Daily Readings - Sun Jun 03 2018

³Therefore, Moses went and explained to the people all the words of the Lord, as well as the judgments. And all the people responded with one voice: "We will do all the words of the Lord, which he has spoken.⁴Then Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And rising up in the morning, he built an altar at the base of the mountain, with twelve titles according to the twelve tribes of Israel⁵And he sent youths from the sons of Israel, and they offered holocausts, and they immolated calves as peace-offerings to the Lord⁶And so Moses took one half part of the blood, and he put it into bowls. Then the remaining part he poured over the altar⁷And taking up the book of the covenant, he read it in the hearing of the people, who said: "All that the Lord has spoken, we will do, and we will be obedient.⁸In truth, taking up the blood, he sprinkled it on the people, and he said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has formed with you concerning all these words.

Hebrews

Chapter 9

¹¹But Christ, standing as the High Priest of future good things, through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, one not made by hand, that is, not of this creation¹²entered once into the Holy of Holies, having obtained eternal redemption, neither by the blood of goats, nor of calves, but by his own blood¹³For if the blood of goats and oxen, and the ashes of a calf, when these are sprinkled, sanctify those who have been defiled, in order to cleanse the flesh¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit has offered himself, immaculate, to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, in order to serve the living God¹⁵And thus he is the Mediator of the new testament, so that, by his death, he intercedes for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, so that those who have been called may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance

Mark

Chapter 14

¹²And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they immolate the Passover, the disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?¹³And he sent two of his disciples, and he said to them: "Go into the city. And you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water; follow him¹⁴And wherever he will have entered, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says: Where is my dining room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?¹⁵And he will show you a large cenacle, fully furnished. And there, you shall prepare it for us.¹⁶And his disciples departed and went into the city. And they found it just as he had told them. And they prepared the Passover²²And while eating with them, Jesus took bread. And blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them, and he said: "Take. This is my body.²³And having taken the chalice, giving thanks, he gave it to them. And they all drank from it²⁴And he said to them: "This is my blood of the new covenant, which shall be shed for many²⁵Amen I say to you, that I will no longer drink from this fruit of the vine, until that day when I will drink it new in the kingdom of God.²⁶And having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives

Sermon

The readings today guide us through a journey from the old covenant to the new, highlighting the profound shift brought by Christ's sacrifice. In Exodus, we witness Moses establishing a covenant with the Israelites, sealed with the blood of animals, symbolizing their commitment to God. This act was a sacred ritual, binding the people to follow God's laws and establishing a holy nation. The context of this reading is the giving of the Law at Sinai, where the Israelites agree to obey God, and Moses mediates this covenant through sacrifice. Hebrews then elevates our understanding by introducing Christ as the ultimate High Priest. His sacrifice transcends the temporary rituals of the old covenant, offering eternal redemption through His own blood. This reading emphasizes the superiority of Christ's sacrifice, which purifies our consciences and enables us to serve God in a new way. The context here is the early Christian community, reassuring them of the lasting power of Christ's sacrifice compared to the repeated offerings of the old covenant. In Mark's Gospel, we see the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. Jesus transforms the Passover meal, declaring the bread as His body and the wine as His blood, ushering in the new covenant. This act reinterprets the old covenant, making His sacrifice the foundation of a new relationship with God. The context is Jesus preparing His disciples for His departure, leaving them with a sacrament that unites them with Him and with each other. These readings connect by showing the progression from the old covenant, mediated by Moses and animal sacrifices, to the new covenant through Christ's ultimate sacrifice. The old covenant was a shadow of what was to come, fulfilled in Christ's offering. This transition invites us to reflect on how we live out the new covenant in our daily lives. Just as the Israelites were called to obedience, we are called to live in accordance with Christ's teachings, serving others and maintaining unity through the Eucharist. In our daily lives, this means embracing a life of love and service, recognizing that our actions reflect our commitment to the new covenant. We are to be the body of Christ, working towards justice and compassion. The moral lesson here is the call to live as a community bound by love, just as Christ's blood binds us to Himself and to each other. Let us respond to this gift by living with gratitude, humility, and a deep commitment to our faith, remembering that we are part of a covenant that transcends time and space.