June 14, 2009
The Body and Blood of Christ
I will raise up the cup of salvation. (Psalm 116:13)
The word “blood” appears in more than 350 different verses in the Bible, and more than 400 times over all. What was it about blood that so captured the imaginations of the Israelites? Blood reapresented two basic premises in their Jewish faith: sacrifice and life. These two premises came together in the Jewish tradition of offering the blood of sacrificed animals as a way to atone for sins. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see how this ancient method of atonement pointed the way to the divine sacrifice that Jesus would make for the salvation of the world.
So when we celebrate Mass and receive Jesus’ precious blood at Communion, we are actually celebrating the covenant that God made with us through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. We are drinking his own blood, even as we celebrate the blessed fact that this blood has washed away our sins.
The Old Testament tells us: “The life of a living body is in its blood” (Leviticus 17:11). Physically speaking, we would die without blood. And spiritually speaking, we would die without the grace of Jesus’ blood. His precious blood does more than just wash away our sin. It continues the flow of divine life in us as well, keeping us connected to our heavenly Father. Without Jesus’ blood, we would have no spiritual health or vitality.
As we celebrate the body and blood of the Lord today, let’s think about Jesus and his gift of divine life. Let’s remind ourselves that the church itself was brought into being by this blood. And let’s remember that the “cup of blessing” which we bless is nothing less than our participation in the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16).
“Lord, let your blood, offered without blemish to God, purify our minds so that we might serve our heavenly Father.”
Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 116:12-13,15-18; Mark 14:12-16,22-26
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