Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Cycle B
June 10, 2012

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Sometimes is can be a little difficult to really understand the importance of the Body and Blood of Christ.  The readings of this Sunday can be a help.  For most ancient people, blood was seen as the giver of life, and many cultures of the past have used blood as an offering to whatever deity they hold dear.

 

 

In the first reading of this Sunday Moses, who has lead the Chosen People out of the slavery of Egypt and on to the Promised Land, now tells them the Lord God wants to make a promise, a pact, a covenant with them, and He gives them ordinances to follow, and the people say yes.  Moses uses blood to seal this covenant between God and his people.  So early on we see the importance of blood.

In Paul's letter to the Hebrews once again the importance of blood and its cleansing effect.  Paul says that the priests of the Hebrew  Scriptures use blood of sheep and goats to take away sin and they do it again and again, year after year.  Paul then states how much more the blood of Christ takes away the sin.

Christ's offering of His Body and Blood seal the New Covenant with us and God.  Through the one sacrifice of Christ, our sin can be forgiven.  The amazing thing about the Mass, the celebration of Eucharist, is that it makes us a part of the one sacrifice of Christ.  At the moment of Eucharist we are one in time with Christ and His sacrifice of His Body and Blood which takes away sin.

 

The Gospel tells us about the celebration of the Eucharist and asks us to continue to use it to make that one sacrific of Christ for the forgiveness of sin present in the world today.  We are one in time with the event of the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin.  This is the sealing of the New Covenant with the sacrifice of Christ. 

Interesting that when the Jews celebrate Passover, they are not just remembering the past event, but they believe that at the celebration they are one in time with the event.  This is true for us as we celebrate the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ.  The one sacrifice of Christ, which we are a part of through our Baptism,that takes away the sin of the world.

 

Give some thought to the importance of the role you have, the next time you are at the Mass, the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ.