requires acknowledging that same good through action.
Easter is a time of renewal. Easter is a time for each of us to find ways to sacrifice for others – not just during Lent, but as a part of our daily life.
Perhaps we should extend the practices implemented during Lent.
Extend daily prayer? Put a limit on phone apps?
Or perhaps our sacrifice could be small acts of kindness or generosity.
Or offering forgiveness and understanding to those who misunderstand us.
Sacrifice may simply be learning self-discipline: go to the gym; challenge my your mind, drink enough water.
These are sacrifices I am considering, because I know I must carry the spirit of Lent forward through the year.
Love cannot be stagnant.
How can we serve others through sacrifice today?
