The Old Testament high priests had to continually offer sacrifices of various animals for the sins of the Israelites. The sanctuary they used was a shadow of the holy heavenly realm, but it wasn’t actually Heaven. Jesus, on the other hand, offered a truly heavenly sacrifice on our behalf. This week’s passage from Hebrews emphasizes that distinction.
For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf, 25 and not in order that he can offer himself many times, as the high priest enters into the sanctuary year by year with blood not his own, 26 since it would have been necessary for him to suffer many times from the foundation of the world, but now he has appeared once at the end of the ages for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this, judgment, 28 thus also Christ, having been offered once in order to bear the sins of many, will appear for the second time without reference to sin to those who eagerly await him for salvation. — Heb 9:24–28
Our Eucharistic prayer in the Mass includes this statement from Thomas Cranmer (who authored the First Book of Common Prayer) regarding the finality of Christ’s sacrifice, and dates back to Edward VI:
All praise and glory is yours, O God our heavenly Father, for in your tender mercy, you gave your only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. He made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world; and he instituted, and in his Holy Gospel commanded us to continue, a perpetual memory of his precious death and sacrifice, until his coming again.
The veil that existed between God and his people in the Old Testament times was torn asunder during Jesus’ crucifixion; we now have direct access to God himself through Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. The sacrifice for our sins has been made on our behalf, once for all time.
By the way, verse 27 shows the rejection of reincarnation as part of human existence, Shirley MacLaine notwithstanding, and refutes the popular claim that the Bible doesn’t say anything about the topic.
And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this, judgment… — Heb 9:27
That sacrifice by Jesus for our sins and his subsequent resurrection are cause for celebration, not sadness. That’s why we call it “celebrating” the Eucharist and refer to the person behind the table as the “celebrant.”
In fact, the early church forbade kneeling on Sundays, and no kneeling was done during the Mass as it seemed to be a somber, penitent position rather than the joyful one expected at a celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
I hope to see you all at the celebration Sunday!
Your Brother in Christ,
Fr. Austin