The Precious Blood of Christ - The life force of the Priesthood.
“The Lord’s Blood is our true sign as priests and those discerning a call to the Sacred Ministry.”
by Rev. Tony Gonoude
Diocese of Meath Vocations Homily
Lismullen Retreat Centre, Co. Meath 20-VIII-2023
As the Lord passed over the Egyptians, to save His people, he told Moses, “The blood on the doorposts will be a sign to mark the houses in which you live. (Exodus 12:13).” Blood, for the Israelites, became a sign of protection and life. For Abraham, the blood of his innocent son Isaac, was offered to God, as a sign of faith: seeing this, the Lord, saved his son and rewarded his goodness (cf. Genesis 22:1-14). “Then the LORD said [to Cain], “What have you done? Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground (Genesis 4:10).” Here we see in the blood of the slain Abel, a cry of innocence and a call for justice. In these great tableaus of the Old Testament, blood speaks of faithfulness, innocence, justice, life and protection.
For Jesus the High Priest, blood also speaks. He tells us that His flesh and Blood are real food and drink (cf. John 6:66). Unlike the fading manna of the Old Testament, his food remains forever (cf. John 6:49). We see, at the Last Supper, that this Blood is indeed Himself, remaining with us always (cf. Luke 22: 19-20; Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24). This Blood of Christ, shed on the wood of the cross, from his opened side, pours down the ages, into the chalice of every Holy Mass ( cf. John 19:31-37). The Blood of Jesus speaks of His everlasting presence with us. It is the Blood of the One who is faithful to us, even to the cross and beyond death, to bring us life. It is the Blood of the innocent Lord who stands for truth (cf. John 18:37). This is the Blood of the Lord’s protection; because in Him, we can pass over the cavern of sin and death. In the Blood of Christ, the High Priest, we see the mark of the cross and the suffering of love.
In the life of every priest, the crucifix and it’s representing the Blood of the cross, is ever present. In the vestry before Mass; the priest will pass under the open arms of the Crucified, placed on the wall. Under this cross, as he vests for Mass, the priest is reminded of the Pierced One, who lifts all up to Himself ( cf. Zechariah 12:10; John 12:32). Upon the altar, with the crucifix, facing the celebrant, the One crowned with thorns, will act as a visual reminder of the holy sacrifice of Calvary. Here, the priest stands, not just at this representation but knows the hour of the Mass, opens time and space, to bring him and the congregation to the foot of the cross. In the confessional, the forgiving One, crowned with our thorns of sins, remains as a reminder of God’s mercy. At the Anointing, the sign of the cross opens into the sacrament of the dying Christ who wishes to lift our crosses of illness. Upon his ordination, the priest will model his life on the Lord’s cross, as the minister of the Christ’s opened side that brings the Blood of His life in the Sacraments. In everything, for the priest, the Blood of Jesus speaks of the just One, the protecting One, the innocent One, the One of truth and justice, the One who forgives and who brings us His life’s Blood. The cross and its image of love from the opened side of the Lord, impels the priest to be as Jesus in every situation; to be a minister of the rich Blood of Christ that fills those of faith with life.
As we have seen blood is a sign for the wandering Israelites. The Lord’s Blood is our true sign as priests and those considering a call to the Sacred Ministry. Through the Sacred Priesthood, the Blood of Christ flows into today. It speaks to us of His suffering, His life and His being-with-us. The Lord’s Blood calls us to a responsibility as the ministers who hold the chalice of salvation. We must live as Him who gave His Blood for us. This Sacred Blood also asks us to tell everyone that the Lord saves them, if they turn to Him. This Blood is our sign of Jesus Christ who is with us at the place of the dying, as we teach, preach, minister in schools or answer the questions of those who seek meaning and life direction. Let us pray always in our call the words of St. Faustina, “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.”
Very Rev. Tony Gonoude
Priest of the Diocese of Meath, Parish Priest of Ballynacarrigy, Vocations Director.