But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9:11-12
Imagine that you were alive 2000 years ago and you were a Jew. Do you know what it would be like? It would be pretty difficult for you. Under the Old Covenant there was over 600 laws and you had to obey every one! These laws included civil, ceremonial and moral laws. For Jew, whenever they broke one of these laws they would have to offer a blood sacrifice to God. Only shedding of blood could pardon their sins. So each time they sin the blood of a lamb would have to be shed.
Under the Old Covenant we were not allowed to see God's face. Today we can be in the presence of God if we call Him but it wasn't so back then. There was a tabernacle in which only the priests were allowed to enter into which contained shewbread, the candlestick and the table. Although the priests were allowed to enter into the tabernacle they were not allowed to enter into the inner courts of the tabernacle. Only the High Priest had the priviledge of entering into the Holy of holies and that was only once a year! Imagine only being able to be in the presence of God once a year!
Now God decided that this was not the way He wanted us to live. He created us to have communion with Him but in the beginning Adam and Eve messed that up. We were so far from God and He didn't like that. So, He had a plan and that plan was to take upon Himself human flesh and die for human sins. After Jesus' death He established the New Covenant. He sent to us the comforter, who dwells in us. Under the Old Covenant people could not even be in the presence of God but under the New Covenant the Spirit of God now dwells in us. Any time we need Jesus we can call on Him and He answers. And since His blood was shed once and for all for the sin of the whole world each time we sin we don't have to sacrifice a lamb. The lamb of God, Jesus, has already made Himself a sacrifice for us! Each time we sin we can cry "Father, forgive me..." and He will.
The New Covenant also brought salvation. We were far from God before but then He gave us the opportunity to be reconciled unto Him. Many people think that salvation is all you need. But salvation is just the beginning. Salvation is like your entry into the race. So once you have been saved you need to take your place on the track and begin to run.
You're not running against anyone but you're running for a prize and that is Heaven. You don't have to be the fastest runner but regardless you must run. There are obstacles on the track, and sometimes you will make it over them but other times they will knock you down. What you do in that situation is simply just get up and continue running. If you get spiritually wounded just stand up and declare that you are strong and God will give you strength. No one said that this race was easy to run; It will be the hardest thing you'll ever do but It's worth it. What is before you is so much greater than what is behind. Keep your eyes upon Jesus and you'll do just fine.
THE NEW COVENANT
ReplyDeleteOnce we become members of Christ’s family, he does not let us go hungry, but feeds us with his own body and blood through the Eucharist.
In the Old Testament, as they prepared for their journey in the wilderness, God commanded his people to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts, so the Angel of Death would pass by their homes. Then they ate the lamb to seal their covenant with God.
This lamb prefigured Jesus. He is the real "Lamb of God," who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
Through Jesus we enter into a New Covenant with God (Luke 22:20), who protects us from eternal death. God’s Old Testament people ate the Passover lamb.
Now we must eat the Lamb that is the Eucharist. Jesus said, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life within you" (John 6:53).
At the Last Supper he took bread and wine and said, "Take and eat. This is my body . . . This is my blood which will be shed for you" (Mark 14:22–24).
In this way Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrificial meal Catholics consume at each Mass.
The Catholic Church teaches that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross occurred "once for all"; it cannot be repeated (Hebrews 9:28).
Christ does not "die again" during Mass, but the very same sacrifice that occurred on Calvary is made present on the altar.
That’s why the Mass is not "another" sacrifice, but a participation in the same, once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Paul reminds us that the bread and the wine really become, by a miracle of God’s grace, the actual body and blood of Jesus: "Anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself" (1 Corinthians 11:27–29).
After the consecration of the bread and wine, no bread or wine remains on the altar. Only Jesus himself, under the appearance of bread and wine, remains.
Are you catholic?
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