From the Pastor’s Desk...
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The Blood of Christ, and Our Judgment
The weeks ahead of us are the most important weeks of our redemption. The
readings of the Mass tell us of the Death of Christ on the Cross. The Death of
Christ brings to us Judgment, and so the reading leading up to the Passion of
Christ refers to something like “blood of Christ.” The phrase “blood of Christ”
refers to the Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Blood represents
judgment--judgment for our sins while Christ was bearing them on the Cross. By
His Death on the Cross, He has freed us from our sins. The modern generation
often forgets the truth: that Christ redeemed us through His Death on the
Cross. We live in times when images of the Cross are basically reduced to a
piece of jewelry. Lots of people wear it around their neck, in gold, silver or
other forms; however, fewer people seem to understand its meaning. There is
also secular opposition to Cross. Some countries have banned the Cross or the
Crucifix in public spaces, despite deep Christian and Catholic roots. People
see it as too religious, too exclusive and too offensive for some.
I often think of St. Paul, who had persecuted the church and murdered many
Christians immediately after the Pentecost; when he later converted and became
a builder of the Church, he preached so strongly about the Cross of Christ. I
love this passage of St. Paul: “...for Christ did not send me to baptize but to
preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the
cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning” (1Cor.n1:17); and another
quote from St. Paul, “But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the
world.” (Gal. 6:14-15) The Cross essentially represents the paradox of Christian
faith. It is neither an embarrassment, nor a mere artistic decoration. We may
not understand the mystical experience of the Cross, though it is stumbling
block for some, we cannot comprehend how suffering, especially innocent and
underserved suffering, can help the world. Christ Crucified is what we
proclaim, and we should not rob the Cross
of its power by domesticating it.
We cannot deny Christ's Death on the Cross, nor can we deny the blood He shed
on the cross for our sins. “But when Christ came as high priest... Passing
through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands &.he
entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves
but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (Heb 9: 11; 12)
Every animal sacrifice which took place in the temple of Jerusalem spoke of the
“Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” “Though he was harshly
treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the
slaughter or a sheep before the shearers; he was silent and opened not his
mouth.” (Isa. 53:7)
The animal had done nothing wrong, but was judged anyway. In the judgment, the
animal died physically. Jesus Christ had done nothing wrong, in fact He was
impeccable. In His Judgment, the sins of the whole world were poured out on
Him. The phrase “blood of Christ” sets up a representative analogy with the
animal sacrifices of the Old Testament.
After Jesus Christ's work on the Cross was completed, He said, “It is finished!”
Then He said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” He dismissed His
spirit; He did not bleed to death on the Cross.
After Jesus Christ had died physically, the soldier ran a spear into His side,
and blood and water (serum) came out. The separation of the serum and blood
indicated that He had already died physically. Hence, He did not bleed to
death. And His throat was not cut as was the animal’s in the sacrifice. His
Death on the Cross has brought us the Judgment. By His Death on the Cross, “He
has made peace through the Blood of His Cross, He has reconciled all things
unto himself; whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” This judgment served
to remove the barrier between man and God. There is a meeting between the two
sides of the Cross, and that meeting is in the phrase “blood of Christ”. There
is no longer a need for animal sacrifices, because Christ's sacrifice on the
Cross is once for all. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.” Eph. 1:7
God bless you all,
Fr. Tom
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