Dear Friends in Christ,
The Blood of the Covenant and why Jesus “had to” die. On today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), in order to appreciate the depth of God’s great love for us is in our readings on the “blood of the covenant,” it would be helpful to review the meaning of the ancient covenant.
More than a law, a covenant is a legal means to establish kinship between two previously unrelated parties. The establishment of a covenant in the ancient world was the most significant and sacred agreement that any two parties could make. It was sometimes made between nations or kingdoms, as was the case between Isaac and the pagan king Abimelech (Genesis 26:26-31). It involved each party making an oath to the other under God, the shedding of the blood of an animal, and a meal, often liturgical in nature. An animal’s blood was shed to clearly illustrate to each party that “If I don’t fulfill the oath I’m committing to today, may God slit my throat just as we’re slitting the throat of this animal.” Covenants were not made lightly.
With this background, we see in Exodus 24 (today’s first reading) that the people of Israel under Moses knew exactly what they were committing to in their covenant with Yahweh. In response to Moses receiving the 10 Commandments and the Law on Mount Sinai, they said, “All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do.” Moses ratified the covenant by slaughtering oxen upon an altar and sprinkling their blood on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant.” At this point, the people were committed; if they broke the covenant, they knew they deserved to die. Then, soon after, Israel broke the covenant by worshipping the molten calf, and other occurrences.
But God in his compassion and love for them (and us) decided, “I’m going to be the one to die for them”: he become one of us in the Incarnation and sacrificed his lifeblood on the cross. This is mind-blowing! God fulfilled BOTH ends of the Covenant: He continually poured out his covenantal love for the Israelites for centuries, and when they did not love in return, breaking their covenantal oath, God also paid the price of their death. This is the full import of the Incarnation of God and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the offering of His Body and Blood of the Eucharist (Corpus Christi) at the Last Supper. Recalling Moses’ words from the old covenant at Mount Sinai, Jesus ratifies God’s “new and eternal covenant” at the Last Supper in today’s gospel: "This is my blood of the covenant.” We participate in Jesus’ renewal of the New Covenant in the liturgy of the Mass—a solemn sacrifice, an offering of thanksgiving (literally: “Eucharist”), and a family communal meal. God gives us Himself, even his very Body and Blood, for our salvation in heaven and so that through the grace of the sacraments we may be conformed to His image and transformed by the renewal of our minds on earth (Romans 12:1-2). Thank you, God, for your covenantal love!
Peace in Christ,
Father Jim
