Blood Compact

A Reflection on the First Reading for June 6th, 2021:
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

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Exodus
24.3-8

Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and set up twelve pillars, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed oxen as offerings of well-being to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he dashed against the altar.

Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”

Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people, and said, “See the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

“Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people ...”

In many parts of the world, part of their history involved blood compacts. When the Spanish first colonized the Philippines, a blood compact was done between the Spanish conquerors and the leader of the area at that time. It was a brotherly sign of unity where the blood of each was mixed with the wine and drunk by both parties.

Blood was featured in Exodus as both a blessing and a scourge. When Pharaoh did not want to release the Israelites from Egypt, the Lord punished him with ten plagues, one of which was the turning of the Egyptian waters into blood. At the same time, the blood was also a blessing. When the Israelites painted their posts with blood, they were spared from the death of their first born children as the angel of death passed through Egypt during one of these ten plagues.

In this passage, when Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people, it was to cement the covenant that God made with them — that they would obey the laws and ordinances the Lord had given them so that God would take care of them. God told them how they would be rewarded for this obedience to Him. The Israelites accepted and agreed. In this covenant, God and His people were united.

Today, when we pray the Eucharistic prayer at mass, we say, “the blood of the new and everlasting covenant,” as a reminder of this unity. More than just unity, it is a promise to remain faithful to the other.

This week, we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi. We are reminded of Jesus’ supreme sacrifice when He gave His body and blood for us. This is celebrated in the Holy Eucharist and we, His people, receive it.

We live this reality every day without always realizing it. We do, however, believe it. We believe it in the times when we pray for protection from temptations and sickness by invoking Jesus’ most precious blood. We believe it when we ask that Jesus cover us with His most precious blood to protect us from the snares of the evil one. We believe that Jesus is there, always, by our side, constantly watching over us. 

Let us pray:
“My Jesus, I embrace you… and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen. (From the Prayer for Spiritual Communion)




Liz Venezuela
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