What does sacrifice look like? I think of those who serve in the Armed Forces. They have sacrificed much for my freedom and to work towards real peace in our world. I think of those in service to our Church: priests, deacons, and religious. Their lives are dedicated to prayer and good works so that the Good News might not only be preached but be seen in the love they display toward God and their fellow brothers and sisters. I think of parents who stay up long nights with sick children and then one day find themselves staying up even longer as they wait for them to return home. I think of teachers who work hard to educate the next generation of citizens with low salaries and little respect. 
I can see sacrifice all around me. I think you can see it, too, if you look. However, I also see too many seeking to get ahead at the expense of others. I see those who have so much and only crave for more. I see those caught up in themselves to the point where families fall apart, friendships disappear, and people literally die from a lack of compassion. I see many who have forgotten where all their gifts in this world came from, if they even knew in the first place.
I think of all those who sacrifice and see all those who do the opposite. May our eyes see more of those who are generous. May we never focus on those who have forsaken others more than those who have given freely to others. May the witness of true sacrifice show us the way to the Father and to a world full of His love.

--Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS