"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (Matt. 27,46 & Psalm 22)
"'Sacrifice a lamb without blemish', commanded Moses, 'and sprinkle its blood on your doors'. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord’s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ" (St. John Chrysostom, Catecheses). In other words, the saving power lies in the blood of Jesus and not elsewhere. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! So, on this day during which no masses are celebrated, let us take the time to be thankful for the Father's gift of his only begotten Son, made present to us in the Eucharist by the power of their Holy Spirit.
On today of all days, we look forward to the great Vigil during which we will once again sing the song of the redeemed after a long Lenten journey. One suggestion for today is to read and reflect on, in addition to one of the passion narratives from the Gospels (I am reflecting on Matthew's), chapter nine of the Letter to the Hebrews, verses 11-28.
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