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Abrahams Sacrifice
Parallel's The Presentation
of Jesus In The Temple
Abrahams Sacrifice is significant to the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.
It is a parallel to the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
Both Mary and Abraham are willing to Sacrifice their sons. God accepts their faith and obedience and blesses them both. Full account of Abrahams Sacrifice is as follows...
"After these things, God tempted Abraham, and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am. He said to him: Take thy only begotten son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go into the land of vision: and there thou shalt offer him for an holocaust upon one of the mountains which I will show thee. So Abraham rising up in the night, saddled his ass: and took with him two young men, and Isaac his son: and when he had cut wood for the holocaust he went his way to the place which God had commanded him. And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off. And he said to his young men: Stay you here with the ass: I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have worshipped, will return to you.
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"God tempted"... God tempteth no man to evil, -James 1. 13; but by trial and experiment maketh known to the world, and to ourselves, what we are, as here by this trial the singular faith and obedience of Abraham was made manifest.
And he took the wood for the holocaust, and laid it upon Isaac his son: and he himself carried in his hands fire and a sword. And as they two went on together, Isaac said to his father: My father. And he answered: What wilt thou, son? Behold, saith he, fire and wood: where is the victim for the holocaust? And Abraham said: God will provide himself a victim for an holocaust, my son. So they went on together. And they came to the place which God had shown him, where he built an altar, and laid the wood in order upon it: and when he had bound Isaac his son, he laid him on the altar upon the pile of wood. And he put forth his hand and took the sword, to sacrifice his son.
And behold an angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am. And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake. Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram amongst the briers sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son. And he called the name of that place, The Lord seeth. Whereupon even to this day it is said: In the mountain the Lord will see. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying:
By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord: because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake: I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea shore: thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice." -Genesis 22:1-18
The Bible passage for Abrahams Sacrifice were taken from the timeless Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible.
If you are looking for a more modern language version of the Abrahams Sacrifice, our recommendation would be the St. Ignatius Press Bible.
Both are wonderful and can also be purchased in our Catholic Rosary Shop.
Return to Presentation of Jesus in the Temple page
The Story Of
Abrahams Sacrifice
Gives Witness To
Trusting In God
"With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice,
and they blessed God, who saveth them that trust in him."
-Daniel 13:60
Before Abrahams sacrifice, God intervened and he was spared the sorrow of losing his son. Mary, however was not spared this suffering.
Mary offered the greatest sacrifice - she offered God the life of her Son, Jesus.
She offered Him as a sacrifice at the Presentation and this sacrifice was consummated or accomplished on Good Friday the day Jesus was crucified.
At the Presentation Mary united her will to that of Jesus'. Therefore they offered the same sacrifice at Calvary and she thereby shared in His role of redemption.
If you would like to further investigate Mary's role as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces, you may find these books informative...
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The Essential Mary Handbook, a Redemptorist Pastoral Publication
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The Foot of the Cross, Fr. Faber
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Redemptoris Mater, an encyclical of Pope John Paul II
More meditations on the rosary - Presentation of Jesus here...
Return to our Scriptural Joyful Mysteries page
Catholic Mysteries Of The Rosary
Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
The Joyful Mysteries are taken mostly from St. Luke's Gospel in the New Testament. They involve the joyful events of Jesus' childhood. The most joyful event in all of human history is the Incarnation or when God became man and dwelt among us read more...
Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
What a gift the the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary are. Meditating on these
Mysteries of Light bring even deeper understanding of the public life of Jesus.
They fill in the blanks between Jesus' childhood and His suffering and death on
the cross. Therefore read more...
Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary remind you of how much Jesus
loves you. He suffered and died for you. "Greater love than this no
man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
-John 15:13. You are loved by Jesus read more...
Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
The Glorious Mysteries are the crown of Jesus' triumphs. How
exhilarating to know that Jesus is God and that He rose from the dead,
making you an heir to Heaven. Reminding yourself of these glorious
events as you pray the Rosary prayer will keep your faith alive and strong read more...
Return to Catholic Rosary Prayers page
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