The Blood of Christ in the Gospels

Jesus' words at the Last Supper, "Take and drink; this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," contain a rich catechesis on the meaning of blood. 

1-During the Last Supper, Jesus said: “One of the twelve will betray me, and because of this betrayal, his blood will be shed.”.

2- It also explains how this shedding of his blood will be carried out: he will be arrested, he will appear before the courts of his people and then he will be detained by the Roman authorities: "he is guilty of death", "he is condemned to death", "he will be executed". It is the blood of a criminal that must be punished. 

3-The traitor, having betrayed Him, confesses: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” and Pilate, when deciding that he should be condemned to death, says: “I am innocent of this man’s blood; I have found no guilt in him,” to which the people respond: “We and our children are responsible for his death.”. 

4-The concepts of crime and punishment do not appear in the Last Supper, but in Jesus' words they acquire two positive nuances: 

• It is blood that is shed for everyone, not just a few; 

• And it is the blood that establishes the covenant of the New Alliance between God and the people. 

These two concepts completely transform the reason for shedding blood, which is not carried out because of a criminal offense but out of "generosity," because through it we have been reconciled with God. Therefore, the shedding of Jesus' blood is the greatest act of love, since through it we enter into communion with God and with others, and if it had been as punishment for a criminal, then it would not have led us to friendship with God. 

5- When Jesus takes the cup and says, “Take and drink,” the Gospel of Matthew adds: “for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus offers his blood out of love, so that our sins may be erased and we may be reconciled with God. 

The Old Covenant was broken by the people's infidelity, and it was necessary to find a way to repair it, because the people were separated from God, and it was precisely the blood of Jesus that restored it. 

6- Jesus Christ's act of "giving them his blood to drink" implies a gesture of courage and audacity. In the Old Testament, drinking the blood of animals was forbidden (because life was in it, and life belonged only to God, and no one could take the life of another); it is conceivable that his followers were astonished when they heard Jesus offer them his blood, "his life," to drink. Why did he do it? As he himself says: "whoever drinks my blood has eternal life." He did not want the relationship with God to be something external; he wanted his intimates to live with him and him with them. 

7- After Jesus died, a soldier pierced his side, and “blood and water flowed out.” The water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and with this the Father wanted to demonstrate that He approved of the act of love that His Son was performing for all humanity, in addition to indicating that the blood of Jesus communicates the Spirit of God to whoever receives it. 

Commitments for life:

We do not usually receive the blood of Christ in communion; however, the commitment we make when we receive the body of Christ would be stronger if it were also with the Blood, and it would help us to live our lives as followers of the Lord better. 

Because partaking in the blood of Christ requires of us: 

• Do not betray anyone so that your blood (your life) does not suffer. When we feel betrayed, we suffer, the betrayal hurts us and we feel bad; so if I don't want to suffer betrayal, I shouldn't betray anyone either.

• When we want to condemn someone and not face the consequences, we discuss it with others so that they will be the ones to condemn and we will not be the ones guilty of the condemnation. 

• When we do wrong, we should not be arrogant and we should accept our guilt and, moreover, acknowledge it by asking for forgiveness, without settling into the "stubbornness" of pretending that it is others who do wrong, and not us. 

• We must be generous with others and not be "stingy," "giving" ourselves to others unconditionally and without expecting anything in return. 

• When friendships or family relationships break down, let's not wait for others to do something to mend them, but rather, through an act of love, let us take the first step; this does not diminish us, it exalts us! 

• When we receive communion, we identify with Jesus Christ and try to live his lifestyle and embrace his destiny; but others also receive communion with the same Christ and they too become identified with Him, so the commitment to receive communion is not only with Jesus, it is also with all those who receive communion with Him.

(P Paulino, CPPS)