{"id":402,"date":"2024-06-03T14:39:26","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T18:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/searchencounterrejoice\/?p=402"},"modified":"2025-05-06T10:22:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T14:22:17","slug":"drink-from-it-all-of-you-scientific-reasons-to-do-so","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/searchencounterrejoice\/2024\/06\/drink-from-it-all-of-you-scientific-reasons-to-do-so\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDrink from it, all of you\u201d: Science supports Jesus’ words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/a>

There is a beautiful theology explaining the spiritual rationale for drinking the blood of Christ. | Shared Cup of Jesus\u2019 Blood Shutterstock: 2288608377<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the Last Supper, Jesus blessed the bread and wine, inviting His friends to \u201cdrink from it\u201d (Matthew 26:27<\/a>). Likewise, at Mass, the priest consecrates the wine, blessing it and inviting the faithful to drink from it.<\/p>\n

If you attend Mass regularly, you may have noticed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, churches stopped offering the consecrated wine\u2014the blood of Christ. This was presumably done to prevent the spread of germs. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, churches rarely serve the consecrated wine.<\/p>\n

Theology of drinking the blood of Christ<\/strong><\/h2>\n \ There is a beautiful theology explaining the spiritual rationale for drinking the blood of Christ. For example, drinking the blood of Christ is a sacrament. Christ is present to us in a special way when we participate in this sacrament. Moreover, we experience a deeper union with Christ by consuming His precious blood.<\/p>\n \ The science of drinking the blood of Christ<\/strong><\/h2>\n \ Not surprisingly, since 1) science is the study of creation and 2) God is the author of creation, we find that science supports this theology. That\u2019s right, biological and psychological findings demonstrate the benefits of sharing the consecrated wine\u2014the blood of Christ.<\/p>\n \ Sharing\u2026germs!<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n \ First, research continues to reveal the benefits of a healthy gut microbiome\u2014the collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in your digestive system. Research shows, for example, that a diverse and healthy gut microbiome is related to better mood, mental health, well-being, cognition, and social interactions (e.g. de Vries et al., 2022). Did you notice that you were getting sick more often after COVID-19 social distancing requirements were lifted? Well, that\u2019s at least partially because during the pandemic, we set ourselves apart from others\u2019 germs, thereby reducing the health of our gut microbiome. By sharing in the cup of Christ\u2019s blood, we unite not only with Christ, but with others\u2014in a unique way. We exchange germs. That\u2019s right\u2014this exchange of germs facilitates a healthy gut microbiome- fostering wellness in us and others. In other words, drink from the chalice and help strengthen the Body of Christ.<\/p>\n \ Share in each other\u2019s sufferings<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n \ When we drink from the cup of Blood, we not only get a portion of each others\u2019 germs, but we also get a portion of each others\u2019 sufferings. We all drink the Blood of Christ, thereby sharing in His sufferings\u2014which are the sufferings of all humanity. Thus, this sacramental act unites us not only to Christ, but to others as well\u2014through shared suffering. When we understand others\u2019 sufferings, we can be more empathetic; and empathetic communication has been shown to foster countless benefits (Howick et al., 2018). Moreover, when we share in each others\u2019 sufferings, we become more aware of potential solutions and thus, can work more productively towards alleviating suffering for all.<\/p>\n \ Remembering Jesus\u2019 sacrifice<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n \ Finally, we remember Jesus\u2019 sacrifice and love for us when we drink from the chalice. Research shows that acts of virtue\u2014the ultimate act of virtue being, in the Catholic perspective, Jesus\u2019 sacrifice on the cross\u2014elicits a self-transcendent emotion called elevation. When we experience elevation, we feel a positive mood and a desire to become a better person. Drinking the blood of Christ helps us recall His sacrifice and thus, may lead to feelings of elevation.<\/p>\n \ Drink from it<\/strong><\/h2>\n \ So, you may consider drinking from the cup of Blood\u2014if it\u2019s offered, that is. The Church also has guidelines about how to prepare to receive the Blood of Christ, such as receiving the sacrament of Baptism and preparing to receive your first Holy Confession\u2014if you haven\u2019t done so yet. With this preparation and sharing in the Blood of Christ, you\u2019ll be brought into the messy, struggling, jumble of humanity\u2014germs, sufferings, and more; yet with this, you\u2019ll experience renewed health through the redemption of Christ.<\/p>\n \ \nReferences<\/h2>\n \ de Vries, L. P., van de Weijer, M. P., & Bartels, M. (2022). The human physiology of well-being: A systematic review on the association between neurotransmitters, hormones, inflammatory markers, the microbiome and well-being. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews<\/em>, 139<\/em>, 104733.<\/p>\n \ Howick, J., Moscrop, A., Mebius, A., Fanshawe, T. R., Lewith, G., Bishop, F. L., \u2026 & Onakpoya, I. J. (2018). Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine<\/em>, 111<\/em>(7), 240-252.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \ During the Last Supper, Jesus blessed the bread and wine, inviting His friends to \u201cdrink from it\u201d (Matthew 26:27). Likewise, at Mass, the priest consecrates the wine, blessing it and inviting the faithful to drink from it. If you attend Mass regularly, you may have noticed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, churches stopped offering the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5276,"featured_media":405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[195,192,198,204,201,189],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-blood","tag-christ","tag-mass","tag-microbiome","tag-sacrament","tag-shared-suffering"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cDrink from it, all of you\u201d: Science supports Jesus' words<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not surprisingly, since 1) science is the study of creation and 2) God is the author of creation, we find that science supports this theology.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/searchencounterrejoice\/2024\/06\/drink-from-it-all-of-you-scientific-reasons-to-do-so\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cDrink from it, all of you\u201d: Science supports Jesus' words\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Not surprisingly, since 1) science is the study of creation and 2) God is the author of creation, we find that science supports this theology.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/searchencounterrejoice\/2024\/06\/drink-from-it-all-of-you-scientific-reasons-to-do-so\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Search. 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