Day 88: Christ’s Definitive Sacrifice (613-623)
It’s Day 88!!
We have been talking about the Trial and Death of Jesus
What is it to say that Jesus was Crucified and how does that save us?
We have been talking about how His YES to the Father has been REMARKABLE
His YES to the Father out of LOVE for the Father is REMARKABLE
His YES to the Father out of LOVE for US is REMARKABLE
We talked about how CHRIST’S WHOLE LIFE IS AN OFFERING TO THE FATHER
Not only that…
Jesus gives us Himself not only on the Cross
Jesus offers Himself to us FREELY in the EUCHARIST
It is that INCREDIBLE participation
When you are at the altar at Mass, you are at the FOOT OF THE CROSS AT CALVARY
You are not only at the Last Supper
You are also at Golgotha
You are also at Calvary
WHICH IS JUST REMARKABLE!!
WHICH IS A MYSTERY!!
Today we are going to talk about CHRIST’S DEATH IS THE UNIQUE AND DEFINITIVE SACRIFICE
We remember and understand that Christ’s Death is not MERELY an execution
From the Roman’s perspective it is merely an execution
Have you ever thought about this?
To the casual observer of the Crucifixion they would have merely seen another Roman execution
BUT…
For us, we understand that Christ’s death is not MERELY an execution
IT IS A SACRIFICE!!
HE IS FREELY GOING TO THE CROSS!!
HE IS FREELY OFFERING UP HIMSELF!!
Paragraph 613 says, “Christ’s death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,’ and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the ‘blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Both of those pieces are SO POWERFUL!!
INCREDIBLE!!
He is the PASCHAL SACRIFICE which REDEEMS human beings
He is the SACRIFICE OF THE NEW COVENANT which RESTORES US TO COMMUNION WITH GOD
WHICH IS REMARKABLE!!
Paragraph 614 says, “The sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices.”
When we read the Old Testament, there were all of those sacrifices
There is the TODAH offering aka the THANK offering
There is the SIN offering
ALL THESE OFFERINGS!! (You get an offering!! YOU get an offering!! EVERYBODY GETS AN OFFERING!! Oprah you get a car 😃)
CHRIST’S SACRIFICE COMPLETES AND SURPASSES ALL OF THOSE SACRIFICES!!
It is said that every priest stands at his duty in the Old Covenant and offers up sacrifices
BUT…
Jesus is the Priest who doesn’t offer up a sacrifice OUTSIDE OF HIMSELF
Jesus is the Priest WHO IS THE SACRIFICE AS WELL
WHICH IS JUST INCREDIBLE!!
JESUS SUBSTITUTES HIS OBEDIENCE FOR OUR DISOBEDIENCE
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE!!
Paragraph 616 says, “It is love ‘to the end’ that confers on Christ’s sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction.”
Christ endured an INCREDIBLE AGONY
MORE AGONY THAN WE CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE!!
It wasn’t merely the PAIN that saved us
It was the LOVE THAT BORE THE PAIN that saved us
It was the LOVE THAT ENTERED INTO THE PAIN that saved us
It was the OBEDIENCE that is redemption and reparation, atonement and satisfaction
IT IS LOVE TO THE END THAT CONFERS ON CHRIST’S SACRIFICE ITS VALUE
OUR PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST’S SACRIFICE
Yes, this is about what Jesus Himself did for US
UNMERITED that He did
UNWARRANTED on our part
He did it out of LOVE FOR US
BUT…
We are called to participate in Christ’s Sacrifice
We are called in a way ONLY KNOWN TO GOD
Paragraph 618 says, “‘The possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery’ is offered to all men.”
We can actually PARTICIPATE in the INCREDIBLE SACRIFICE of Jesus on the Cross to His Father
That is what our lives are MEANT TO BE
Our lives are meant to be CONFORMED TO THAT YES of Jesus to His Father
Then we have 5 In Brief McNuggets
So let’s say a prayer!!
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we praise you and we give you glory. We thank you so much for giving us your only Son whom you love to be a Sacrifice for sinners. And we thank you, Jesus Christ. We thank you for your obedience to the Father. We thank you for not only being the model of what it is to trust in the Father, but also for being the Priest, for being the Sacrifice, for being the One who not only offered, but the One who was offered. Help us to say YES as well. Help us to have the same obedience that you had, Jesus, to the Father. And Father, may everything that we do this day, whether it be full of joy or full of pain, whether it be full of love or full of grief, we ask that everything we go through today be offered to you. Just like Jesus offered everything to you. It is in His name that we pray. Amen”
SO THERE WE ARE!!
It is COMPLETELY WORTH highlighting this fact…
WE MAY NOT REFLECT ON THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST AS OFTEN AS WE OUGHT
Yes, during Lent we go to Stations of the Cross
Sometimes we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries and focus on The Agony in Gethsemane, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, and The Crucifixion (Bonus points to you if you can name the FRUITS of the Sorrowful Mysteries!! The winner gets a platter of baklava!! 🤣)
BUT…
The reality is that the Sacrifice of Christ is a DAILY PART OF OUR LIVES
ONCE FOR ALL!
Right?
Jesus offered Himself ONCE…
FOR ALL!!
At the same time, this ONCE FOR ALL SACRIFICE is a part of our DAILY LIVES
Paragraph 614 says, “This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices. First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed hisSon over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself.”
This is talking about Jesus’ PASCHAL SACRIFICE and the SACRIFICE OF THE NEW COVENANT
We talked earlier about the Old Covenant sacrifices
Jesus’ Sacrifice COMPLETES AND SURPASSES ALL OF THEM
This REMARKABLE REALITY is that the Sacrifice of Christ is a GIFT FROM THE FATHER which is given to us in a REMARKABLE way
Paragraph 614 continues, “At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience.”
So it’s a gift FROM the Father
AND…
It is a gift FOR the Father
WHICH IS AMAZING!!
IN FACT…
That is one of the ways we describe the Mass
The Mass is the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ OFFERED TO THE FATHER in the power of the Holy Spirit
EVERY TIME YOU GO TO MASS THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING!!
At the altar, it is the UNBLOODY SACRIFICE OF CHRIST IN THE EUCHARIST
We will talk about this MYSTERY when we get to PILLAR 2: HOW WE WORSHIP
BUT…
At the Mass it is the UNBLOODY SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST
What is it?
Jesus is OFFERING HIMSELF to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit
WE GET TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT!!
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE!!
The Mass accomplishes TWO ENDS every single time
EVERY SINGLE TIME we celebrate the Mass it does TWO THINGS
IT GIVES GLORY TO THE FATHER!!
IT REDEEMS THE WORLD!!
IN FACT…
We even PRAY this in EVERY MASS
The priest says to the congregation, “Pray, my brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.”
Then we respond, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of His name, for our good and the good of all His Holy Church.”
Priest and people, united with Jesus the Great High Priest, offer this sacrifice to God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit
FOR THE GLORY OF THE FATHER
FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE CHURCH which is essentially THE SALVATION OF THE ENTIRE WORLD
WHICH IS REMARKABLE!!
INCREDIBLE!!
OUR PARTICIPATION IN CHRIST’S SACRIFICE
Paragraph 618 says, “The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the ‘one mediator between God and men.’”
JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO DOES THIS!!
Earlier on we noted that NO PERSON no matter how holy they were COULD EVER BEAR THE SINS OF EVERYONE
JESUS IS THE ONE MEDIATOR!!
Paragraph 618 continues, “But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, ‘the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery’ is offered to all men.”
THINK ABOUT THOSE WORDS!!
He is a DIVINE PERSON
He has EMBRACED HUMANITY
He has JOINED HIMSELF TO HUMANITY
This is from Gaudium et Spes from Vatican Council II
WHICH IS JUST REMARKABLE!!
THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING MADE PARTNERS IN A WAY KNOWN TO GOD IN THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IS OFFERED TO ALL OF US!!
To be able to PARTICIPATE in that sacrifice that GIVES GLORY TO THE FATHER and that sacrifice that REDEEMS THE WORLD…
YOU have a share in that
YOU get to participate in this as well
Paragraph 616 says, “It is love ‘to the end’ that confers on Christ’s sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and loved us all when he offered his life.”
WHICH IS REMARKABLE!!
GOD LOVES YOU!!
GOD TRULY LOVES YOU!!
WE HAVE SAID THIS 1,000 TIMES…
This is NOT about information transfer
THIS IS ABOUT TRANSFORMATION!!
This is NOT about data
THIS IS ABOUT CONVERSION!!
This is not about KNOWING A BUNCH OF THINGS ABOUT GOD
THIS IS ABOUT “I LOVE GOD!!”
AND GOD LOVES YOU!!
SO POWERFULLY HE KNEW AND LOVED US ALL WHEN HE OFFERED HIS LIFE!!
St Paul in Paragraph 616 says, “Now ‘the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.’”
Paragraph 616 continues, “The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all.”
Because He is God, He can offer Himself
Because He is human, He is offering Himself FOR US ALL
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE!!
WE GET TO SHARE IN THIS!!
The last couple of days we have been talking about praying for those who don’t know Jesus and His great love for them
Whether they are a part of religion or not
Whether they were raised in the Church and walked away
Whatever happened…
We want them all to KNOW THIS
THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS!!
We have this world that is BEAUTIFUL BUT BROKEN
We have this world that is GOOD BUT FALLEN
Our own hearts are BEAUTIFUL BUT BROKEN
Our own hearts are GOOD BUT FALLEN
Into this world, GOOD BUT BROKEN and BEAUTIFUL BUT FALLEN (Way to change it up there at the last second, Fr. Mike!! 🤣), IS GOD’S LOVE
Can you imagine walking through this world, walking through life, NOT KNOWING THIS?
Not knowing that not only is there God
And there is a God WHO IS GOOD
And there is a God WHO CARES ABOUT YOU
And there is a God WHO KNOWS YOUR NAME
And there is a God WHO LOVES YOU
BUT…
THE GOD WHO OFFERED HIMSELF FOR YOU!!
THE GOD WHO KNEW AND LOVED US ALL WHEN HE OFFERED HIS LIFE!!
THAT IS INCREDIBLE NEWS!!
HE GIVES US A SHARE IN HIS PASSION!!
Fr. Mike is praying that all of us will let this truth PENETRATE OUR HEARTS
Fr. Mike is praying that all of us will not only know about the fact that we have a share in His Passion
BUT…
TO EMBRACE THAT SHARE IN HIS PASSION FOR THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD AND FOR THE FATHER’S GLORY!!
Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!
Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!
I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!