{"id":1211,"date":"2020-03-29T21:44:13","date_gmt":"2020-03-29T19:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/predication.net\/?p=1211"},"modified":"2026-09-19T21:33:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T19:33:30","slug":"love-and-sacrifice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=1211","title":{"rendered":"Love and Sacrifice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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First, love and sacrifice: ‘Love and sacrifice go hand in hand. ‘This is a common saying and is generally true. However, it is not always well understood, especially by those new to the spiritual life. Some conclude that, to prove their love for Christ, they must undergo special repentance and mortification. This interpretation is almost always a misunderstanding, so it needs thorough discussion and careful consideration of its various aspects. First, let’s consider the analogy of human life. I tell him I want to show my love by foregoing food and walking home from work rather than taking the tram. Normally, my devotee should move him. But he would probably think I was somewhat weird, and he would be right. Love does not wish for a loved one to suffer, nor can it wish for a loved one to suffer in order to prove its love. In fact, it is a dubious proof of love and a clear sign of a lack of common sense. But suppose I were to say, ‘Look, I bought you a present. You’ll like it. I don’t know.” I had to skip lunch and walk home to save money, but I did it. Then the gift would be proof of love, though love doesn’t want to show off its self-denial too much. What we have given, we have given up. Love for God demands sacrifice, but not in the strange way we mentioned above. We will now explain in what sense it wants sacrifice, but first, please learn from the previous example. God never requires suffering or self-esteem for their own sake; in isolation, they are negative and insignificant \u2013 their meaning and value come only from a positive focus on something higher. Accepting this means total surrender and never prioritising wishes and affections that clash with personal demands. Love for others and love for God require us to keep the commandments, which guide us towards him. This commitment requires us to deny our tendency to seek natural satisfaction that goes against God’s will, as expressed in the commandments. We must exercise self-control and subjugate our instincts, passions and desires to the rule of reason, which is enlightened by God’s grace. After original sin, our way to God is not purely positive. First, we must overcome the negative tendency to prioritise ourselves and exploit everything selfishly. All of our tendencies begin with an initial lack of balance and harmony. Directing them towards God means rectifying them. It is not enough to simply straighten the curled cardboard again. We must bend it on the other side and hold it there for a while. Therefore, in our ascetic efforts to achieve balance and perfect control, we must do more than just avoid what is wrong. We must also renounce what is inevitable in order to strengthen what is weak and distorted in us. Repentant actions aim to subordinate the tendencies of our reason, enlightened by faith, so that we do not act thoughtlessly in accordance with our natural inclinations. Our goal is to achieve enlightened judgement and control over our natural tendencies, ensuring that our first thought is of God, whom we love, and whose light guides our judgements and actions. When our natural inclinations are stronger, our efforts to subjugate them to the love of God must be more resolute. Each individual must assess their own level of susceptibility. A man for whom alcoholic beverages pose no danger may consume them in moderation. However, a man who is prone to alcoholism must give it up completely. Through such renunciation, and through others, we do not condemn the things that God has created. However, we recognise our weakness and resist the influence of our natural desires that seek to exploit the goodness created by God. Thus, asceticism is a form of vigilance that can prevent us from separating ourselves from God. This vigilance inspires love and is not limited to the essentials. True love gives generously without calculating the minimum. A man does not ask. Instead, he considers what he can afford to do without seriously offending his wife. If he wants to keep his love alive and strengthen it, he avoids anything that could lead to selfishness or cool his love. It is not the last step that causes the death of human love, but all the previous small steps that mark the beginning of self-love. Therefore, even in his love for God, he must carefully guard against anything that could dull its edge. He will not ask whether anything is permitted by the commandments or whether it is sinful. Instead, he will consider whether his renunciation will enable him to experience God’s love more deeply. Whenever he can do without something he might otherwise keep, he will preserve the freshness of his love for Christ, and his tender love will grow. Love transcends logic \u2014 or rather, love is more logical than mere reason. We may have every logical reason not to act, yet it is better to take action. I could act recklessly and have every excuse to do so, but I know in my heart that it is better to stop. Life in closer union with Christ is a life of greater self-denial. This must also be understood as the law of love. To give more, you have to give up more. The more you give, the more you renounce. A priest or religious person gives up and sacrifices many things, but it is useful to remember that the word ‘sacrificial’ comes from the Latin ‘sacrum facere’, meaning ‘to sanctify something by giving it to God’. While the word has primarily come to signify renunciation, if we experience what we give to God as a renunciation, we will not experience it fully as a human being. What we give to God should be seen as a gift of joy and love. However, sometimes we feel as though we are giving something up. However, if someone constantly dwells on what they have forsaken, they cannot be a true victim and are destined to lead a very mournful existence. Those who have given more to God will find that the demands of duty, obedience and fraternal love provide continual opportunities for self-sacrifice and for generously giving themselves to God’s love. ‘I suffer now for you, but I rejoice in it, because by this act I am supplementing in my body what remains to be suffered to the full extent of Christ’s suffering. It benefits his body; it is the Church” (Col 1:24). We do not need to find a complete rational explanation for all sacrifice and suffering because, beyond what reason can grasp, we enter into the mystery of Christ’s redemption. In connection with this mystery, we can offer up our sufferings for the redemption of the world, free others from sin and self-love through self-sacrifice, and offer our renunciation as a gift to God.<\/h2>\n

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First, love and sacrifice: ‘Love and sacrifice go hand in hand. ‘This is a common saying and is generally true. However, it is not always well understood, especially by those new to the spiritual life. 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