In offering a glass of water to someone thirsty in the street, sacrifice the pride of only serving in a grand way.
In donating a large sum to a cause you believe in, sacrifice your attachment to material possessions, enriching your soul.
In dedicating your free time to volunteer work, sacrifice the whim of investing your hours of rest and leisure solely for your own benefit.
In committing your heart and life to a humanitarian ideal, sacrifice the narcissistic selfishness that compels creatures to live according to exclusively personal interests and objectives.
Yes, Jesus quoted the prophet Hosea and confirmed the divine revelation: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”1 However, at the same time, He sacrificed Himself entirely for the benefit of all members of the earthly humanity, even to the crowning of His suffering in the ominous crucifixion.
The paradox is diluted, however, when one understands that, without sacrifice, nothing important, valuable or lasting is achieved, even concerning the worldly existence.
Regarding the spiritual realm, however, the principle of sacrifice, as a means of exchange for great achievements, does not dispense with the spirit of joy, gratitude and free choice, with which one reaches the essence of the sacrificial exercise, according to the Greek etymological origin of the term, which implies the sacralization of the one who sacrifices.
Benjamin Teixeira de Aguiar (medium)
Eugênia-Aspásia (Spirit)
In the Name of Mary Christ
September 3, 2016
1. Matthew 9:13 and Hosea 6:6.