THE OLD AND NEW COVENANTS

Today’s solemnity calls us to reflect on the Eucharist. It reminds us of the wonderful gift of God to us through Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Traditionally it is celebrated on the Thursday or Sunday after Trinity Sunday with a procession of the Body of Christ. For pastoral reasons (the month of June is the season of rain), the Church in Nigeria has her procession at the end of the liturgical year, with the feast of Christ the King. It is a day of thanksgiving for the institution of Holy Communion on Maundy (Holy) Thursday. In today’s celebration, we recall the paschal sacrifice, the covenant we have with God, to be in communion with one another and with Him, in order to participate in the heavenly banquet.

The first reading describes the ceremony of the old covenant. A pattern was followed, which was, listening to the word of God and the animal sacrifice. The word of God was read and received by the people as they acclaimed, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Ex. 24:7) After the word of God, the sacrifice was made and then the reception of the blood of the sacrifice, which Moses sprinkled on the people. This covenant was sealed with the blood of animal sacrifice. The blood represents the outpouring of life, of one life given for another. It is worthy of note that Moses sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord (v.5). These young men had a primitive touch of the priesthood. Put differently, they represented the priests that offered the sacrifice repeatedly.

While the old covenant was sealed with the blood of animal sacrifice and often repeated, the new covenant is sealed with the blood of Christ, offered for us once and for all. The second reading tells us, “Christ appeared as a high priest… he entered once for all into the Holy place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). While the old covenant never guaranteed life eternal, the new covenant does.

The Gospel presents to us the preparation for the Passover; the feast remembering Israel’s redemption, also known as the last supper. At the last supper, Christ instituted the priesthood and the Eucharist (CCC 1323). At this celebration of the last supper, he was both the Priest and the Victim. As the priest, he offered the sacrifice and as the victim, he offered himself. “He is the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. It is the same Christ really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice” (CCC 1410). Each time the Mass is celebrated, he accomplishes his priesthood through the action of the human priest, who is alter Christus (another Christ) and, who acts “in persona Christi (in the person of Christ).” 

Interestingly are the actions Christ performed at the last supper, “He took bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, ‘Take; this is my body’” (Mk 14:22). He took the chalice and said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (v.24). At every Mass, gifts of bread and wine are brought up, which are purchased with our offertory money.  They seem to be an insignificant offering.  However, God does wonderful things with them.  They become His Body and Blood. We can observe this again, after the prayer of the faithful when there will be an offertory procession. During this moment, we can tell Christ to take the little we have from all he has given to us and BLESS it for us. The BREAKING of the bread shows the power of God to be present in each fragment of the offering that is consecrated. It is also the breaking of oneself for another, a life of sacrifice. Finally, Christ GAVE himself for us as the sacrificial lamb, no longer the animal sacrifice and he requested we do this in memory of him. The Body and Blood of Christ (the Eucharist), is the most excellent gift ever given to us by Christ and is the sacramental presence of Christ in his Church.

Today’s celebration also helps us to have a rethink of the Eucharist and its importance in the life of the Church. Without the Eucharist, there is no Catholic Church and without the Church or her priest, there is no Eucharist. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our life and faith (Lumen Gentium 11), the center of our celebration, the pillar of the Church (CCC 1324-5). When Christ said, “This is my body…  This is my blood” It is NOT a replacement or taking the place of the Bread and wine (ex nihilo – out of nothing) NOR is it substantial dualism (what the Lutherans call consubstantiation). It is for us as Roman Catholics TRANSUBSTANTIATION. That is, by the very words of consecration of a validly ordained priest of the Holy Mother Church, there is an ontological change of the substance of Bread and Wine, which is transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (CCC 1411). By these words, Christ instituted a new covenant between God and man, which replaces the old covenant in the first reading (Ex 24:8).

While we have our daily food to sustain our physical life, the Eucharist sustains our spiritual life. It gives us the grace to feel forgiven and to be ready to forgive each other. It influences our communal life: the act of coming together around the table is necessary, it is the first sign of communion, after which we receive the sacramental communion. Importantly, it is not encouraged for us to bring our offerings, to be used as sacrifice in the holy mass but sit back when it is time to receive Christ in the Eucharist. Whatever will deprive us from partaking in the new covenant, let us make efforts to resolve it through the sacrament of reconciliation.

Happy Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ