Sacrificial Offering- Rudolf Steiner- March 13, 1923

SACRIFICIAL OFFERING

Opferfeier text given by Rudolf Steiner March 13, 1923, for use in the upper two classes of the Stuttgart Waldorf school in response to their request for a service “similar to a mass”. He is said to have released it for use wherever it is wanted (also inwardly). Translation from GA 269 62-79 by James Gillen - Feb 18, 2011. Expanded directions in { }.

{Celebrant between two assistants face the altar – celebrant starts}

The Deeds of Christ on Golgotha

stand before our souls. 

The mood of consecration in our souls

manifest to us Christ’s Deeds on earth. 

The reverence of our souls

implore Christ’s Sacrifice for humanity. 

The veneration of our souls

impart to this offering circle

the experience of Christ’s Sacrifice for humanity. 

{after a pause the celebrant continues}

The Father-God be in us 

The Son-God create in us 

The Spirit-God enlighten us. 

{celebrant turns around to assembly} 

Christ in you

{right assistant responds}

and may He fill your spirit.

{celebrant faces altar, right assistant continues facing altar}

To dear Father-God

we turn our spirit. 

He weaves in the depths of worlds

He lives in our humanity.

we are all,

that we are

in His existence

through His power.

To the Son-God we turn

our soul. 

He prevails as eternal Word

in worlds-existence and in human beings

we are consoled

in our weakness

through His Strength,

in His Deed of Sacrifice.

To the Spirit-God we turn

our willing

He illumines our resolves

He capacitates our deeds.

we find strength

in our darkness

through His Light,

and power of soul through Him

as Spirit-Sun.

{left assistant prepares to read the Gospel facing altar}

My heart carry within it

consciousness of your Life
O Christ;

from my lips proceed

Your pure Word
O Christ.

 Your Grace enable me

 to speak Your Word
O Christ.

{left assistant turns to face assembly and reads the Gospel}

[Gospel reading]

{left assistant faces altar, celebrant continues facing the altar}

We lift up our soul

 to You, O Christ. 

Your Gospel

as pure Word,

expunge from our words

what is impure in them 

{celebrant turns around to assembly}

Christ in you

{right assistant answers}

and may He fill your spirit.

{Celebrant faces altar – both assistants continue facing altar}

[Pause]

{right assistant continues facing the altar}

To You, eternal Ground of Worlds,

weaving in the vastness of space

and in the far reaches of time

submit the holiest feelings

from your human offspring’s

votive hearts.

You see into the failings

of these hearts;

so may there also ray out to you

the longing of these hearts.

{left assistant continues facing altar}

Yea, so be it.
{Celebrant continues very slowly facing altar}

All of our human nature

ponder Christ’s Deed.
Our body yearn
for Christ’s Power
our blood crave
for Christ’s Light.
{celebrant with arms raised}
In your heights of Sun
O Christ look 
upon the sacrifice
of our human nature;
our soul-filled body,
our spirit-enlivened blood.

They be in You
be You in them.

{Right assistant continues facing altar}

From human soul-sacrifice

from human spirit-sacrifice

grow the being-creating fire of love

that holds sway from us to God

that holds sway from person to person.

{left assistant continues facing altar}

Yea, so be it.

{celebrant turns around to assembly}

Christ in you.

{right assistant turns around to assembly}

And may He fill your spirit.        

{celebrant and right assistant turn to face altar}

[Pause]

{left assistant continues facing the altar}

Our thinking radiate

towards You
our feeling long
for You
our willing endeavor
after You
Divine Ground of Worlds.

{right assistant continues facing the altar}

Our destiny be harbored

with You

 our life flow 
in You

 our longing strive

 for You

 Christ, our Helper and Guide.

{celebrant continues facing the altar}

He united Himself,
before going to
His human death
with His own.
He consecrated His Body
the bearer of His Soul
to the Divine Ground of Worlds

He consecrated His Blood
the bearer of His Spirit
to the Light of the Ground of Worlds

and thus He gave Himself over
to His own.
So let in spirit-transformation

our body
our bearer of soul
our blood
our spirit bearer
become His Body
become His Blood.
He spoke:
partake;
His Grace let us speak

partake:
we want
to give You: 

sacrifice,
in the Light 
of Your Sacrifice,

seeking our being

in Your Being.

Christ hold sway

bearing healing

in our soul

imparting power

in our spirit.

{right assistant continues facing altar}

Christ is in us.

His Light shines
His Grace shepherds

His Power weaves all here.

{left assistant continues facing the altar}

The Spirit-God

wield over our thinking

weave in our feeling

work out of our willing.

{celebrant turns around and speaks to assembly}

Christ in you

{right assistant turns around to assembly and responds}

and may He fill your spirit.

{left assistant facing the assembly}

Yea, so be it.

{celebrant and both assistants face altar}

(Pause).

{left assistant continues facing the altar} 

O Christ, You have
in inexhaustible Goodness

in immeasurable Love
in boundless Grace 
granted Peace

to yours --- - ---

{Right assistant continues facing the altar}

so make our spirit

bright filled with light

so make our word

clear filled with thoughts

so make our heart pure and free from sin

{Celebrant continues facing the altar speaking slowly}

Christ in us
His bright, light-filled Spirit
in our spirit

His clear, soul-warm Thoughts

in our soul

His pure, sinfree Heart

in our hearts.

Christ, we receive You 

for the healing of our body

for the healing of our soul

for the healing of our spirit;

{Left assistant continues facing the altar}

Yea, so be it.

{Celebrant and both assistants turn to assembly, right assistant goes to each member of assembly and touches their forehead straight-on with pointing & middle fingers while saying:}

The Spirit of Christ live in you

{each member of assembly responds in turn}

So may I receive the Spirit of Christ.

{Right assistant returns to original place, with celebrant and both assistants facing altar where they all remain standing, during a short musical interlude.} 

{After music, celebrant and two assistants turn to face assembly to conclude the celebration}

Christ in you

{Right assistant facing assembly}

and may He fill your spirit.

{Left assistant facing assembly}

Take this
as the sacrificial deed

of the human soul.

{Right assistant facing assembly}

Yea, so be it.

{Celebrant and both assistants turn to face altar, close ritual books and remain standing for closing music. They all depart altar after music concludes.}

The Nature of the Sphinx

N.C. Wyeth

Here we have a clue to the nature of the Sphinx. The Sphinx is really the being who has us by the throat, who strangles us. When the ether-body expands as a result of the force of the breathing, a Luciferic being appears in the soul. In such an ether-body there is then not the human, but the Luciferic form, the form of the Sphinx. The Sphinx is the being who brings doubts, who torments the soul with questions.

And so there is a definite connection between the Sphinx and the breathing process. But we also know that the breathing process is connected in a very special way with the blood. Therefore the Luciferic forces also operate in the blood, permeating and surging through it. By way of the breathing, the Luciferic forces can everywhere make their way into the blood of the human being and when excessive energy is promoted in the blood, the Luciferic nature — the Sphinx — becomes very strong.

Because man is open to the Cosmos in his breathing, he is confronted by the Sphinx. It was paramountly during the Greco-Latin epoch of civilization that, in their breathing, men felt themselves confronting the Sphinx in the Cosmos. The legend of Oedipus describes how the human being faces the Sphinx, how the Sphinx torments him with questions. The picture of the human being and the Sphinx, or of the human being and the Luciferic powers in the Cosmos, gives expression to a deeply-rooted experience of men as they were during the Fourth Post-Atlantean epoch, and indicates that when, in however small a degree, a man breaks through the boundaries of his normal life on the physical plane, he comes into contact with the Sphinx-nature. At this moment Lucifer approaches him and he must cope with Lucifer, with the Sphinx.

-Rudolf Steiner