Sacrifice

"There is no place for selfishness-and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice."
— St. John Paul II

St. John Paul II knew the power of these words of his, because he lived them.

At 8 years old, he suffered intensely from the premature death of his mother. Three years later, he suffered his second great tragedy: the death of his beloved brother Edmund. Then, at the young age of 20, he lost his father, to whom he had grown very close and whom was deeply responsible for his strong religious formation. These combined losses lead him to declare later as the pope, "At twenty I had already lost all the people I loved, and even those I might have loved, like my older sister who, they said, died, six years before I was born." ("John Paul II: His Life and Legacy", Barnes and Whitney)

This personal loss, moreover, was further compounded by the additional suffering of his native country, Poland, under the difficulties of the Second World War and the oppression of communism. Under these circumstances, he was forced to study in the seminary underground and watched many beloved priests and mentors be taken away and tortured or put to death.

After being elected Pope, the Vicar of Christ (and Him Crucified), it is no wonder that his suffering continued. He was shot on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square, suffered from several medical events, and finally, on the world stage, slowly and painfully succumbed to Parkinson's disease.

For St. John Paul II, all of the suffering he endured not only "opened up immense spiritual depth in him" ("The Five Great Loves of Pope Saint John Paul II", McManamon), but it also gave him a profound awareness of the power of the cross and the saving power of suffering when joined to the cross of Christ's sacrifice. These truths formed the heart of his own discernment and call to the priesthood: “My priesthood, even at its beginning, was in some way marked by the great sacrifice of countless men and women of my generation. Providence spared me the most difficult experiences; and so my sense of indebtedness is all the greater, both to people whom I knew and to many more whom I did not know; all of them, regardless of nationality or language, by their sacrifice on the great altar of history, helped to make my priestly vocation a reality. In a way these people guided me to this path; by their sacrifice they showed me the most profound and essential truth about the priesthood of Christ” (Gift and Mystery, p.39).

Sacrifice can often seem like a negative thing. It is easy to focus on what you are losing instead what you are gaining, or the love and joy that results in such a gift. For St. John Paul II, to lose some of life's most precious gifts (and to give away others: he was a good athlete, and a very good actor), was a small exchange for the many souls he gained (and is gaining) for Jesus Christ, as well as the hope he was able to give to the world, not to mention the reward of eternal life in heaven– perfect and complete happiness.

Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross is the model for all vocations, including the priesthood and religious life. Christ gave of His life for us because of His incredible love for us. He wanted us to be freed from sin and to be able to receive His love perfectly so that we could live as His sons and daughters. Christ did not count the cost of what He was giving up, but rather saw the joy of us living in freedom and that was greater to Him than anything else He had to give.

Sacrifice is not about losing. It is about love giving all that it has. It is about giving a lesser good in order to obtain a greater good. It is about preferring another to yourself.

In discernment, it is important to embrace sacrifice as a way of expressing love for Christ. Whether it is a personal penance or a sacrifice on behalf of another, sacrifice allows your heart to be rid of lesser loves in order to create room to receive the great love of Christ.

The more that you are open to receive the great love of Christ, the more you can understand where and how He is calling you to serve – both in the little ways and also in your Vocation.
Sacrifice in the Christian life begins with the small things. It is about little ways that you can begin to prefer others to yourself, and also to grow in virtue and self-discipline. Practically speaking, sacrifice can be as simple as getting up earlier in the morning to set aside time for prayer, choosing not to eat something on a particular day and offering this up for an intention, and even choosing to react charitably instead of in anger when someone frustrates you. There is a myriad of moments each day when you are invited to make sacrifices. When you do these things joyfully in love, you learn to love as Christ does – you grow in your ability to live more selflessly and this will in turn lead you to a life of greater joy.*
                                                                                                    *Adapted from the Vocations Website of the Archdiocese of Baltimore