An offering is a material expression that reflects worship of a god.
An offering is a gift dedicated to divinity or holiness to ask for something desired or to respect what was established by a vow . The term has its origin in the Latin word offerenda , which refers to that which will be offered .
The offering is a material expression that reflects the adoration of God . When offering a bouquet of flowers, food or other things, these objects materialize a symbolic action that has spiritual overtones .
Offerings in different towns
The Catholic Church contemplates bringing offerings to the altar while a mass is taking place. Other common offerings are made in cemeteries , when some people leave something next to the grave to remember the deceased and ask them to intervene in an earthly matter.
Aboriginal communities, for their part, usually give offerings to Mother Earth or Pachamama . The cult includes everything from burying food to watering the ground with wine.
Offerings are present in different religions.
Its origin
Offerings have been made for thousands of years. The Egyptians and Incas, for example, sacrificed animals and children as an offering to the deities . They believed that by giving something valuable or loved, the gods would heed their prayers and understand that people were willing to make any effort to satisfy divine commands .
Over time, the concept of offering, sacrifice or oblation was no longer interpreted as a need to please God, but came to be considered as a method for people to approach divinity through their own harmony.
The true value of the offering
However, these practices lack spontaneity and, in many cases, validity, given that all people are not the same nor do we have the same tastes or needs , so the same action cannot represent a sacrifice for everyone . A clear example is abstinence from meat at Easter , since it leaves out vegetarians and vegans. Furthermore, once the short period of prohibition has passed, the feast comes to compensate for it.
Outside of absurd and misinterpreted impositions, in the real world, authentic sacrifices are necessary more than once in a lifetime and yet they do not always culminate in great rewards. Furthermore, it is more common that uncontrolled vices come after a long abstinence, since balance is not achieved by going from one extreme to the other, but by evaluating each of the decisions, step by step; This represents a much more complex and committed practice , which is not described in any book and which must be carried out daily.
a collection
The offering, on the other hand, is a collection that is carried out during the Catholic mass and whose proceeds are dedicated to pastoral work and social help. In this case, it is inevitable to refer to corruption and manipulation .
The excesses of the Vatican , for example, are public knowledge and this is usually a key point of attack on Catholicism. There is nothing more opposed to the principles of love and simplicity than material luxury, a fact that thousands of people, however, seem to strategically ignore. Does the Church need our offerings for its charitable works? If he sold each and every one of the gold and marble figures , he could surely end world hunger and help finance some expedition to space.
It would be interesting if this institution offered the people a message of acceptance of diversity, inclusion, an example of honesty and respect, both for others and for oneself, and of the fight to overcome problems through work and effort. facing our mistakes and trying not to repeat them even before seeking forgiveness .