It’s the week before Lent, and the readings for the week focus our attention on sacrifice.

We hear about the sacrifices of Cain and Abel. The Letter to the Hebrews gives us the ancient understanding of this episode: “By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s.” Psalm 50 follows this up with this encouragement: “Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.”

We hear about Noah. After the flood subsided, the first thing he did upon leaving the ark was to offer sacrifice to the Lord. Psalm 116 draws us into the moment with the refrain: “To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.”

Jesus makes His first prediction of the Passion. He’s trying to help His disciples understand that for Him to be “the Christ” means to be a man of sacrifice.

Jesus also speaks to us about what it means to follow Him: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

What a fitting theme, as Lent draws near!

Ancient pagans knew that our relationship with the divine calls for sacrifice: They were constantly making sacrifices to the gods. They missed the mark! But they weren’t entirely wrong.

What should be sacrificed, and to whom, are matters that were refined in ancient Judaism. For example, Israel rejected human sacrifice: That’s not what God wants! But it continued a system of sacrifice in the Temple, showing that humanity’s relation with the one true God does involve sacrifice.

The prophets also mounted a serious critique: They rejected any sacrifice that was a mere outward show. Through them, God said something along these lines: “The external offering is important, but it’s not the primary thing. The primary thing is your heart. The external reality takes its true value from the internal reality. The largest external offering means little if your heart isn’t in it; the smallest external offering is precious if it comes from the heart.”

All of this was summed up and perfected in Jesus. He showed us that sacrifice matters, what God truly wants, and how to make our lives a complete gift to God.

In light of all that, how should we prepare for Lent?

Let me suggest that we take any potential Lenten sacrifice we’re considering and subject it to a test. Perhaps the thing is chocolate; perhaps it’s a nightly beer; perhaps it’s the morning paper. Whatever it is, what is its fruit? Does this thing lead me to greater peace, generosity and patience, or does it lead me to greater anxiety, selfishness and anger?

If its fruit is greater peace, generosity and patience, then it’s probably something we should keep or continue. But if the fruit is greater anxiety, selfishness and anger, then it’s a good candidate for Lenten sacrifice.

Here in St. Louis, we know about the postseason! A successful postseason run in any sport requires a new and deeper kind of energy. Lent is like that, too. To tap into the new and deeper energy we need for a successful Lent, we need to think more deeply about sacrifice. Let’s begin our preparations this week.