St. Augustine
A sacrifice
What
sacrifice can I offer to God that is worthy of his mercy? Shall I look for a
victim from among my herds? No, I will freely offer a sacrifice of praise.
Freely: for his sake alone, not for any other reason.
If you
praise him for anything else you do not praise him freely. Understand what I
mean: suppose you praise God so that he
may make you rich. If your riches could be acquired any other way, you would
not praise him.
By all
means ask him for what you will profit you for all eternity, but love and
praise him for himself alone. “Praise his name for he is good”- not for any
other reason.
Remember
God does not ask of us anything he has not already given us. He does not say:
“Look at your fields and herds and see what you can offer me as a holocaust”.
A holocaust
is an offering wholly consumed by fire, and love itself is a blazing fire. When
the soul is on fire with the love of God it draws the whole man to its purpose,
leaving no room for lesser loves.
If you want
to offer him the holocaust of which he has said, “It is ever before my eyes”,
be ablaze with divine love, thanking him for forgiving you whatever is evil.
(S. Augustini,
Enarr. in ps 53,10; in ps 49,15)
