The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-06-11
THE HISTORY AND MEANING OF
SACRIFICE. IS

mons on CATHOLIC WORSHIP to be
contributed by different priests OF the
Diocese of Helena. According TO
regulation recently made by Bishop
Carroll, a course of sermons on "a
tholic Worship will be delivered IN all
the churches Of the diocese on the
Sundays of the present year. The
Bishop has selected number OF
priests especially to prepare the SER
mons of this course for the press, and
they will appear in this paper. The
writer of the sermon which we pub
lish this week is the Rt. Rev. Monsig-
nor Victor Day, vicar general of the
Diocese of Helena-)
"From the rising Of the sun even
to the going down, nay name is great
among the eentiies, and In every place
there is sacrifice, and there Is offered
to my name a clean ob4ation." (Mal.
!, 10, ~
Our rational nature moves us to
present gifts to our parents and
friends in order thereby to give hem
the honor which is their due, to thank
them for past hndnesses, to appease
their anger, or to obtain new favors.
In like manner a religious impulse has
at all times prompted mankind to OFFER
gifts and sacrifices TO God in order to
acknowledge BIS supreme dominion
over creation and mans total depend
ence on Him.
Sacrifice Under PaT&archs.
At the very dawn Of history we see
the smoke of sacrifice ascending to
heaven. Cain offered, of the fruits
Of the earth, gifts to the Lord. Abel
also offered of the firstlings of his
flock. and of their fat; and the Lord
had respect to Abel, and to his
offerings. (Gen. ", 8, ~ By this sac
rificial act, as simple as it was
significant and sublime, the children
of our first parents meant to
acknowledge that God is the supreme
master and maker of all things, that
He was their own sovereign Lord and
thew his creatures and servants, that
It was their duty thus to adore him.
Again. when the waters were lessen
ed upon the earth" and Noe went
out of the ark" he built an altar
INTO the Lord; and taking Of all the
cattle and fowls that were clean,
offered holocausts (burnt offerings)
upon the altar. And the Lord smelled
a sweet SAVIOR, and said: 7 VIII no
more curse the earth for the sake
of man." (Gen. Wild, because of the
sacrifice of Thanksgiving offered by
Noe. ~
OF this original idea OF offering sac.
rifice we find traces among all nations
and tribes throughout antiquity
Plutarch, the great Greek historian
who lived in the second century be
fore Christ, wrotee IF you traverse
the earth you may find cities with
out walls, or literature, or laws, or fix
ed habitations, or coins But city
destitute of temples and gDds-a city
that employeth not prayers and ora
cles, that offereth not sacrifice to OBJ
tain blessings and avert evil, no. one
has ever seem" eContra Coloten c
XXXI.) -:
Sacrifices Of tae Mosaic Law. ,
However, the idea Of sacrifice be
came obscured and perverted in the
course of time. In order, therefore
to teach men how 30 worship Hin
properly, God chose a particular PEG
pie, the Jewish nation, TO whose lead
er, Moses, He gave His law, writer
upon tablets OF stone, to whom HI
prescribed the sacrifices TO be Offered
by His chosen people plumbers
XXvIII.) Among these sacrifice
were holocausts or burnt offerings
which were sacrifices OF praise o
alteration, Oezfticus, . offerings TO
sin, CLeviticus, ~, v, va, VII } ant
peace offerings 0eNtcus, I'D. AM
these latter again were either offere'
In thanksgiving for the blessings re
ceived, or by way of prayer for new
favors or graces. This is the law O
holocaust, and Of the sacrifice for sir
and the victims of peac
offerings which the Lord appointe
to Moses in Mount Sinad, when H
commanded the children OF Israe
that they should offer their oblation
to the Lord" GeEit5eus, VII, 81, 5S,
Sacrifice d the Cross.
Great as they we've. these sacrifice
OF the Mosaic law but foreshadowe
the greater sacrifice Of the Christia
dispensation. Al the birth of tn
New Testament, Jesus Christ, the So
of God made man offered to Hi
heavenly Father His body and bloc
in the sacrifice OF the Gloss to atom
for the sins Of men. Christ wa
offered once 10 exhaust the sins {
men" (Hebrews, TX, 30 Her
Holy Writ states that the sacrifice {
the cross was offered once. but in tn
book of Malacl1ias the same Holy Wr
speaks also Of a continuing sacrific
For. God foretoad by the propht
Malachias that a sacrifice was to /
offered to Him throughout the world
"T have no pleasure in you, saith tn
Lord of hosts, Ito the priestsof lsrae
and 1 will not receive gift of 20,
hand. From the rising Of the sun eve
to the going down, my name is gre'
among the Gent1les, and IN every plat
there is sacrifice, and there is offere
to my name a clean obaatiOn." Una
/. 10, I'D This universal clean obi
ton spoken Of by the Prophet cann'
be interpreted to mean the sacrifice
the Gentiles at the time Of Malachia