Elements of Precious Blood Spirituality
Precious Blood In prior years lots of devotional
materials Meditation on shedding of Christ’s blood
at various points of his life Some pretty gruesome stuff
About 20 years ago began articulating more of a contemporary spirituality
The Red Cross
Blood in Jewish Tradition Is life giving
Recall Jewish attitude toward blood
May not eat blood – source of life
That’s why sacrifices often entailed shedding of blood.
For the Hebrews… “Since the life of a living body is in its
blood, I have made you put it on the altar, so that atonement may thereby be made for your own lives, because it is the blood, as the seat of life, that makes atonement.” (Lv 10: 11)
“Since the life of every living body is its blood, I have told the Israelites: You shall not partake of the blood of any meat. Since the life of every living body is its blood, anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off.” (Lv 10:14)
As applied to today To bring the life-giving
blood of Christ to where it is needed We are called to be life
givers Biologically speaking
The body rushes blood to site of injury where it is needed most.
Blood in our world
Sr. Dorothy Stang SND
Themes of Precious Blood Spirituality
CovenantCrossCup
Reconciliation
COVENANT
Themes of Precious Blood Spirituality
Covenant A sacred trust, agreement In OT often sealed in blood
The source of life Made them “family”
Contemporary Legal Understanding Usually attached to property Effects are ongoing
Covenant Theology Covenants and Contracts
binding parties responsibilities differences between contract and
covenants love and fidelity covenant made with a religious ritual ever-lasting
Covenant Theology
Restoring original relationship “my people” Against rampant
individualism
Community building -- OT connections Blood of New Covenant
shed for ALL
The Davidic Covenant 2 Sam 7: 1-17
Deeds of God Promise of an
everlasting house and a royal line
Connection to the Messiah
And what happened... David sinned
2 Samuel 11
The Kingdom did not last long foreign invasions incompetent and sinful rulers
But... The Covenant is
everlasting A messiah/king will
come...
Covenant & ReconciliationThe Covenant is a love story
unconditional love of God for his peoplebond of the covenant is not law but love
The narratives of Israel’s breaking of the Covenant have meaning for us during LentGod always ready to renew the Covenant
God loves his people so much that he has given us a Covenant sealed with the Precious Blood of His Son Jesus Christ
CROSS & SACRIFICE
Themes of Precious Blood Spirituality
Cross Ritual Sacrifice
Communication Scape Goat
Ritual Sacrifice Part of most religious traditions A form of communication between
humanity and the divinity (divinities) An offering Acceptance by divinity Reincorporation
E.g., The Scape Goat
The Scape Goat
The Scape Goat
How do we bridge the gap?
God
Ritual Sacrifice
Divinity
Original Disobedience First humans seek own will
The LORD God gave man this order: "You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and bad. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.“ (Gn 2 16-17)…You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" (Gn 3:11)
Obedience"My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass
from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." (Mt 26:39)
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (Lk 22:42)
"Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will." (Mk 14:36)
From The Passion
Outside the gateThe bodies of the animals whose blood the
high priest brings into the sanctuary as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, to consecrate the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing the reproach that he bore. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come.
Hebrews 13:11-14
Outsiders and “no-bodies”To be inside was to be somebody;
connected to communityIf you didn’t belong somewhere, you
were a no-bodyOutside was wilderness – dangerous,
a zone of desolationThe sick were often doomed outsidePrevents spread of disease, but isolated
from community
The Dump outside the gate – Giza Plateau Egypt 2000
A reversal Now atonement was not in
sanctuary of Temple, but outside the gate
God is choosing to dwell most intimately in place where there is no belonging
True power found in the helplessness and shame of victim on cross
THE CUPThemes of Precious Blood Spirituality
Cup Lots of cups in scripture
Blessing cup, overflowing cup, cup of suffering
Sharing in the one cup at Passover Meal
The Cup at Meals Sharing a meal was significant
Equality around the table Significance of including the outcast
2 cups in Luke’s account (3 altogether) Kiddush (1st cup) thanksgiving for covenant
with Israel Another one after haggadah (Passover
story) 3rd cup at end of meal – cup of blessing
Four elements
1. Blood of new covenant
2. Blood poured out for you
3. Cup of suffering4. Cup of blessing
New Covenant Ushering in of the new reign of God Both covenants sealed in blood
Blood (wine) of new/final covenant is drunk as the blessing cup
For Jews thought of drinking blood repulsive
Now blood that belongs to God is with the disciples of Jesus
Partake in very life-force of God
Blood poured out for you Jesus makes clear that his blood takes
place of animals Cup becomes sin offering Evokes memory of suffering servant Jesus’ death seen now as sacrifice rather
than execution
The effects of this blood shedding are ongoing …Eucharist
Cup of suffering Cup in scripture is vessel for gathering
and collecting Cup was vehicle by which diverse
experiences could be passed on to another Jesus gathers his destiny and sufferings in
the cup Can you drink of the cup?
To share cup was to share in struggle to bring about reign of God …suffering
An aside (not really) As Eucharistic
Minister… Do we have courage
to offer the cup? Sharing in solidarity
with victims of this world
Announce the hopes and sufferings of our community
Can we drink of the cup?
Cup of Blessing Is not the cup of
blessing that we bless, a participation in the blood of Christ? (I Cor 10:16)
I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. (Ps 116:3)
Cup of Blessing A celebration and thanksgiving Celebration of the reign of God
among us As we offer to take cup, do our lives
reflect the joy and peace of the reign of God?
Joys and sufferings of our world poured into us
Significance of the cup Cup is where suffering and blessing
come together Helps us imagine a reconciled world A symbol of hope, of mingling and
sharing Redemptive and transformative
aspects of drinking form the cup
RECONCILIATIONThemes of Precious Blood Spirituality
Reconciliation Spirituality of Precious Blood is about
a willingness to enter into suffering with others Through suffering comes new life
Reconciliation is “bringing people and relationships into proper perspective”
Reconciliation is...
…bringing people and things into their proper relationship
Fr. Barry Fischer, C.PP.S.Former Moderator General of C.PP.S.
Bridging the gap
The blood of Abel cries out from the ground
Peter denies Jesus16th – 17th Century paintings
Peter receives keys to Kingdom of Heaven
Themes of Reconciliation* Dignity & Identity Memory & Truth Resurrection
*Robert Schreiter, C.PP.S. The Ministry of Reconciliation
Dignity and Identity
Return to wholeness “hurt” doesn’t have same power
Recovery of identity and worth as created in image of God
In communities… restoration of relationships
Memory and Truth Truth lies at heart of reconciliation Distorted memories often
masquerade as truth past cannot be ignored It’s not “forgive and forget”
Lies must be confronted
Forgiveness?
Cannot forgive and forget Both a process and decision
Process of becoming free from the past acknowledging wounds & memory
Decision for a different future change of the victim’s relationship to the
deed’s ongoing effects to the survivor’s rejection of the trajectory of the traumatic event
Resurrection
For Christians this seems to be keyThe hope that “something good can
come from this”A transformation, which still bears
“wounds” Original harmony between God and
humanity restored
Reincorporation
Relationship is different E.g., Peter’s denial of Jesus E.g., when teenagers were late for
curfew – took a while to restore trust
Establish conditions so that this will not happen again
Difficult when wrongdoer does not acknowledge guilt But, can’t let the
hurt consume us No longer a victim,
but a survivor The hurt doesn’t
have the same power
Can happen even if there is no admission of guilt
SOME CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES
RwandaNickel MinesRestorative Justice
Rwandan Genocides
What is best wayto bring about reconciliation? Passage of time Cultural issues
E.g., Rwandan children to draw feelings of trauma
Nickel Mines, PA (2006) Think of the forgiveness of the Amish after
the brutal murders of their children "If you have Jesus in your heart and he has
forgiven you … [how] can you not forgive other people?"
When asked if Roberts‘ [the murder’s] wife would still be welcome in the community, one person said he believed she would, adding she would be welcome even at the funerals for the dead girls.
Restorative Justice Begins in 1990s Seeks to reconcile victims and
perpetrators by: focus on transforming wrongdoing
by healing the harm, involving all stakeholders, and transforming the traditional
relationship between communities and their governments in responding to crime.
Restorative Justice Assumption that crimes or violations
are committed against real individuals, rather than against the state.
Advocates restitution to the victim by the offender rather than retribution by the state against the offender. Precious Blood Ministry of
Reconciliation
PBMR
To hear cry of the Blood In alienated relationships
reconciliation--building community
In impoverished areas around us Blood speaks of Life On a very practical level
Contemporary Context
Interdependence? gap between rich and poor get larger ethnic group against ethnic group those with access to self-improvement and those
excluded
New Covenant offers a new vision: No one is excluded from God’s goodness For us--how would north/south relations look?
Contemporary Context Redemptive suffering
only when connected to greater good or tied to larger story of God’s action in history
Jesus’ suffering betrayal by friends humiliation abandonment
A sign of liberation--suffering can be turned into redemptive ends
Contemporary Context
Vision of reconciliation world gets smaller and yet. . . Conflicts abound
Vision is not restoring world to former state but a transformed world
Something that can be applicable no matter where we are
Challenges Create zone of safety &
hospitality Accompany people on road to
reconciliation Commitment to truth Communities of memory and
hope