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May

I am writing this just a few days before Good Friday. You will be reading this with the anticipation of Mother's Day and Memorial Day. All three of these observances have one thing in common. It is the word, "sacrifice."

The literal meaning of the word is "To make holy." It is a word that signifies that someone is giving of themselves for a greater cause or a higher good. Jesus Christ gave his life so that we might have life as God intended for us. The ideal of motherhood speaks of the daily sacrifices of time, talent and energy that will enable children to grow up and live in health of mind and body and to, in turn, live to enable these same qualities to become a reality in the lives of others. The members of our armed services are called to defend this nation, even to the point of the sacrifices of their lives.

In each of these examples, there is no thought of selfish gain or personal reward. Sacrifice is a service one renders when they value someone or something beyond themselves.

The word, "sacrifice" in these days has come to mean the giving up of something we'd rather hang on to. But it also implies the giving up of something we should dispose of as quickly as possible: the idea that "I" am the most important thing there is. "I" was never meant to be confused with "number 1." You've known someone who's made that confusion haven't you? We all have. And, despite everything they've tried to get or everything they've tried to hold onto; joy has eluded them.

Sacrifice does not make us poorer. It does not diminish us. It does not destroy us. It doesn't de-form us. When it is done under the guidance of Jesus Christ, it re-forms us. It put us back together in the way God meant for us to be.

Sacrifice means, "to make holy." It is what Christ was called by God to do with us, to make us holy. It is also the call God gives to us. By the Power of God's Holy Spirit, we are to sacrifice, to make holy the lives of others who we encounter. Some will reject it. Others will embrace it. Still others will struggle with it. We are not guaranteed that we will succeed in our efforts to make the lives of others to be holy; but then, "God" as Mother Theresa said, "does not call us to be successful, God calls us to be faithful." Let the motto of the Marine Corps be the model of our service in the sacrificial work of Christ. "Semper Fidelis": "Always Faithful." In this we find the true meaning and joy of life.

Yours in Christ,