Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

55 Biblical liturgical contexts of Oblatio In the Bible, the word oblatio or oblatum (a) is used primarily in relation to sacrifices made in accordance with the provisions of the Old Testament; this word either specifies what may or should be the subject of the offering or it defines the principles of making the sacrifice. 3 Consequently, it there- fore most often appears in the books governing this matter. 4 To illustrate: out of 137 occurrences of this word, as many as 39 are found in the Book of Leviticus and 33 – in the Book of Numbers (their combined number is slightly more than half of all occurrences). Also, aside from the meaning of the word oblatio as used in relation to worship, its spiritual meaning is also present, usually in the books of the prophets and the Psalms. Sometimes oblatio , understood as an offering to God, is compared to the inner attitude of the faithful, which takes on the form of offering oneself: oblatio is the act of making a sacrifice of oneself instead of a material sacrifice. Psalm 50 (18-19) may be given here as a classic example: “For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and hum- bled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Although the word oblatio is not used here and the sacrifice is expressed through the words sacrificium and holocaustum (meaning burnt offering ), the Psalmist is basically expressing his experience of faith here, saying that God takes no pleasure in the sacri- fice as such, but rather in the attitude of the giver. This aspect of the word oblatio / oblatum (a) is also often indicated by the Prophets who fought against the cult of formalism, i.e., making sacrifices while lacking a proper moral attitude. 5 The pivotal passage in the Old Testament, depicting the 3 In accordance with the then state of the Church, the Latin translation of the Vulgate was the point of reference for St. Stanislaus. Therefore, this article also uses the same version of the Holy Scriptures (in Polish). For the English text, the Douay-Rheims online Bible translation was used (note of the translator). 4 A classic example is the excerpt from the Book of Leviticus (2, 4-6): “But when thou of- ferest a sacrifice ( offerre sacrificium ) baked in the oven of flour, to wit, loaves without leaven, tempered with oil, and unleavened wafers, anointed with oil: If thy oblation ( oblatio ) be from the frying pan, of flour tempered with oil, and without leaven, thou shalt divide it into little pieces, and shalt pour oil upon it.” 5 To illustrate, let’s take the excerpt from Is 1, 11-17: “To what purpose do you offer me the multitude of your victims, saith the Lord? I am full, I desire not holocausts of rams, and fat of fat- lings, and blood of calves, and lambs, and buck goats. [...] Offer sacrifice no more in vain: incense is an abomination to me. [...] Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from my eyes: cease to do perversely, learn to do well: seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow.