Jesus Blood

[ramyg4cc]

Recently I met a Dominican Priest who confused me a little bit on the issue of Jesus Blood.
He said that the whole without blood there is no Salvation and there had to be a shed of the blood displays a rather cruel or blood thirsty God and that these verses talking about the blood of Christ are only a metaphor. So is this relevant to anything? And how do catholics interpret the blood of Christ? Is there 2 versions of this in the church? Thank you.

 

[NotWorthy]

When the Israelites were forbidden to drink the blood of an animal it was because “the life of the animal is in it’s blood” (paraphrasing Leviticus, here). You could eat the flesh of the animal, for you were sharing in it’s death. But you couldn’t drink the blood of the animal because you were sharing in its life. It’s sort of like, stooping down to an animal’s level if you share in its life.

Hence, when we drink the Blood of Jesus (and the council of Trent is emphatic and very clear when it says we consume the “Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity” of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist), we are sharing in a most intimate way the Life of Jesus. What is this “Life of Jesus” to us? The Eternal Life that He says He offers to those who eat His Body and drink His Blood (in John ch. 6) are His Graces. This is the Grace that we receive which is the Holy Spirit dwelling within our souls.

AMEN!!!

 

[Ghosty]

Recently I met a Dominican Priest who confused me a little bit on the issue of Jesus Blood.
He said that the whole without blood there is no Salvation and there had to be a shed of the blood displays a rather cruel or blood thirsty God and that these verses talking about the blood of Christ are only a metaphor. So is this relevant to anything? And how do catholics interpret the blood of Christ? Is there 2 versions of this in the church? Thank you.

I’m a little confused by what this priest is saying. Is e saying that Christ wasn’t Sacrificed?

This priest doesn’t know the Catholic Faith, I’m afraid. As an aspiring Dominican myself, I’m extremely disappointed in his apparent rejection of this fundamental tenet of our Faith.

Here is what the Catholic Church teaches about the Sacrifice of Christ, straight from the Catechism:

**1992 **Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men. Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy. Its purpose is the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life:40

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.41

Sadly, this priest sounds like he needs to go back to school.

Peace and God bless!

 

[NotWorthy]

Also, if you look at Exodus (around 32 maybe?), you’ll find where Moses sacrificed numerous bulls. After that, he sprinkled half the blood on the altar, and half the blood on all the Israelites. Now remember, there were around 600,000 men among the Israelites at this time!!! That’s a whole lotta blood!

Anyway, it was this blood that sealed the Covenant between God and Israel. It is the Blood of Christ, “The Blood of the New and Everlasting Covenant, which is shed for you and for all mankind, so that sins may be forgiven……”, that seals the Covenant for us!!!

There are numerous other reasons for the blood, but I think we’ve covered the major ones.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

Just as a question on blood I wonder what satan wants of blood, there always seems to be blood in those sacrifices. ??

and

I have a feeling that priests thoughts are valid of why but because it is, there is a reason. Does that make sense??

 

[NotWorthy]

Just as a question on blood I wonder what satan wants of blood, there always seems to be blood in those sacrifices. ??

Most satanic rituals are bastardized versions of Catholic rituals. (Makes you wonder who satan’s enemy is, eh?)

and

I have a feeling that priests thoughts are valid of why but because it is, there is a reason. Does that make sense??

I’m sorry, I don’t understand.

 

[Nita]

The priest was probably referring to the following verses in the
Epistle to the Hebrews, Chapter 9:

[22] Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
[23] Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
[24] For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
[25] Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own;
[26] for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
[27] And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment,
[28] so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Nita

 

[Kitty_Chan]

I have a feeling that priests thoughts are valid of why but because it is, there is a reason. Does that make sense??

sorry not worthy

I think the priests thoughts are valid and its ok even for him to ask why, because it does appear that God is blood thirsty.

But the blood seems to be a “big part” of everything, things seem to revolve around it so to speak. So it cannot be a mistake or something just slipped in, so must be important and have meaning. Even if we cannot understand the meaning fully. Sometimes you have to trust God if He says its important then simply it is.

I also questioned this Gods cruel idea and found there is something about the fall, and God being Holy so He cannot be with unholy, so blood is a way to cover the unholy. The life blood, but why blood?.

Perhaps when lucifer fell he broke a bond as well or when Adam and Eve left there was a bond broken. So to join again it involved this born again (not fundy please) and rejoining with the spilt blood of Jesus, thus why He asked us to drink of it.

Thats as far as I got, it was still bugging me a bit. So I decided to follow CS lewis’'s advice on stuff and leave it. Trust God like I said above, allow for a mystery. And immediately felt comfortable with the whole issue.

ps thanks about the other question, makes sense. and again that jerk thinks enough of it to mock, so important the blood is.

 

[Nita]

sorry not worthy

I think the priests thoughts are valid and its ok even for him to ask why, because it does appear that God is blood thirsty.

But the blood seems to be a “big part” of everything, things seem to revolve around it so to speak. So it cannot be a mistake or something just slipped in, so must be important and have meaning. Even if we cannot understand the meaning fully. Sometimes you have to trust God if He says its important then simply it is.

I also questioned this Gods cruel idea and found there is something about the fall, and God being Holy so He cannot be with unholy, so blood is a way to cover the unholy. The life blood, but why blood?.

Perhaps when lucifer fell he broke a bond as well or when Adam and Eve left there was a bond broken. So to join again it involved this born again (not fundy please) and rejoining with the spilt blood of Jesus, thus why He asked us to drink of it.

Thats as far as I got, it was still bugging me a bit. So I decided to follow CS lewis’'s advice on stuff and leave it. Trust God like I said above, allow for a mystery. And immediately felt comfortable with the whole issue.

ps thanks about the other question, makes sense. and again that jerk thinks enough of it to mock, so important the blood is.

Hi Kitty,

Here are some further Scripture passages to ponder:

*Leviticus 17:11-14 For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. Any man also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust. "For the life of every creature is the blood of it; therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off. *

Some things take a long time to penetrate - even to a small degree (for I don’t think we’ll ever comprehend it anywhere near completely on this earth). “Life” is more than just physical/body life; it is the “life” of the soul also. With Adam’s sin, death came to both.

I will only give some concepts that I ponder.
Original creation:
God gave us life
Life is the gift of love
Reciprocity of love = we give/offer to God the life He gave us. In the ongoing love relationship, God continues to give, we continue to receive and offer back. (This is a total offering to God, body as well as soul.)

Original sin:
Adam destroyed life in human nature.
Reciprocity severed - gift destroyed; impossible for us to replace.

Jesus (as God, source of life now present in human nature)
Offering of life again takes place in one with human nature:
soul offering: perfect obedience and love
body offering: total unto death

As I said, the above are just some take-off points upon which to meditate in conjunction with the Scriptures that deal with Our Lord’s reestablishment of the relationship of love between God and man; why the redemption included the shedding of blood (offer of life). The only thing to always be cautious about, is not to let any meditations go outside the bounds of Catholic doctrine.

Nita

 

[mdcpensive1]

NotWorthy is correct in citing Exodus, but Noah and Aaron are not the only ones sprinkling blood on the Israelites. It was the job of the High Priest to sprinkle the blood of the bulls on the people who were in the temple on the day of atonement held once a year. This made them part of the sacrafice to Yahweh. In the New Covenant, we drink the blood because the life of Christ is in the blood as mentioned in earlier posts. Since the Eucharistic sacrafice is an extention of the passover, the whole sacrafice must be eaten and consumed as in the first Passover or else it would not be affective. Separation of the blood from the body is the symbol of death (the blood is gone). Reuniting the Precious Blood with the Body of Christ in us in the Eucharist is the sign He is alive in us.

mdcpensive1

 

[Kitty_Chan]

Hmm thanks Nita (btw not catholic) but you know Id still follow the advice on not straying beyond catholic doctrine. I originally was challenged by a atheist that God was blood thirsty thats why the priests question caught me, I think if one was honest its alot of peoples question.

So I dug around cause when challanged with my faith I like to stand accountable for what I believe. And I couldnt accept it in Gods nature to be blood thirsty. thus I came up with what I said in the last post. So I ask because like you said and understood it was meditative through prayer. So I hope Im on the “right track”

(btw I say so to keep mediatation connected to prayer, prayer is filling meditation is emptying, just because we know what we mean doesnt mean a reader doesnt)

But you have said it much clearer and fills in some blanks, still doesnt answer why it has to be that way (I hear questioning doubts its not answered) but I answer to that, I trust like I said and I know if its important the Lord will show me, maybe even here. Im going to print off that scripture as I didnt have that before. Thank you, the whole topic fasinates me.

I think it may answer my communion concerns I have, Ive brought it up elsewhere.

And mdcpensive The symbol of death, the blood is gone is powerful, its twigging what Nita and I have said.