The Lenten words are unusual and special because they are impactful and draw your attention to giving. Sacrifice is a lenten word. 

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, sacrifice means 1 : an act of offering to a deity something precious; 2 : something offered in sacrifice; 3a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else; 3b: something given up or lost the sacrifices made by parents….

In our own personal experience, sacrifice might simply mean abstaining from your favorite (put your word here) during Lent.  Giving up sweets or other indulgences is just a small example of Lenten sacrifice.  Sacrifices can be big or small.  When we look beyond our own personal existence, throughout the world today, we are seeing Ukrainian people sacrificing their worldly possessions in order to stay alive.  Our armed services, our police, firefighters and EMTs all make sacrifices for the sake of others. Parents who have lost, or will lose children to war sacrifice time and relationships. Throughout the pandemic, while medical personnel sacrificed time with their families in order to care for patients, other families were forced to sacrifice their final moments with loved ones because of restrictions. 

During Lent, sacrifice is embodied by the ultimate gift given by God who gave his only son, Jesus Christ who gave his life for us. Throughout the Lenten season we pray for forgiveness, grace and guidance.  We come together to give thanks and rejoice in Christ’s resurrection which was a sacrifice and a beginning.  Lent leads us to the new beginning.

Reflect upon your blessings. Because of a sacrifice, we were given a new beginning. And that is what we celebrate.

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord”

— Bao Radcliffe, a member of the Saint Stephen's community