WITH Easter now behind us many thoughts will turn to summer, with the hope of long sunny days and holidays to exciting places, both here and abroad.

But for others reflections on the Easter message will remain, especially the pain of the cross and the sacrificial message of Christ.

When we offer sacrifice we physically give up something of value for the sake of other considerations.

This is the Easter message, but this message was heralded this year by another act of sacrifice, one that embodied the vision of Christ’s own teaching ‘to love one another’.

We, humanity, witnessed the real face of Christ, not on a crucifix; not on an icon; not on a statue or picture, but on the face of Arnaud Beltrame the French police officer who offered himself as a sacrifice in place of a hostage during the recent terrorist attack in Carcassonne, Southern France.

Selflessly and without thought for his own safety he sacrificed himself, his life, for that of a stranger.

This is as close as it gets to Christ here on earth.

And it is no coincidence that Officer Beltrame was a committed Christian, inspired by the teachings of the Christian faith, of the Easter message.

Arnaud Beltrame and people like him are trailblazers, because if ever – in the span of human history – there was a need for humanity to be sacrificial, it is now, because the world is currently more divided than it has ever been in its relatively short history.

On Sunday, April 1 we – in the UK and Commonwealth – celebrated the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force, remembering especially the heroic deeds of its serving men and women, none more so than the gallant actions of The Few in the Battle of Britain, a battle that would shape the war and prevent invasion of this fair land.

But back then demarcation lines were easy to spot, to negotiate.

Now it appears that, for some, the love of self, the love of power for self, the desire to shout down – undermine – anyone who thinks differently, has brought the human race to the point where we shout ‘crucify’ on a daily basis.

And then, out of the shadows, come the actions of Officer Beltrame, who doesn’t shout ‘crucify’, but ‘crucify me instead.’

He, like the Christ of his faith was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for the love of humanity.

And how should we feel about that?

Ashamed! Deeply ashamed. That while we are shouting ‘crucify’ on a daily basis through our actions as human beings, one man in France was willing to fulfill the teachings of Christ ‘to love one another, unconditionally’ by offering his life for another.

But he’s not alone.

There are many others who fulfill this command, some we hear of, many we don’t.

So, where does that leave the rest of us?

We need to ask ourselves, today more than ever: what sacrifice are we willing to offer, for our faith, our community and more importantly, our fellow man?

We need to ask ourselves: how can I be more like Officer Beltrame in my daily life? How can I positively change the world?

For the sake of humanity; for the sake of Officer Beltrame; for the sake of The Few and all those who have sacrificed themselves for the love of man, we need to embrace that sacrificial love.

We need to distance ourselves from the baying crowd that shouts ‘crucify’ and align ourselves with the actions of those who put love first, even before their own lives.