24. The Meaning of Sacrifice

When we talk about sacrifice, we usually mean giving up something. But, it means much more. It comes from two Latin words, "sacrum" and "facere," which means "to make (oneself) holy." Again, looking to the liturgical season of Lent, we do not give up things simply for the sake of giving them up. It means that in the achieving of OTHERNESS there is sometimes a bit of penance or pain connected with it. It is the ends or the goal which we often forget. As we remove the barnacles, we become something else. Thus, the sacrifice of the Mass does not merely mean killing or giving up something, it means that we are becoming more [different] than what we were.

Take the word ATONEMENT for instance. It usually brings to mind images of someone flogging himself. That might be connected with it (punishment), if it does not get in the way of our becoming something else. But the purpose of at/one/ment is literally to "become one" with God. Sometimes we have to escape the negative images. We have to die to ourselves to make a good sacrifice. We do this by such things as sharing, swallowing our pride, and giving up a little of our time. This is not always pleasant. The purpose is not to get a nice feeling, it is to become other, to become like Christ.