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BOOK I. Dogmatical and Ascetical Part SACRIFICE is an act and, in fact, the supreme act of
religion, for by the offering of sacrifice the Divine Majesty is honored in the
worthiest and most perfect manner. The virtue of religion is, so to speak, the
very root whence sacrifice springs and develops as a most beautiful blossom and
most precious fruit. Therefore we at once perceive that the way for a better
understanding of sacrifice can be opened only by previously considering the
Christian or supernatural virtue of religion in its principal
characteristics. 1 ______________________________________________________________________ 1We do not
intend to treat here of religion as a natural virtue (virtus acquisita), which can
be acquired, at least in an imperfect degree, by frequent acts, but of religion
as a supernatural virtue (virtus per se infusa) infused by means of grace
into the soul. Religion, as such, is, in the first place, an abiding,
persevering disposition inclining us to render unto God the worship due Him.
Ease and readiness in the performance of supernatural acts of religion is the
fruit of faithful exercise and is obtainable by our own exertions assisted by
divine grace. Charity and all the infused moral virtues are inseparably united
with sanctifying grace, whilst the two theological virtues of faith and hope
(habitus fidei
etspei) can still exist even after sanctifying grace has been
lost. Cf. Mazzella, S. J., De virtutibus infusis, disput. I. art. 3
12 I. Religion (religio)2 is a special moral virtue, which enables
and inclines the will to give to God the supernatural honor
and adoration due to Him as the Creator and Supreme Ruler, as well as the last
end of all things, and particularly of man. The Holy Ghost plants this virtue in
the garden of the soul it is our duty, with the help of grace, so to nourish
this noble and precious gift of heaven that it may bear abundant fruit for the
honor and glory of God and our own blessing and ultimate
salvation. The virtue of religion makes us courageous and willing to
offer to the Divine Majesty due veneration. By means of this virtue we honor
the Lord our God inasmuch as we acknowledge and proclaim His greatness, majesty
and dominion over us, and at the same time confess our own littleness, lowliness
and dependence upon Him. Religion, consequently, includes in itself two
requisites first, lively acknowledgment of His infinite perfection and dignity
and then, an humble subjection to His unlimited power and dominion. This
cheerful submission, this humbling of self under the power of God (I Peter, 5 6)
is required and commanded by the fundamental relations that exist between us as
creatures and God as our Creator. And this relation is one of the most absolute
and entire dependence upon God, for He is our first beginning and last end, our
Redeemer and Sanctifier. We belong entirely to God and it behooves us to
consecrate our being wholly to God “in God we live and move and are" (Acts 17,
28). "All my bones shall cry out: Lord, who is like to Thee?"
(Ps. 34, 10.) God is a fathomless and shoreless sea of the most perfect being
and life His perfections are inexhaustible and incomparable, surpassing and
excelling all things, incomprehensible and unspeakable. God possesses infinite
grandeur and dignity. Therefore all rational creatures, being immeasurably below
Him, owe Him the profoundest respect and veneration. God is not only
inconceivably exalted above heaven and earth but by His creative power He is
also the source of all things, for they absolutely depend on Him as to their
being, their existence, their activity. Since God is the Creator of all things
visible and invisible, He is therefore the sovereign Master and Lord of all that
lives and moves in the universe consequently, He is "the King of kings and the
Lord of lords" (I Tim. 6, 15), to whom all beings owe unconditional and constant
service. Since the Almighty God has made all things and since all creatures are
the work of His hands, they belong to Him as His property He has, then, the
highest and the most absolute dominion over all creatures, for they exist only
for Him, and must act only for Him, and serve Him alone. Most beautifully does
the Church express this thought in the Invitatory of the Office of the
Dead: Regem, cui omnia vivunt, venite
adoremus "Come let us adore the King unto whom all
things live." Holy Scripture frequently delivers these truths in most vivid and striking descriptions. "The Lord is terrible and exceeding great and His power is admirable" (Kcclus 43, 31). "The Lord's ways are in a tempest and a whirlwind and clouds are the dust of His feet" (Nah. 1,3). God is the Supreme Master and Proprietor of the universe, because it has come forth from His creative hand and is His work hence the Psalmist joyfully sings "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof the world and all they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas and He hath prepared it upon the rivers" (Ps. 23, i 2). "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and weighed the heavens in His palm? Who hath poised with three fingers the bulk of the earth? Behold the gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the smallest grain of a balance behold the islands are as a little dust. It is He that sitteth upon the globe of the earth He that stretcheth out the heavens as nothing, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. ...Who bringeth out their host by number, and calleth them all by their names by the greatness of His might and strength and power, not one of them was missing" (Is. 40, 12 26). "And the stars have given light in their watches, and rejoiced. They were called and they said Here we are and with cheerfulness they have shined forth to Him that made them" (Bar. 3, 34 35). "O Lord, great art Thou, and glorious in Thy power, and no one can overcome Thee. Let all Thy creatures serve Thee because Thou hast spoken, and they were made Thou didst send forth Thy spirit, and they were created, and there is no one that can resist Thy voice. The mountains shall be moved from the foundations, with the waters the rocks shall melt as wax before Thy face" (Judith 16, 16 18). "He looketh upon the earth, and maketh it tremble He toucheth the mountains, and they smoke" (Ps. 103, 32). And what is man in comparison with the Most High, with the Almighty Creator and powerful King, greatly to be feared, who sitteth upon His throne and is the God of dominion? (Ecclus. I, 8). "Man's days are as grass, as the flower of the field so shall he flourish. For the spirit shall pass in him, and he shall not be and he shall know his place no more" (Ps. 102, 15 16). Man is earth and ashes (Ecclus. 17, 31) he is a leaf and a dry straw carried about by the wind like a flower he cometh forth and is destroyed and he fleeth as a shadow (Job 13, 25; 14, 2). Now should not man a weak, frail, miserable creature bow down and humble himself to the dust, should he not tremble with awe, reverence and astonishment before the power, grandeur and majesty of God, "whose throne is the heavens and whose footstool is the earth" (Is. 66, i). The pillars of heaven tremble and dread at His beck the morning stars praise Him and the sons of God make a joyful melody to Him (Job 26, ii 38, 7). The choirs of holy spirits sing in the highest heavens to the Lord day and night their never-ceasing "Holy, holy, holy;" the glorified saints prostrate themselves before Him that sitteth on the throne and adore Him that liveth forever and ever they lay down their crowns before the throne, saying: "Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power because Thou hast created all things and for Thy will they were and have been created" (Apoc. 4, 10 11). In this jubilation of eternal praise and adoration man also should unite, according to his ability, in glorifying God, who is justly exalted above all. 2. The virtue of religion, moreover, quickens our zeal and spurs us on to the performance of acts calculated to render to the Divine Majesty due honor and glory and these acts may be divided into two classes. a) In the first class are comprised all acts which in themselves refer to the honor of God and promote it, that is, those which by their nature are intended and calculated to render to the greatness of God due acknowledgment and worship. We perform such acts when, for instance, we pray and offer sacrifice, make and fulfill vows, adorn churches and decorate altars honoring Him, consequently made with a view and intention of giving glory to God. The virtue of religion can and must direct to the glory of God all the works and exercises of a Christian life,that it may become a perpetual divine service. "Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do. do all for the glory of God" (i Cor. 10, 31). To this effect St. Augustine says: "God is to be honored by faith, hope and charity" (Manuale I, 3). The acts of faith, hope and charity are in themselves acts, not of the moral virtue of religion, but of the three essentially different theological virtues yet they may be elicited with the intention of acknowledging the divine truth, fidelity and goodness, and God is thereby greatly honored and glorified. In believing, hoping and loving we give ourselves to God with all the powers of our soul, we lean upon God and rest in God as our last end in other words, we render to the divine perfections and majesty due homage and submission. The three divine virtues also condition the development and completion of the Christian life, which is founded on faith, nourished by hope and animated by charity. Faith enlightens the understanding with celestial light, hope endows the soul with supernatural strength, and love inflames the heart with divine fire thus these, three virtues enable us by a new and holy life to announce to men the glorious prerogatives and perfections of God, that they may see our works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (I Peter 2, 9 Matt. 5, 16). They give rise to the virtue of religion, and excite us to glorify God through works of piety, mercy and penance. We read in the epistle of St. James (I. 27) these words:
"Religion (religio) clean and undefiled before God and the
Father is this to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation and to
keep one's self unspotted from the world." The meaning of the above is that if
we would honor God the Father in a sincere and proper manner, we must be
assiduously intent upon assisting the poor, the abandoned and the distressed,
upon consoling and comforting them, and, at the same time, endeavor, amid the
universal corruption of the world, to serve God alone and to please Him by
purity of heart and the righteousness of our ways. Thus the virtue of religion
will produce abundant fruits “that in all things and above all things God may
be glorified" (ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus). 3. Religion holds the first place among the moral
virtues. Although, like all other moral virtues, the virtue of religion is
inferior in merit and dignity to the divine virtues of faith, hope and charity,
it is, nevertheless, most intimately connected with them, for it regulates the
conduct of man toward God. It holds the first rank among the moral virtues,
because it approaches nearer to God than the others, in so far as it produces
and has for its primary object those acts which refer directly and immediately
to the honor of God that is, whatever acts pertain to the divine service. The
sublime virtue of religion ennobles man precisely in this, that it completely
subjects him to the will and dominion of God and brings him into the closest
communication with the primal Source of all holiness. "For in offering honor and
homage to God we submit our mind to Him, and it is in this submission that its
perfection consists. An object is perfected by its submitting to its superior.
Thus the; perfection of the body consists in its being vivified by the soul and
the perfection of the atmosphere in its being thoroughly illumined by the light
of the sun." Honoring God fervently renders man truly great and exalted, and
imparts to him abundant gain and blessing for his spiritual
life. 4. The worship due to the Divine Majesty consists
principally in acts of adoration, thanksgiving, petition and
propitiation. As we have seen, God immeasurably excels all creatures,
even the highest and the sublimest of the heavenly spirits He excels them not
merely by His infinite dignity and perfection, but also by reason of His
boundless power and dominion. Hence at all times and in all places, every
creature is dependent upon God. It behooves man as a rational creature
consciously and freely and actively to acknowledge his absolute dependence upon
God in a word, to adore God. By adoration ( latria, adoratio latreutica, cultus
latreuticus), we understand that supreme and most perfect homage
due, not to any mere creature, but only and solely to God on account of His
infinite perfection, majesty and sovereign authority. God alone is adorable; He
alone is the Most High, the Almighty Creator and Ruler of creation. Those rights
and perfections which belong exclusively to God, are also to be acknowledged and
honored by a special worship, the worship of adoration. Hence to adore God is at
the same time to acknowledge, admire and to praise His majesty and sovereign
power; it is profoundly to humble and, in a manner, to annihilate ourselves in
the presence of His infinite grandeur and dignity it is to submit, to consecrate
and to resign ourselves unreservedly to Him as our first beginning and our last
end. Consequently, adoration is the most excellent and the most precious homage
that God can receive from creatures endowed with reason, man
included. Two other religious duties and acts are inseparably connected with adoration namely, thanksgiving and petition. Because God is adorable, that is, because He possesses infinite perfections, unlimited power, and boundless goodness, He is the inexhaustible fountain whence proceeds every good and perfect gift, in heaven and upon earth. All that we are, that we have and can do, both in the order of nature and in the order of grace, is the outpouring of the overflowing love of God. Now, with respect to the numberless gifts and graces which we have already received and daily yet receive, we owe heartfelt thanks for them, one and all, to God, our greatest Benefactor moreover, all the good that we may expect, hope for and implore, can likewise come to us only by the infinitely bounteous hand of God hence it behooves us to turn to Him in humble supplication. To adore God, to thank Him and to implore of Him His
gifts is therefore a threefold duty incumbent upon man, for the simple reason
that man is altogether dependent upon God. But in consequence of his having
fallen away from God and become corrupt by sin, there devolves upon him, now
laden with iniquity and deserving of punishment, still another obligation,
namely, that of appeasing an offended and irritated God, by appropriate
propitiation or satisfaction. 5. The acts of religion must above all be interior, that
is, be performed with mind and heart furthermore, they must also reveal
themselves externally, appear visibly and in a manner become corporeal. The
virtue of religion, as it must be exercised by man, comprises therefore interior
and exterior acts. At the same time it must not be forgotten, that exterior acts
of divine worship, to be pleasing to God and conducive to His honor, should
always be animated and enlivened by the interior. The exterior acts of religion
should proceed from the heart, should express the interior life of the soul, and
practically show forth the mind's religious reverence and submission, according
to the words of the Royal Prophet: "My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the
living God" (Ps. 83, 3). Why is man commanded to honor God by outward
acts? a) Man is not, as the angels, purely spiritual, but a
creature composed of spirit and body. As such he must honor and glorify God in a
manner appropriate to his corporeal and rational nature. But man renders the
homage of his whole nature only when his body also takes part in his acts of
divine worship, so that the interior worship is manifested by outward acts. Man
in his entire being, created by God and dependent upon Him, belongs in body and
soul to God therefore is man bound to serve and to worship God, his Creator,
Preserver and Lord, with the powers of his soul and body, by spiritual and
corporal acts. Moreover, the body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy
Ghost, for it becomes sanctified by grace, and is to be transfigured by glory.
Hence the Church implores God to grant "that we may serve and please Him not
only with the soul, but also with the body." b) The most intimate reciprocity exists between man's
interior and exterior acts they proceed from one another, they mutually assist
and complete each other. Those things which stir man's inmost soul such as joy
and sorrow, love and anger, hope and fear involuntarily betray their impression
in his exterior: and this is especially the case with regard to the interior
acts of religion. And why should not the fervent interior life, the ardent
devotion and divine love of a pious soul, be spontaneously manifested in the
outward man, and so take possession of his entire being, as to impel him not
only "to sing in grace in his heart to God," but furthermore to pour himself out
"in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles" (Coloss. 3, 16), to join his
hands, bend his knees and prostrate his form upon the earth before the face of
the Most High? "My heart hath been glad and my tongue hath rejoiced" (Ps. 15,9),
exclaims therefore the Royal Prophet. "Let my soul be filled with marrow and
fatness, and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips" (Ps. 62, 6).
Reversely, the exterior also affects the interior man outward signs and acts
arouse the affections of the spirit, inflame and nourish the fervor of devotion,
refresh and invigorate the life of the soul. The interior acts of religion grow
in perfection, become durable and constant, when they thus live and exercise
their activity in the body, that is, when they, so to speak, assume flesh and
blood. When, however, exterior divine worship is neglected, the interior soon
languishes and dies. c) Man is lord and master of irrational creatures, which
also must be led to glorify the Creator. But it is principally by exterior
worship that man can and must lead the visible creation to serve and . praise
the Creator. The use in religious service of creatures imparts to external
nature a higher consecration and activity. "For the building up and the
adornment of the temple, the earth presents its treasures and precious metals
the ocean, its pearls spring, the magnificence of its
flowers." d) Not the individual man alone, but society also, as a
religious body, must render to God due homage and submission. Now a common
public service (cultus socialis} requires
external acts. Hence visible, outward worship is necessary as the bond of the
religious community, namely the Church. It behooves us, then, in accordance with our own nature
and the express divine commandment, to honor God with our mental and corporal
powers, that is, we must not merely by interior but also by outward acts adore
Him, thank Him, beseech and propitiate Him. This fourfold duty is fulfilled principally by prayer and
sacrifice, which are intimately connected with each other, which permeate and
complete one another. The interior acts of divine worship manifest themselves
outwardly, in the first place, by vocal, that is, by corporal, prayer then in
the offering of sacrifice, which, as the most sublime act of religion, is far
more excellent and meritorious than prayer. 6. The virtue of religion is exceedingly precious and
rich in blessings. It teaches us humbly to acknowledge our own littleness and
misery, and to render to God, of whose goodness there is no end (Ps. 144, 3),
due honor in all things, thereby winning for us the richest blessings. A spirit
of reverential homage should, as a heavenly spice and consecration, pervade our
whole life, in order to render it daily more and more pleasing and meritorious
in the eyes of God. To worship God should be our joy and happiness! "Come let us
praise the Lord with joy, let us joyfully sing to God our Saviour. Let us come
before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise to Him with
psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. For in His
hands are all the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are His.
For the sea is His, and He made it and His hands formed the dry land. Come let
us adore and fall down and weep before the Lord that made us. For He is the Lord
our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hands" (Ps.
94, i 7). A true knowledge of God and a correct understanding of ourselves
furnish the solid basis upon which rest the virtue of religion and the spirit of
the most submissive adoration. Ever seeking to know God and ourselves more
perfectly is the higher wisdom and the science of the Saints, and after this we
should incessantly strive. Noverim te Noverim me! prayed St.
Augustine. O God, grant that I may know Thee Noverim te! Give me an
intimate knowledge of Thy adorable perfections, which are without measure or
number of Thy infinite grandeur and glory, Thy inconceivable power, wisdom and
goodness, Thy unspeakable beauty, sweetness and amiableness penetrate me with a
deep knowledge of "the profound things of Thy divinity, which only the Holy
Spirit searcheth" (I Cor. 2, 10), that is, the works and riches of Thy grace and
glory, Thy infinitely just and merciful decrees, the wonderful and inscrutable
dispensations of Thy providence! Noverim me! Grant me,
moreover, a wholesome knowledge of myself ! "O my God, illumine my darkness"
(Ps. 17, 29), that Thy light may permit me to look down deeply into the abyss of
my nothingness, my misery, my helplessness, my frailty and my
sinfulness!
SACRIFICE IN ITS PROPER
SENSE Among the requisites of sacrifice, the gift and its
presentation, as well as the object and meaning of the exterior act, chiefly
deserve consideration. 1. Sacrifice is the offering of a visible object; hence,
in the first place, a visible gift is necessary as an offering to God. This gift
ought to correspond to the object in view, and should, therefore, be selected
with due regard thereto. Consequently, the offering most appropriate to God is
that which is the noblest in the visible creation human life. Wherefore Christ,
in order to present the most perfect sacrifice, offered His precious life on the
Cross, according to the will of His Father. In every other case God did not wish
that human life should be sacrificed to Him, but rather contented Himself with
the interior offering of the heart and its symbolical expression namely, with
the presentation of an irrational creature substituted for human life and
offered in its stead. l It is at once evident that especially the
living and inanimate things which serve directly for the support of man, and
thus may represent his life, may be appropriately substituted as offerings for
man himself. Before Christ such offerings consisted, for example, of lambs,
heifers, doves; bread, wine, oil, salt, incense. As such gifts were offered to give honor to God, it is
self-evident that they had to be as perfect as possible, without blemish or
defect. In as far as sacrifice is an external act of worship, its value depends
chiefly on the dignity and interior disposition of the person who offers; the
value of the gift presented also contributes to make the sacrifice more
acceptable to God. Hence when proper sentiments animate the heart, only precious
gifts will be selected as offerings for an action so exalted and holy. On the
other hand to make choice of indifferent, trifling or imperfect objects as
offerings is a sign that the proper spirit of sacrifice and respect for the
Divine Majesty are wanting (cf. Mai. I, 7 8). 2. Not every gift offered to God is a sacrifice. It
greatly depends on the way and manner of offering. Some change or destruction of
the gift must take place to constitute a sacrifice. An entire destruction of the
gift, or such as is at least morally equivalent, pertains essentially to the
idea of sacrifice; hence its outward form. Whatever has not been liturgically
transformed, v. g. destroyed, cannot be a real sacrifice {sacrificium} , but is
only a religious gift (oblatio), essentially different from sacrifice. l
Thus we find in all sacrifices mentioned in Holy Writ, that there was ever some
mode of destruction or dissolution, appropriate to the nature of the matter of
the sacrifice. Thus, the animals were slain and their blood spilled on the
altar, incense was consumed by fire, and wine was poured out. The intrinsic and
more weighty reason why such a transformation, or destruction, of the gift is
requisite for the act of sacrifice, lies in the peculiar meaning and in the
special object of sacrifice. 3. Sacrifice, that is, the transformation of the gift
offered, is intended to represent symbolically that God possesses absolute
authority and dominion over all things and, consequently, that man is
essentially dependent upon God, belongs and is subject to Him and, therefore,
that he is bound and is ready to give and dedicate his life entirely to God. God
is the Supreme Ruler, infinitely holy, the primal source of all being, and the
last end to which all being should return, "that He may be all in all" (I. Cor.
15, 28). And now how could this grandeur and sovereignty of God over all that is
and that can be outside of Him, be more appropriately expressed than by the
destruction of a visible object, as is done in sacrifice? How could man's
dependence on and obligation to serve God be more suitably made apparent than in
sacrifice, wherein a tangible, material object, is destroyed in the place of a
human life? If the exterior rite of sacrifice is in reality to have the above
meaning and be a worship acceptable to God, then it must also be an expression
of the interior and spiritual sacrifice, and be animated and vivified by the
essential sentiments of sacrifice.2 "The visible sacrifice," says St.
Augustine, "is a holy sign of the invisible offering." 3 Hence the offering up of sacrifice essentially aims to
glorify God as the absolute Lord and supreme Legislator of all creatures, and
this is to adore God. This meaning is inseparably connected with sacrifice; it
holds the first place, and is ever an act of worship due to God alone, an act of
adoration. l With this main object, thanksgiving and
petition are naturally combined, inasmuch as the gift is presented also to honor
and acknowledge God as the omnipotent and merciful Dispenser of all good gifts,
that is, to show one's self grateful for benefits received, and to supplicate
for new graces. In consequence of the fall of man, sacrifice assumes the
additional characteristic of atonement. It is offered to express the need and
desire of appeasing the irritated justice of God and of being thereby freed from
sin and its punishment. Atonement for sin committed is made by sacrifice,
inasmuch as the offended majesty of God is glorified, in order to restore to God
the honor of which He had been deprived and to make satisfaction for the injury
done to Him. The destruction of the offering is especially suitable to this end.
How could sinful man more worthily and more strikingly acknowledge himself
deserving of death on account of his fault, and, willing to undergo death in
satisfaction for it, than when, by the laying of his hands on the victim, he
transfers to it his sins, and slaying it and shedding its blood, offers it to
God instead of his own life? 2 History shows us atonement as always accompanying
adoration and holding the rank next to it in the idea of sacrifice. The first
and greatest want and desire of fallen man was to appease the anger of an
offended God, to obtain mercy and forgiveness for sin; hence it is quite
natural that among the guilty, unredeemed generations living before Christ the
character of atonement should have been impressed in a marked manner upon their
sacrifices. 3 In whatever necessity sinful man presents himself
before God, whether to adore, to thank or to petition Him, his first and deepest
conviction is that he is a poor sinner, unworthy of being heard and answered by
God; hence it is most natural that precisely in the most ardent acts of
worship, such as sacrifice, he will always, and at the very start, feel deeply
conscious that he is laden with sins and debts to God. How could he, a sinner,
more worthily acknowledge the Divine Majesty of the infinitely holy and just
God, show his gratitude towards Him in a more appropriate way, and approach Him
with greater confidence of being heard?" It is for this fourfold end that
sacrifices are offered: hence there are sacrifices of adoration, of
thanksgiving, of petition and of propitiation. These divisions are not made
according to the exclusive object of Sacrifice, but only with reference to its
predominant end. This means only that in the rite of celebration and in the
intention of the person offering, one of these ends is chiefly intended,
without, however, excluding the others. Every sacrifice has in itself a fourfold
signification: it serves at one and the same time to glorify the Divine Majesty
(sacrificium latreuticum); to return
thanks for benefits received (sacrificium eucharisticum); to
petition for new benefits (sacrificium impetratorium); and
finally, to satisfy for sin and its punishment (sacrificium propitiatorium)
. 4. In so far as sacrifice has a symbolical meaning and is
a constituent part of public worship, it must positively be instituted by a
legitimate authority. 2 The sacrificial service of the Old Law was
regulated and ordained by God Himself in its most minute details; in the New Law
the essential elements and features of worship proceed directly from Jesus
Christ hence, first of them all, sacrifice, which constitutes the fundamental
and central act of divine service. Neither to the Synagogue nor to the Church
did God impart the right or the power to institute sacrifices: in His infinite
mercy He Himself condescended to prescribe the sacrifices by which He would be
honored and propitiated. No mere man, but our Divine Saviour alone could
institute so sublime and so excellent a Sacrifice as we possess in the Holy
Mass. 5. Sacrifice is an act of worship which can not be
performed by anybody but a priest. He alone who has been especially chosen,
called and empowered, that is, only the priest can and may perform the office of
sacrificer. Sacrifice and priesthood are inseparably connected: no sacrifice can
exist without a priesthood, and no priesthood without a sacrifice. A special
priesthood is, therefore, required by the very nature of sacrifice, which, as a
public, solemn act of worship, must be performed in the name and for the welfare
of the religious body by a duly authorized person. Consequently, it is highly
proper that only he who is, at least by his office and dignity, especially
separated from sinners and sanctified, should present himself in sacrifice as
mediator between an offended God and sinful man. "For every highpriest taken
from among men," so writes the Apostle, "is ordained for men in the things that
appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins" (Heb. 5,
i). It is clear that it belongs to God alone to bestow the honor of the priestly
vocation and office, and to determine "who belong to Him, and the holy He will
join to Himself; and they whom He shall choose shall approach to Him" (Num. 16,
5). 6. Nor is it less evident that for the celebration of so
holy and solemn an act of worship it is especially becoming to make choice of a
sanctified place; such a place, where sacrifice is offered, is called an altar.
Wherever sacrifice and priesthood are found, there also is always an
altar. 7. From the above it follows that sacrifice is the most
exalted and perfect manner of honoring God, and, therefore, excels all other
acts of worship. It also constitutes the principal act, and is the central point
of the whole divine service. In this all agree that man by the offering of
sacrifice renders to God the highest possible honor and homage. In sacrifice the
interior adoration of the Divine Majesty attains its fullest expression.
Sacrifice is essentially an act of adoration, and, therefore, always includes
the acknowledgment of the divinity of Him to whom it is offered. It is among all
acts of worship the prerogative of God, and may be offered only to the one true
God. * To offer it to a creature, even to the greatest saint or the most exalted
of the angels, would be heinous idolatry. At all times sacrifices have been
offered to God, 2 to acknowledge in the most perfect and solemn manner His
sovereignty, to express gratitude for favors, to implore fresh blessings from
Him and especially to avert the scourges of His avenging
justice. 3. Sacrifice in a Figurative
Sense. 1. Only such acts of divine worship as contain in
themselves all the essential requisites and characteristics of the idea of
sacrifice as explained above, are and may be called sacrifices in their proper
sense. In the religious, ascetical life virtuous acts, differing essentially
from sacrifice, are often called by that name. The term sacrifice applied to
such acts is not to be taken in its original and strict meaning, but is to be
understood in a derivative and improper sense: acts of virtue are and are called
sacrifices in a broader sense. The word sacrifice, for example, is often used
figuratively to designate good, meritorious actions, inasmuch as they bear a
certain resemblance and relationship to true and real sacrifices. This
resemblance and relationship consists chiefly in two points: sacrifice serves
to glorify God and is accomplished by the destruction of a sensible object. The
various acts of virtue, therefore, resemble sacrifice in so far as they are
performed with the right disposition and intention of giving glory to God 2 ,
and in so far as they require a certain destruction, that is, the mortification
of the perverse and sensual nature of man 8 . The base, sensual, earthly,
material life must be curbed and overcome, must die, so that the higher,
spiritual, heavenly life of grace may be vigorously and fully developed in man.
Mortification, however, is painful to man and costs labor and exertion. We are
accustomed to think of this necessary renunciation and self-denial chiefly when
we designate as a sacrifice individual acts of virtue, and also a life that is
wholly Christian and perfect. Some examples4 may throw light upon the above and confirm
what has been said.5 2. Acts of charity, works of mercy, whereby the poor and
needy are assisted and consoled, are called sacrifices by the Apostle and this
in so far as the Christian intends, in the person of the poor, to give something
to God Himself by the alms which he bestows: "Do not forget to do good and to
impart; for by such sacrifices God's favor is obtained. " l The same Apostle called the alms sent to
him by the Christians of Philippi, u an odor of sweetness, an acceptable
sacrifice, pleasing to God."'2 To renounce sensual pleasures, to treat the body
with rigor and austerity, is still more difficult than to forego worldly goods
and possessions; hence St. Paul exhorts the Christians "by the mercy of God
that you present your bodies (through mortification) a living sacrifice, holy,
pleasing unto God, your reasonable service." 3 A "sacrifice" which God does not reject, but graciously
accepts is "an afflicted spirit," "a contrite and humble heart," that is, a
spirit and a heart which, wounded with love and sorrow, penitently bewails and
detests the sins and transgressions of its past
life. 4 Prayer stands in intimate relation and connection with
sacrifice; for the spirit of prayer and the sentiments of the heart constitute
the intrinsic being of sacrifice, the soul of the exterior rite of sacrifice.
Hence, as sacrifice is called effective or real prayer (oratio realis), on the
other hand, prayer is also called sacrifice. Thus the Prophet designated the
prayer of praise and thanksgiving as "the sacrifice of the lips"
(vituli labiorum Osee 14, 3).
Referring to this the Apostle writes: "Let us offer the sacrifice of prayer
always to God, that is, the fruit of lips confessing His name." 5 In the Psalms we are invited "to offer to
God the sacrifice of praise." 6 A life that is entirely consumed amid suffering and
struggle, in labor and fatigue, for God and His honor, is a holocaust: "As gold
in the furnace He hath proved them, and as a victim of a holocaust He hath
received them." 1 "The man also who in God's name consecrates
himself wholly to God is a sacrifice, in so far as he dies to the world, to live
to God." 2 A sacrifice
most perfect and acceptable to the Divine Majesty is pre-eminently the
renunciation and consecration of religious per* sons, who by the threefold
perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, freely and cheerfully
renounce the earth and its goods, the world and its pleasures, in order to
devote and dedicate themselves in body and soul forever to the service of
God. 3 Sacrifice in a broader sense made up the unspeakably
humble and painful life of the poor, virginal and obedient Jesus, whilst His
death on the Cross for the redemption of the world is a sacrifice in the
strictest sense. The same cannot be said of the bloody death of the martyrs,
however precious it was in the sight of the Lord; their martyrdom had not the
character of a real sacrifice. The martyrs indeed (as the Church sings in the
divine Office) loved Christ during life and imitated Him in their death, for
God's sake they indeed offered their bodies to the torments of death and shed
their blood gloriously for the Lord, thereby obtaining unfading crowns; still
they were destined neither as sacrificing priests nor as sacrificial victims to
consecrate their lives to the adoration and propitiation of the Divine Majesty,
but they suffered a violent death only in testimony and in defense of the truth,
holiness and divinity of the Catholic faith. 4 Now,
"although in the sight of the Lord the death of many saints was precious (Ps.
115, 15), yet none of these innocent victims accomplished the redemption of the
world. The just received crowns of victory, but they did not bestow them; from
the fortitude of the faithful proceeded models of patience, not gifts of
justice." 5 3. To sacrifice taken in a broad or figurative sense
corresponds the figurative or general priesthood of all the faithful. Hence the
prince of the Apostles called all Christians "a holy priesthood," chosen and
qualified "to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ."6 The faithful constitute "a holy
priesthood," in so far as they have by the sacramental character and the
sacramental grace of baptism, separated themselves from sinners, being dedicated
and sanctified, that by the "spiritual sacrifices" of a new and virtuous life,
that is, by prayer, fervor, piety, self-denial, patience, compunction,
benevolence and charity for the neighbor they may honor and glorify God. As
often as we perform a good action, with an upright intention directed to God,
especially if in the midst of temptation and struggle, we offer a sacrifice to
God. 1 4. With sacrifice and priesthood the altar is inseparably connected. The
word is also not infrequently used in a broader sense, that is, figuratively.
Thus St. Augustine writes: "We are the temple of God, because He deigns to dwell
in us. Our heart is His altar, when it is raised toward Him (cum ad ilium sursum est, ejus est altare cor
nostrum); to Him we immolate bloody sacrifices
(cruentas victimas), when we
combat unto blood for His truth; to Him we burn most fragrant incense
(adolsuavissimum emus
incensum), when we are on fire in His presence with devout and
holy love; to Him we present the sacrifice of humility and praise upon the
altar of our heart in the fire of inflamed love (hostiam humilitatis et laudis in ara cordis igne fervidae
charitatis)." 3 4. The Meaning and Efficacy of the Sacrifices of the Old
Law. By the sin of our first parents, in whom all mankind
fell, the original plan of salvation was frustrated. But God did not wish the
unhappy world to perish in an abyss of temporal misery and eternal death; in the
excess of His goodness and love, He determined to raise man from his fall and
again to enrich him with gifts of grace and glory. This restoration was to be
effected in the fullness of time, "through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 3, 24). Jesus Christ by His sacrifice on the Cross for the
redemption of the world, is the salvation of all ages; from the beginning,
there was no name under heaven given to men whereby they were to be saved, other
than the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Acts 4, n). Already before
the Christian era no one could obtain the life of grace and eternal salvation
except by adhering to Christ; this adhesion could then be effected only by
supernatural faith in the promised and coming
Redeemer. That this faith, necessary to salvation, as well as the
hope and charity springing therefrom, might be within reach of all men, God
always imparted His supernatural help and grace. "The mystery of the redemption
was at no time inefficacious, not even in the Old Testament. It was not by a new
decree nor through a later mercy that God cared for the welfare of man, but from
the beginning of the world He opened and designated for all one and the same
fountain of salvation. For the grace of God, whereby all the Saints have ever
been justified, was merely increased at the birth of Christ, and not then first
imparted. This mystery of ineffable love, which at present fills the world, was
so powerfully efficacious even in all its figures, that they who believed in the
promised redemption did not receive less than they who have received the
gift." 1 2. Among the means of bringing man into supernatural
communication with God and the expected Redeemer, sacrifices already before the
coming of Christ held a prominent place, yea, the very first place. As Abel even
at the threshold of Paradise, so during the patriarchal age, Noah, Melchisedech,
Abraham, Jacob, offered sacrifices to God, and God graciously accepted them.
Then God Himself through Moses most precisely and minutely regulated and
prescribed the entire sacrificial rite of the Old Law. As the Mosaic sacrifices
were celebrated by the express will and command of God, thus also were
sacrifices in patriarchal times undoubtedly offered up in consequence of a
clearer light and by divine inspiration; hence the Apostle writes: "By faith
Abel offered to God a sacrifice exceeding that of Cain" (Heb. n, 4). In the
Ceremonial of the Old Law there were bloody and unbloody sacrifices. The bloody
sacrifices were the principal and the most frequent; they again were subdivided
into various kinds: a) holocaust (holocaustum): in this
the animal to be sacrificed was entirely consumed by fire; it was chiefly a
sacrifice of praise and worship in acknowledgment of the Divine
Majesty; 3 b) peaceoffering (hostia pacifica) , in which
a portion of the flesh was burned, another part was eaten at the sacrificial
meal by those who had offered it, and the third part was reserved for the
priests; the1 same had pre-eminently the character of
thanksgiving or petition; 3 c) offering of propitiation, called also sin or
debt-offering (hostia pro peccato). In this a
portion of the flesh was burned and the remainder consumed by the
priests; l whenever the offering was made for the sins of the whole
people, or in a particular manner for the sins of the priests, then all was
burned. The sacrifice of propitiation had principally for its object to appease
the wrath of God and to obtain the pardon of sin. 3. These sacrifices previous
to the Christian era had mainly the meaning and object essential to every
sacrifice: they were acts of adoration, gratitude, petition and atonement. But
in order to be truly acceptable to God, to possess value and merit in His sight,
they were to be offered with the proper dispositions, that is, the exterior rite
was to be the true expression of the interior act of sacrifice, of submission,
resignation, homage, worship, praise, gratitude, sorrow and compunction. In
consequence of the divine dispensation, the sacrifices of the Old Law had a
still higher meaning, inasmuch as they were typically to prefigure and represent
the approaching sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.2 In this
consisted their chief object and value. 3 The typical
character of these sacrifices, which rendered them figures of the sacrifice of
Christ, is beyond all doubt most exalted, for St. Paul fully explains and proves
this (Hebr. 8 10). The Old Law was, indeed, "the bringing in of a better hope,
by which we draw near to God" (Hebr. 7, 19), that is, the preparation for the
New and Eternal Covenant. As St. Augustine teaches, 1 'in the Old Law the New
was hidden, and in the New Law the Old was unfolded." 4 "In the
Old Testament the New was prefigured; the former was the figure (figura), the latter is the full expression of truth
(expressio
veritatis)." 5 Now, if the
entire Old Testament, and especially its religious rite, was figurative for the
future and preparatory for Christ, should not also the sacrifices which formed
the essential part of the exterior service have borne the same character and
have served the same end? The Old Law contained "only the shadow of the good
things to come,,' 6 that is, the heavenly gifts of grace which
Christ acquired for us and which He entrusted to the Church; for this reason
the ancient sacrifices were but shadows of the great atoning sacrifice of
Redemption on Golgotha. 4. If we inquire into the efficacy of these sacrifices prior to the time of Christ, their propitiatory character is most striking. This is more clearly and forcibly evidenced in the bloody sacrifices, which were also the most frequently offered, since in the Old Law the consciousness of unpropitiated and punishable guilt was still predominant. But these bloody sacrifices had not the power of appeasing an offended and irritated God and of releasing wretched man from the crushing burden of sin. The Apostle says, indeed: "It is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sins should be taken away" (Heb. 10, 4), and he therefore calls those sacrifices "weak and needy elements" (Gal. 4, 9), which could by no means make the persons who offered them perfect (Heb. 10, i), that is, which could neither procure for man the pardon of sin nor effect interior purification and sanctification. The carrying out and offering (ex opere operato) of the Mosaic sacrifices imparted only the exterior or legal purification, 1 that is, they caused the Israelite to be no longer regarded as legally unclean, and he was, consequently, again permitted to take part in the public service of God. Thus these sacrifices expressed the necessity of real atonement and interior purification, and, at the same time, referred to the future sacrifice of the Cross as the only source of reconciliation, forgiveness of sin and sanctification. As these imperfect sacrifices foreshadowed, promised and pledged the perfect redeeming sacrifice of Christ, they were capable of exciting and fostering true sentiments of sacrifice, that is, they animated the Israelites to faith and hope, and disposed them to contrition and penance, which are the necessary conditions of acquiring interior justification (ex opere operantis) 2 . In the Old Law there was no sacrament which by its own power and efficacy (ex opere operato) could justify and sanctify the properly disposed recipient; perfect contrition was then the only means left to adults of obtaining true sanctity and becoming children of God. Only by a believing hope and contrite love could men (ex opere operantis) draw remission of sin and justification beforehand from the fountain of grace which was to be opened at the foot of the Cross. Thus "the old sacrifices were varied and manifold figures of the real sacrifice of Christ, inasmuch as this one sacrifice was prefigured by many, just as when one idea is expressed in many ways, in order to make a deeper impression 1 . In this manner the eye of faith was directed to the future, the coming Sacrifice of the Redeemer was confidently and eagerly grasped by the Jews and thus the fruit of the Sacrifice of the Cross was won beforehand. For this the presentiment, the obscure knowledge of the higher meaning concealed in the sacrificial rite was sufficient; such an understanding of what these sacrifices prefigured could not have been unknown even to the mass of the people, still less could it have been wanting to the specially favored, to whom higher lights concerning the work of redemption were imparted. 2 |