His Most Precious Blood: the Most Beautiful Essence and Odor of Sanctity

Credit: Support the Priests and the Catholic Church FB page.

Fr. Poissons, FSSP, gave an amazing sermon today, and I thought I would share the overview here. On this sixth Sunday after Pentecost, the Epistle for today speaks of being dead in Christ by Baptism, yet alive in Christ Jesus by His Resurrection, and the Gospel is Mark's relating of our Lord's feeding of the four thousand.

Father used these readings to give an utterly perfect explication of the Precious Blood of Jesus, and reality of the Sacrifice of the Mass. It was the most perfect sermon on the Precious Blood I have ever heard, and given I have read some of the works of Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood, this was edifying and impressive. Father's main thrust:

Jesus very specifically chose to make present His Body and His Blood in two distinct forms. He could have chosen to make His Body and Blood present solely in the bread at the Last Supper, and could have easily made the wine His Body and Blood, but chosen specifically to use, and change, the offering of the priest Melchizedek - bread and wine - in a perfect way, so as to represent the Sacrifice of His Body, and the shedding of His Precious Blood, which are two aspects of His Sacrifice.

Father went into the punishments of Christ's Body, and the shedding of His Blood during this Passion, leading to the final shedding of His Blood upon the Cross. In this way the two forms, or species, so more perfectly reflect the reality of His Sacrifice upon the Cross - the punishment and beating of His Body, and the shedding of His Most Precious Blood.

We have always believed, in thought and word, in transubstantiation by annihilation, that is the utter and complete destruction of the substances of bread and wine, leaving only the substance of His glorified Body, Blood, soul and Divinity in species in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in this our Lord gives to us the most glorious aspect of reality now, the presence of God, physically, here and now upon our altars and in the tabernacles of the Most High.

Christ perpetuates His being slain upon the Cross in the Mass, and we must reflect always on the infinite gift, and infinite sadness, that we witness and participate in the re-presentation of our Lord's Sacrifice for us. 

Father then spoke of our Lord's Most Precious Blood being the sprinkling upon the lintel's of our souls, the Blood of our Passover Lamb, and even though in the natural plane we are often repulsed by the sight or smell of blood, which has almost a stench to it, by our Lord's Crucifixion and emptying of Himself of His Blood upon the Cross, His shed Blood has the most beautiful essence and odor of Sanctity. It's sweetness is beyond measure, and we must always praise Him with gracious hearts for having sprinkled our souls with the sweetness and sanctity of His Most Precious Blood.

The sermon was perfection in clarity, given with great force and love. The rest of the Mass, as even a low Mass, was permeated by the reality of our Lord's Body and Blood being made present again.