Dear PJ:

Leviticus 17:11 answers your question. Life is in the blood, not only literally, but metaphorically as spiritual life, and also ritually.

There has always been a notion of blood as life. Ancient pagan cultures often drank blood for a variety of reasons, but usually surrounding the notion of life, spirit, force.

To give one's life is to shed blood. Animals in the sacrifices of ancient Israel shed their blood in their rituals looking forward to Jesus, the paschal Lamb, who died for us (shed his blood) on the Cross.

The reason for Jesus' sacrifice is that disobedience to God (sin) brings spiritual death. Spiritual death is the penalty for sin. This is part of God's economy. There has to be someone to pay the penalty of death for sin. Jesus paid that penalty for us with his own death (shedding of blood) and thus redeemed man and gave us the opportunity for eternal life.

All this is about God establishing His Sacrament. A Sacrament is a visible manifestation of an invisible reality. Here we have the shedding of blood that is the visible manifestation of invisible spiritual reality that sin brings death and that someone must pay that penalty for us so we do not have to suffer that penalty.

There are many anologies in life. For example, a group of soldiers are standing close together. An enemy soldier throws a grenade amongst them. One of the soldiers falls on the grenade sacrificing himself to save the lives of his comrades.

Another example is St. Maximilian Kolbe who in the Camps saved the life of a family man who was going to be executed by the Nazi soldier by substituting himself for the man with the family.

That is why the death of Jesus is called a "substitutionary sacrifice." He substituted himself to suffer the penalty so we could live.

That substitution can only be accomplished by the shedding of blood, since death (spiritual death) is the penalty of sin. Again, this is a Sacrament -- physical death is the visible manifestation of the invisible reality of spiritual death. When we acknowledge this fact that Christ died for our sins, make a profession of faith and accept the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, and Eucharist we receive the gift of eternal life.

All this is possible because of the shedding of blood (death) of someone who took the penalty of death (a Sacramental death) for us.

His blood, and His flesh, is now the food of everlasting life.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary