Blood tests are my least favorite part of visiting my doctor, but the resulting numbers give a comforting sense of scientific clarity. How different, and more primal, was blood in the lives of the Old Testament people who killed lambs and splashed their blood on stone altars as a sign of their everlasting covenant, their bond with Yahweh.
Paul reminds us that Jesus sacrificed his own life and became the Lamb whose death sealed a new covenant. At Mass, we renew that sacrifice so often that its impact fades, but we still value sacrifice. I think of immigrant parents who “kill” themselves working multiple minimum-wage jobs so their children can have a future.
If we link all that we do with the one sacrifice of Jesus, we remember him and honor the bond he won for us at such a high price.
Dare I face the implications of his sacrifice?
—Fr. Tom Rochford, S.J. is moving to Denver where he will serve as chaplain and artist-in-residence at Regis Jesuit High School. He is an artist (primarily oil painting), photographer and videographer.