The Tabernacle and...

Today’s first reading essentially expands upon the theme of the unsurpassable superiority of the new covenant in Christ.

For Catholics, the word “tabernacle” in this reading rings a special bell, yet the physical container isn’t the most important thing.

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross in his own body and blood was indeed “once for all” but it is made present again in the Eucharist. We experience this most fully in the celebration and the reception of the Eucharist, but we also experience it and worship the Lord Jesus in a special way through both our quiet prayers and our communal celebrations focusing on the Eucharist outside of Mass.

This Year of the Eucharist might be a good opportunity for each of us to think about ways in which we can deepen our devotion to the Lord in his body and blood to “cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.”