The Acceptable Offering

“Yahweh looked with favor upon Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favor on Cain and his offering, and Cain was angry and downcast.” (Genesis 4: 4-5)

Themes: Offering, acceptable sacrifice, first fruits, pleasing sacrifice.

Two types of people who make offerings: Type Abel and Type Cain

Abel offered his first fruits and his offering was acceptable and pleasing to Yahweh. The widow in the Gospel offered everything she had and it pleased God.
Cain offered “some produce of the soil” to Yahweh. It wasn’t his best. His offering did not please God.

The type of Cain: First, he sinned by offering an imperfect or second-class gift to God. When God showed preference for Abel’s gift, Cain became jealous. He did not repent and correct his offering. Jealousy in the heart moved him to murder. God’s reproach of his behavior was a second opportunity for repentance but he missed it.

Father, grant me the grace to offer you the best in everything and at all times. This is the acceptable sacrifice. What can I offer to God here and now? I can make a qualitative and quantitative offering of my time, talent and treasure. To make this kind of offering, I need strong faith that everything comes from God and belongs to him. I am only a steward. Father grant me this type of faith.