Blood is life! Even in this day and age we have blood donation drives because blood saves lives. How precious is it then that the Lord our God from the Old Testament (“But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life” Deut. 12:23) to the New, would use blood first as a symbol first thereafter offer us His own life-giving blood as a new covenant. The sprinkling of blood on His people enjoining the Lord our God with His people in a new God-given life.
Today we arise to new life in Him each time we receive Holy Eucharist, body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ Jesus our Lord! For He said to Martha and all of us,”I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
Save us Saviour of the world, for by Your Cross and Resurrection You have set us free. Amen
Saint Martha pray for us…
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First reading
Exodus 24:3-8 ·
This is the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you
Moses went and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. In answer, all the people said with one voice, ‘We will observe all the commands that the Lord has decreed.’ Moses put all the commands of the Lord into writing, and early next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve standing-stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he directed certain young Israelites to offer holocausts and to immolate bullocks to the Lord as communion sacrifices. Half of the blood Moses took up and put into basins, the other half he cast on the altar. And taking the Book of the Covenant he read it to the listening people, and they said, ‘We will observe all that the Lord has decreed; we will obey.’ Then Moses took the blood and cast it towards the people. This’ he said ‘is the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you, containing all these rules.’
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Gospel
John 11:19-27
I am the resurrection and the life
Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:
‘I am the resurrection and the life.
If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?’
‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’
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