Feast of the Most Precious Blood 1.7.12 His death, our life
If we commit an offence, we feel the need to make things right. If I broke your front window, for example, I would like to offer you money to buy new glass.
In the same way if we offend God we feel the need to offer Him something. People of all ages have had this spontaneous instinct to offer God some atonement for their sin.
For the Jews it was an unblemished offering from their flocks. The better the animal, the greater the sacrifice, because it was worth more. Hopefully God would be more pleased as well.
Then God, having pity on His people, offered them something better which they in turn could offer Him.
He sent His Son, to be the Lamb of sacrifice. No need to go looking in the flocks and herds. Now this one Lamb would atone for our sins.
One of the remarkable things about Our Lord’s sacrifice is that He is offering Himself. Not many lambs would do that, but the Lamb of God does.
It makes the sacrifice (already perfect) more impressive still.
It is pleasing to the Father, not only because of who/what is sacrificed, but the generous impulse behind the sacrifice.
This blood is precious because it is divine, and because it is given from a motive of love.
The Jews on occasions were offering dodgy lambs, trying to cut corners, as if God could be deceived.
There were no corners cut with the Lamb of God. His blood was infinitely valuable, and His offering was infinitely generous.
God is offended by human sin, but more than appeased by this supreme act of love and generosity.
We do not deserve this from Jesus, but we are grateful for it.
His blood, given in death, brings us to life - first by saving us from the death that we deserve (eternal death);
Then, by our communion with this blood, we learn to become like the One we receive. That is, we become people ourselves willing to lay down our lives for others.
If we let His blood mingle with ours we are going to be changed, for the better.
The martyrs give testimony to this. They are the ones who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb; who have learnt to love as Jesus did.
This is a natural consequence if we let things go that far. (See 1 Jn 3,16: how much as a matter of course he tells us we should be willing to lay down our lives for the brethren!)
So we offer this blood to be saved from death. We drink the blood to be brought to a fuller kind of life.
Whatever weaknesses we have; whatever is lacking; each of us can get to a better place – whether we need to be encouraged, consoled, strengthened, inspired... whatever it needs. All the rough edges are smoothed out.
Can you drink the cup that I must drink, Jesus asks. There is a commitment implied if we drink His blood. But then the same drink will strengthen us to be able to make that commitment.
Fear, selfishness and all the rest, will be swept away in the force of this greater love. We might be timid disciples shivering in the corner to begin with; but we will be fortified and made able to do great things - if we drink that cup.
On this feast we give thanks for what has happened; and for what still needs to happen we seek the necessary strength.
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