Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

NEWTOWN—For a young Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, the sight of blood was enough for him to feel faint. But as he got older, he began to realize just how essential it was to life—and, as Christians, to our eventual eternal life.

The bishop reflected on exactly this at a Votive Mass of the Precious Blood, which kicked off the Greater Danbury Eucharistic Procession at St. Rose of Lima Parish on October 29. He said our lives would not be possible without our blood, which carries nutrients and oxygen, and is most of the time unseen.

Bishop Caggiano noted that our Jewish brothers and sisters recognized the importance of blood, and on the occasions they would sin, they’d need to sacrifice an animal to remit that sin.

Also: View full transcript and video of the Bishop’s homily

“They understood what we understand in our own age: that the penalty for serious sin is death,” the bishop said. “It is its natural consequence. And so when sin occurs or is committed, there needs to be an atonement. There needs to be forgiveness. And so, in the ancient practice, animals will sacrifice so that their blood could pay the penalty and make atonement for the sins of God’s people.”

The blood of the innocent animal, in the words of Bishop Caggiano, would not only become a vehicle of life, but an invitation to greater life. And that is exactly what Jesus Christ did for us in his sacrifice on the cross, and what we celebrate every time we attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The bishop recalled the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, reflecting that just one drop of Christ’s blood being shed was enough to redeem all of creation.

“What we are celebrating in a re-presentation of grace of the one act freely given, where Christ became the Paschal Lamb,” Bishop Caggiano said. “He took the place of the animals of the Old Covenant, and he freely shed his life and his blood so that our sins might be remitted … This sacrifice has liberated us from the penalty that would naturally be ours, and it is the doorway into a greater life: a life of glory, and eternal life.”

By Rose Brennan

Photos by Amy Mortensen

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is an essential part not only of Catholic life, but also is the foundation of the Greater Danbury Eucharistic Procession. Each day of the procession, Mass will be celebrated at least once (three times on November 1, All Saints Day). And every time Mass is celebrated, ordinary bread and wine will become the Body and Blood of Christ, which will then be displayed and adored at various events throughout the greater Danbury area.

And each time Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, we will remember Christ’s greatest gift for us.

“Christ freely gave his life, shed his blood in sacrifice not simply to atone for our sins and to pay the penalty for us so we could be freed and healed and forgiven, but he also revealed to the world the great power of love,” Bishop Caggiano said. “As depicted in the sacrifice on the cross, this is the greatest act of love the world has ever seen. And it is so precisely because it was total self-gift—not because we merited it, not because we’re worthy of it, not because we’ve earned it, but simply for sheer grace.”

In the days to come, the faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport will have the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice Christ made for them on the cross. In that sacrifice, he redeemed all of creation. But to whom much is given, much is also expected.

“We come here not simply to enter into the mystery of his death and resurrection and to have the opportunity to be freed from the penalties that are ours, but we also come here to be fed, so that we might love as he did—to love in total self-gift, to love in perfect sacrifice, to love so that there is nothing else to give,” the bishop said. “And in return, we have everything.”

The Greater Danbury Eucharistic Procession will run through November 2 in Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield and Newtown. For a complete list of procession events, visit www.bridgeportdiocese.org/eucharist-procession/home.