For people living a (c)atholic faith, they are said to have a “universal faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior”. When we live life as a Catholic Christian, it means that we too live a universal faith in our savior Jesus Christ, but at the same time we are “called” to demonstrate the teachings of scripture through the traditions, sacraments, and prayerful acts of kindness; tying together love, sacrifice, and salvation.
We are called to mirror God’s sacrificial love toward all humanity; in the same way the hearts of Jesus and the martyrs beat with pure love of God and neighbor. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, offered Himself on the Cross for our redemption. His suffering and death were undeniable acts of sacrificial love, demonstrating God’s immense love for each of us. Through His sacrifice, we are set free from sin and death.
Daily in the Catholic Churches, they prominently display the bruised, punctured, and crucified Jesus hanging on the cross as a vivid reminder of His amazing love. Below that same crucifix is a sacrificial alter where during every Mass, a priest follows the commands of Jesus, consecrating bread and wine into the body, blood, soul and divinity of the risen Christ. Love, Sacrifice, and Salvation on full exhibit and relived at every Mass. In contrast, most non-Catholic Church use an empty cross as a sign that through Christ we no longer need to fear death, but by doing so they unintentionally remove from the very real image of the sacrificial love Jesus paid, as the price, for our salvation.
In return, we are called to imitate Jesus’ selfless-sacrificing love. To truly love someone, we must be willing to make sacrifices for their well-being, not our own. Sacrifice and love go hand in hand. It’s not about selfish desires but about selflessness for the greater good. Without love and sacrifice, we have no salvation.
Our earthly suffering is not to be eliminated but transformed. When we unite our sufferings with Christ’s sacrifice, they become redemptive. Our daily crosses can be imbued with sacred power when embraced in humility, trust, and mercy. This sacrificial living leads us toward holiness and salvation. God’s answer to suffering was not to eliminate it but to transform it. Through sacrificial love, we participate in the mystery of salvation.
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”