2100 Outward sacrifice, to be genuine, must be the expression of spiritual sacrifice: “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit. . . . “
17 The prophets of the Old Covenant often denounced sacrifices that were not from the heart or not coupled with love of neighbor.18 Jesus recalls the words of the prophet Hosea: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”19 The only perfect sacrifice is the one that Christ offered on the cross as a total offering to the Father’s love and for our salvation.
20 By uniting ourselves with his sacrifice we can make our lives a sacrifice to God.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a ‘broken’ or contrite spirit. It is when we are finally able to unite our will to His. This is not done in one fell swoop, but by faithfully carrying dozens of little crosses every day. “More of Him, and Less of Me’ then becomes our motto.
We are never too far gone to approach Him for this type of union, the moment that we truly desire it and can see clearly what has kept us from it, and confess it…He makes a leap towards us. This is His mercy! We deserve nothing, but He gives us His all.
May we desire to live lives of sacrifice, daily dying to self so that we can hear His voice. We are not to be lead by our self will, or by the world at large. Only by Him alone, our steps will be different, will seem meaningless and even foolish to those who don’t follow Him. Many good people will come our way telling us that they know what is best for us. Sometimes they do, and by discerning His voice we’ll know whose they are.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. |
The Church is the Bride of Christ 796 The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a personal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. The theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist.234 The Lord referred to himself as the “bridegroom.”235 The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride “betrothed” to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him.236 The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.237 “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her.”238 He has joined her with himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his own body:239
This is the whole Christ, head and body, one formed from many . . . whether the head or members speak, it is Christ who speaks. He speaks in his role as the head (ex persona capitis) and in his role as body (ex persona corporis). What does this mean? “The two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the Church.”240 And the Lord himself says in the Gospel: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.”241 They are, in fact, two different persons, yet they are one in the conjugal union, . . . as head, he calls himself the bridegroom, as body, he calls himself “bride.”242
Catechism of the Catholic Church