Along with Eucharist as Communion and Eucharist as Real Presence, Eucharist as Sacrifice is at the heart of Catholic Eucharistic theology. But the word “sacrifice” is not peculiar to Catholic usage like “transubstantiation” or “sanctifying grace.” Sacrifice is a word used by many religions in many different
times and places and with quite different spiritualities embodied in it.

     The word itself comes from two Latin words meaning “to make God’s.” In other words, at the heart of sacrifice is to take something and give it to God. And the way to give something to God was to destroy it: Wine is poured onto the ground, cereal is burned, animals and even humans are killed. Primitive peoples
around the world worshiped in this way. They believed that somehow God enjoyed the sacrifice, and so would grant the petition of the person or persons making the sacrifice. Given this view, it is inevitable that people came to see the sacrifices as fees or even bribes to persuade an angry or indifferent God to grant a favor or overlook an offense.

     As God revealed Himself to His Chosen People through Moses and the prophets, the understanding of sacrifice was purified of the taint of divine bribery. In the Old Testament, the first covenant, the people understand their various sacrifices as a response to God’s offer to be their God. Through their sacrifices
the Israelites expressed their intention to be faithful to their covenantal promises. They expressed their gratitude for blessings received and their sorrow for not being faithful to the God who brought them out of slavery to the Promised Land. This was a major advance over the pagan view of sacrifice as a way of
manipulating God.

     Nevertheless, the Israelites were not immune to misusing their sacrifices. The notion arose from time to time that the essence of being faithful to the covenant consisted in offering proper sacrifices at the proper place and time. The prophets like Isaiah and Amos railed against this mentality. “It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.” (Hosea 6:6)

     In addition the sacrifices of the Old Testament never sufficed. They had to be repeated over and over again. And no wonder. They were the work of finite human beings responding to an infinitely loving and merciful God. But throughout this time God was preparing humanity for the perfect Sacrifice which would fulfill and end the need for all others.
     (To be cont.)