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