Christianity Without Sacrifice: The Comfortable Gospel That Never Saves Anyone

Footnotes Luke 9:23 (RSV-2CE): "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Galatians 2:20 (RSV-2CE): "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." John 15:13 (RSV-2CE): "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Matthew 8:20 (RSV-2CE): "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Matthew 10:22 (RSV-2CE): "You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved." John 16:33 (RSV-2CE): "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 15:20 (RSV-2CE): "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you." 1 Corinthians 9:27 (RSV-2CE): "I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." Colossians 1:24 (RSV-2CE): "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church." Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§1362–1367. These paragraphs explain that the Eucharist is the memorial making present the one sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, not a new sacrifice but the sacramental re-presentation of the same sacrifice. Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 618 — Christians participate in Christ's sacrifice. CCC 1430–1438 — Interior conversion, fasting, penance. CCC 2015 — The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. CCC 2013–2016 — Universal call to holiness. CCC 618 is especially important because it states: "The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ... but because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, the possibility of being made partners... in the Paschal mystery is offered to all men." Church Fathers St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, chs. 4–6. Written on the way to martyrdom, expressing a desire to imitate Christ even unto death. St. Augustine, Sermon 96. "God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering." St. John Chrysostom, Homily on Matthew 55. The Cross is the Christian's greatest boast and victory. St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, §§54–56. Christ conquers death through His sacrificial death. Doctors and Saints St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q.46–49. Why Christ suffered and the necessity of His Passion for our redemption. St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III. Practical mortification for ordinary Christians. St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Book I. Detachment from created things as the path to union with God. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Story of a Soul. The "Little Way" of hidden sacrifices. St. Padre Pio, Letters, especially those concerning the redemptive value of suffering united to Christ. Papal Documents Pope St. John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris (1984). The definitive modern Catholic teaching on the meaning of Christian suffering. Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi (2007), §§35–40. Christian hope and the transformative meaning of suffering. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (2013), §§53–60. A critique of consumerism, materialism, and the idolatry of wealth. Historical Sources The Cost of Discipleship (1937). Especially the distinction between "cheap grace" and "costly grace." The Imitation of Christ. One of the most influential works of Christian spirituality on self-denial and following Christ. The Spirit of the Liturgy. On the sacrificial nature of Christian worship. INDEX 01:00 – Introduction: The Cross Nobody Wants 04:32 – Chapter I: When Christ Stopped Being Dangerous 07:07 – Chapter II: The New Gospel of Happiness 09:44 – Chapter III: The Prosperity Gospel's Golden Calf 12:30 – Chapter IV: Therapy Is Not the Gospel 17:38 – Chapter V: The Forgotten Virtue of Mortification 14:50 – Chapter VI: The Comfortable Parish 19:55 – Chapter VII: The Eucharist- More Than a Meal 22:13 – Chapter VIII: The Saints Knew the Cost 23:42 – Chapter IX: Recovering the Cross 25:10 – Conclusion: The Comfortable Gospel That Never Saved Anyone