Gospel Reflection 2020/2021

Blood was regarded as sacred in many ancient cultures. It was something concealed within the body and would only be revealed when it flowed through an open wound, or during menstruation, childbirth or miscarriage. It was both a symbol and a mystery of life.

Even in the Old Testament, blood was also of important significance – we often hear of blood sacrifices. The opening line of the Book of Leviticus [Lv 1: 5] is strange, scary and shocking to many of us: “He shall then slaughter the bull before the Lord.”

The most famous account in the Old Testament would be the SACRIFICE of the Paschal (Passover) Lamb [Ex 12: 1-14]. The Lord God desired to deliver the Israelites from the evil clutch of the Egyptians. He was about to go through the land of Egypt to strike down all the first-born, men and beasts alike. And to protect the Israelites, they were commanded to sacrifice and eat an unblemished lamb for each household, and some of the blood was to be taken to mark the door-posts and lintel of the house. Seeing the blood on the houses, the Lord God would pass over and spare the entire household.

And in the First Reading [Ex 24: 3-8], holocausts were offered and bulls immolated to the Lord as COMMUNION sacrifices. Blood was collected and sprinkled on the altar (symbolising God) and then on the people – sealing the COVENANT between God and His people.

Gone were the days of the Old Testament, now we Christians do not practice animal or blood sacrifices, yet the contents of the Book of Leviticus are important to us because they point us to the ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

The Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is the perfect, supreme and ultimate Sacrifice par excellence. Because of the Sacrifice of Jesus, we no longer need to offer any other animal or blood sacrifices. As the Second Reading [Hb 9: 11-15] explains, “How much more effectively the Blood of Christ, who offered Himself as the perfect Sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, can purify our inner self…”

At the Last Supper then and at every Mass now, Jesus gives us His life-giving Body, and He pours out His Blood of the new and everlasting Covenant. Every Mass therefore is a Holy SACRIFICE of Jesus, a profound COMMUNION with Jesus, and a renewal of the COVENANT with Jesus.

In ancient China, man formed alliance with other man who was not his blood relative. In the ritual, the men would come together, cut their fingers, squeeze their blood into one drinking vessel, take oath, and in turns drink the blood from the same vessel – a symbolic act to establish a blood pact of brotherhood.

Different but quite similar, St Paul [1 Co 10: 16] reminds us that, “The cup of blessing that we bless is our communion in the Blood of Christ. And the bread that we break is our communion in the Body of Christ.” The bread that we break and the cup that we bless, through the mystery of Transubstantiation, become the real, true and actual Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we eat the Body and drink the Blood, we enter into flesh-to-flesh union with Jesus and His lifeblood flows through us.

Looking at pictures of food and watching videos of people feasting will never satisfy our hunger – we need real food and real drink to nourish our body. Likewise, virtual communion (by watching live-streamed Masses) can never substitute the need for the real, true and actual Holy Communion with Jesus – the physical reception of His Body and His Blood.

This Sunday as we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ), let none of us be tempted to settle for less with virtual communion. Let us always hunger, thirst and look forward to the day when we can gather again in Church PHYSICALLY:

• to celebrate the Holy SACRIFICE of Jesus,

• to experience the profound COMMUNION with Jesus,

• and to renew our COVENANT with Jesus.

Let our fervent prayer be:

“O Body of Christ, save me; O Blood of Christ, inebriate me.”