Sacrifice

Our society has programmed us to see love as transactional. “Scratch my back, and I will scratch yours.” But Jesus’ command to love one another as He has loved us is to follow his example of grace in the giving of his life on the cross for all the world. The call is to sacrifice for others fully with no consideration of what you will get in return.

Br. Jim Woodrum, SSJE.

How often have you heard or said; “I am only willing to sacrifice as much as I will get in return” or “I have already sacrificed enough.”

We don’t use the word often and most of the time we hear it only during Lent and especially during Holy Week. Yet it is a word that is important in our Christian vocabulary. We live this life either as Christians or Americans on the sacrifice of many before us.

Sacrifice comes at a cost and as Brother Jim reminds us, that cost is love. Parents sacrifice for their children, men and women have sacrificed for our freedom, but most importantly Jesus sacrificed for the whole world. Sacrifice comes because we love others as Jesus loved us.

Let’s try to sacrifice our opinions about others and just love them.

Blessings and Peace,

Chris+