BROADCASTS.com

(Ex.24:3-8;\xa0\xa0 Ps.116:12-13,15-18;\xa0\xa0 Heb.9:11-15;\xa0\xa0 Mt.14:12-16,22-26)\xa0 \u201cThe cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.\u201d\xa0 The blood of sacrifice, the blood that seals all covenants with God, is upon all our readings today.\xa0 In our first reading, on the altar Moses has \u201cerected at the foot of the mountain\u201d where he received the commandments of the Lord \u2013 an altar surrounded by \u201ctwelve pillars for the twelve tribes\u201d \u2013 \u201cyoung men of the Israelites\u2026 offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.\u201d\xa0 Half of the blood of the bulls Moses \u201csplashed on the altar\u201d; the other half he \u201csprinkled\u2026 on the people, saying, \u2018This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words of His.\u2019\u201d\xa0 And so the people promise to heed the Lord\u2019s commands; and so the first covenant is instituted. Our psalm tells us, \u201cPrecious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful ones.\u201d\xa0 And our second reading informs us just how precious is the death of the Lord\u2019s Faithful One.\xa0 Yes, \u201cChrist came as high priest\u201d; as \u201cmediator of a new covenant\u201d He entered the \u201cperfect tabernacle not made by hands\u2026 not belonging to this creation,\u201d and offered not \u201cthe blood of goats and bulls\u201d but rather \u201cHis own blood.\u201d\xa0 His \u201cdeath has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant.\u201d\xa0 And so does \u201cthe blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished before God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.\u201d And in our gospel, in anticipation of His crucifixion, on the feast of Passover \u2013 when the lamb was sacrificed and its blood used to anoint the houses of the Israelites to thus save them from death \u2013 Jesus institutes the New Covenant with His disciples.\xa0 First \u201cHe took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, \u2018Take it.\xa0 This is my body.\u2019\u201d\xa0 Then with the cup He said, \u201cThis is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.\u201d\xa0 It is, of course, this New Covenant we celebrate this day, as we come to the table where all the disciples of the Lord have eaten, where all His faithful have been washed clean in His blood.\xa0 Here we share not only with our minds \u2013 for then why should it be necessary to eat and drink (one does not eat and drink a symbol, but feasts with eyes alone) \u2013 but with our very bodies, with the fullness of our beings; and our very human nature is transformed by His sacrificial presence.\xa0 Brothers and sisters, the Lord gives Himself entirely for us; let us here lay down our lives in His flesh and blood.\xa0 Let us take up the cup of salvation and each day call upon His Name. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Blood in My Palate" from Loving Spirit, third album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, is Jesus not our inheritance; do we not eat the Body and Blood He has given up for our salvation? YHWH, the blood of the New Covenant be upon us for good, the blood of Christ upon our lips; and let us fulfill our vows before you, serving as the Body of your Son.\xa0 O let us be blessed with all the graces of Heaven as they pour upon us in the blood of Jesus, our Lord! How can we make return to you, dear God, for all the good you have done for us, for your giving us your only Son to serve as sacrifice for our sins, as food for our journey to you?\xa0 You, O God, have come among us in His flesh and remain with us in the Sacrament \u2013 how can we grasp such a gift?\xa0 How can we thank you for your love toward us revealed in the blood of Jesus the Christ?\xa0 Let us but take up the cup you offer and call upon your holy Name.\xa0 Let us but serve you with all our lives, worshiping you in all things, O living God, and the promised eternal inheritance will be ours.\xa0 O let us drink of the fruit of the vine with your Son in the kingdom!\xa0 Prepare our hearts to receive your Lamb.