What do St. Paul's words in the Gospel real mean?St. Paul strongly urges us: “So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him” (Romans 12:1).
But what does offering ourselves as a sacrifice actually mean?
In Hebrew, “sacrifice” is korbán, which means “to come closer.” The aim of sacrifice is to get closer to God; it is an invitation to live in intense communion with Him. For that, it is necessary to do the “teshuvá,” that is, convert. The “teshuvá” consists of completely renewing our way of seeing and thinking about reality (Romans 12:2). It means considering our life and our world from “up above” through the merciful eyes of God. This is the triple dimension of the act of offering.
St. John the Baptist de la Salle said: “Offering ourselves and all that is ours up to God means offering all our thoughts, our words, and our actions, all our belongings, whether spiritual or temporal, in a word, all that we possess in this world.”
1Offering ourselves
To the extent that our life is a “gift” from God, we should consider all that is good in our being and our existence: our soul, our body, our talents, our cultural heritage, our family heritage … As St. Paul wrote: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Doing the “teshuvá” also means recognizing God as the source of goodness. And in consequence, we are asked to conform our existence to His Word of Truth.
Offering yourself up is done by giving thanks and praise for the gifts you have received. It is embodied in a steadfast desire to serve God and our fellow man; to put ourselves entirely, in accordance with our particular phase of life, at God’s disposal to construct his Kingdom; to put our thoughts, our words and our actions into a life coherence.
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If you are suffering from loneliness, this prayer can help
2Offering up our sins
The following anecdote is from the life of St. Jerome. God asked: “What do you have for me today, Jerome? And he answered: “Lord, I give You my prayer.” “Good! And what else?” And Jerome cited his self-discipline, his vigils, his love for those who came to visit him, and such the like. And God asked him: “Anything else?” And Jerome answered: “I don’t know what else I can give you!” The Lord then said to him: “There is somethingyou still haven’t given me—your sins!”
3Offering up our suffering
And lastly there is what we “suffer”: the great trials of life as well as the small day-to-day things that irritate us. Offering up these moments of suffering is to“insert them into the infinite compassion of Christ” so they “become part of the treasure of compassion that humans need” to live in love, to receive and spread salvation (Benedict XVI).
Mother Teresa prayed:
Help us, oh beneficent Father,to accept everything You give usand to give everything You ask of us with a big smile.
This inner—and outer—smile is the sign of a freely given offering in any circ*mstance. This smile opposes the sadness of having given up, or the anger behind our complaints.
Father Nicolas Buttet
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Is it okay for me to be happy when others are suffering?
FAQs
Let's become obedient through repentance and not only give our lives fully to Him but live out daily to the Glory of God all we are and ever will be. God desires living sacrifices to dead ones. He wants us to worship Him with all we do with and through our bodies.
How can I offer myself to God? ›
Let's become obedient through repentance and not only give our lives fully to Him but live out daily to the Glory of God all we are and ever will be. God desires living sacrifices to dead ones. He wants us to worship Him with all we do with and through our bodies.
What 3 things does God require of us? ›
We cannot hope to appease God by working our way into righteousness, nor sacrificing others for our own sin. Instead, Micah listed out the three principles of what God asks of His people: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with Him.
How to give yourself completely to God? ›
This often entails letting go of control and allowing God to be the one leading all areas of our lives. After a period of faithful discipleship, God often calls us to trust him more with our dreams, ambitions, goals, desires, relationships, and vision of life.
What can I offer to my God? ›
Giving in Worship
- “Give praise to [God]” (Joshua 7:19).
- “We give thanks to you, O God” (Psalm 75:1).
- “Bless the Lord” (Psalm 103:1).
- “He gave glory to God” (Romans 4:20).
- “[Give] power to God” (Psalm 68:34).
- “Offer up a sacrifice of praise to God” (Hebrews 13:15).
It is doing what is righteous. It is spiritual conduct that honors God. When you do any righteous thing — reproving or restoring a brother, loving or helping someone, studying the Word of God, sitting under the preaching of the precious truth — it is a spiritual sacrifice in the name of Christ that glorifies God.
How do I present myself to God? ›
Present Yourself to God
- Yield ourselves to the lordship of Christ. One way of identifying with the Lord is by surrendering all that we have and all that we are. ...
- Place no limit on what we're willing to do or become. ...
- Transfer ownership of our body, soul, and spirit to Christ.
Micah 6:8 is a clear, crisp, and simple summary of what God expects from you and me. These three things that matter so much to God are the three things God wants to see in us: justice, kindness, and humility. To act justly is to treat people fairly and respectfully. You do not oppress or mistreat others.
What does God require of you? ›
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
How to walk humbly with God? ›
- Remember who's in charge—and praise Him! It's hard keep things in perspective if we don't remember who is Lord! ...
- Pray for a humble heart. ...
- Pay more attention to your own faults than to the flaws of others. ...
- Don't hide behind your dignity—it's pride's favorite hiding place. ...
- Try not to watch yourself worship. ...
- Serve others.
How to Get Closer to God: 7 Ways
- Read and study the Bible. Up first on our list of the best ways to get closer to God is reading and studying the Bible. ...
- Spend time in prayer. ...
- Attend a good church. ...
- Build a community of Christian friends. ...
- Be generous. ...
- Practice gratitude and contentment. ...
- Obey God.
How to Let Go and Let God, One Day at a Time
- 1) Identify what you can control—and what you can't. ...
- 2) Address what you can control. ...
- 3) Surrender what you can't control. ...
- 4) Meditate on the promises of your faithful God. ...
- 5) Choose a “letting go” motto. ...
- 6) Resolve not to act on fear but on faith.
There are five qualities of giving that pleases God: we are to give kindly, to give uniquely, to give continually, to give faithfully, and to give worshipfully. These qualities increase our contentment, joy, and love for others; and scripture promises rewards in Heaven if not blessings on earth.
How should we offer to God? ›
We should seek Him in everyway possible. What we offer to Him must be offered ungrudgingly and with love. It can be the simplest of offerings. He will accept happily whatever we offer Him with love and devotion.
What is a life that pleases God? ›
(John 8:28,29) Discipline yourself to be absorbed in the will of God for your life, and you will see great results. Full of Integrity. The second thing Paul said that creates a lifestyle that pleases God is being full of integrity. A lifestyle of integrity is not just for ministers!
What does it mean to offer yourself to God? ›
Submitting ourselves to God means that we must be willing to give up everything for Him and to follow Him. Jesus tells us, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
How do we offer our life to God? ›
Here are some things each of us can do to foster a greater relationship with our creator.
- Pray. This is how we talk with God. ...
- Read the Bible. ...
- Give thanks. ...
- Practice humility. ...
- Memorize scripture. ...
- Honor God with your body. ...
- Start and End your day with God. ...
- Take thoughts captive.
3 Ways We Can Commit Ourselves to the Lord Daily
- Pray without Ceasing. “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) ...
- Study the Bible. “I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” ( ...
- Be in the Community.
In the Bible, the offering is an act of gratitude to God. At the time of Moses, God gave certain prescriptions to the people of Israel. In particular, they were to bring God some of their wealth by way of gratitude for the land that God had given for inheritance.
