1 Kings 18:20-39 / Matthew 5:17-19
Every religion has a form of worship, and sacrifice is a very integral part of the worship.
The devotees would make sacrificial offerings to the deity and pray for protection and favours.
Hence the sacrificial offering is always made to the deity in the form of worship.
In the 1st reading, we heard of two similar forms of worship that were offered on Mt. Carmel.
One was offered by the 450 prophets of Baal, and the other by the prophet Elijah.
And the God of Israel showed who the true God is as fire from heaven consumed the sacrifice offered by the prophet Elijah.
Indeed the Lord is our God and we are His people. God also gave us laws and established a form of worship called the Eucharist.
Yet the uniqueness of the Eucharist is that it is God Himself who provided for the sacrifice and He even gave us His only Son for our salvation.
In fact, through the Eucharist, God has bound Himself in a commitment to us and He has also fulfilled that commitment through the sacrifice on the cross.
God does not need us to sacrifice anything more. He only wants us to offer our hearts to Him, freely and lovingly.