Moses ordaining Aaron as High Priest of All Israel Perhaps the
least understood element of in true Old Testament Judaism (as
practiced by Moses) is the liturgical offering of animal
sacrifice. Blood sacrifice was the central element of the
precepts Moses because it was instituted in anticipation of the
Cross of Christ. All the Apostles and Church Fathers stress that
animal blood sacrifice was a preparation for the bloody
sacrifice of Christ on the altar of the holy cross. Moreover,
the sacrifice endures through time through the unbloody
sacrifice of the Holy Mass, so that Holy Sacrifice of the Cross
and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are one and the same. So when
Catholic priests today enter the sanctuary and kiss the altar,
they kiss the cross of Christ. Incidentally, His Holiness Pope
Benedict XVI has asked that a crucifix be always placed on the
altar so as to better signify this mystery to the priest and to
the people. We must be ever mindful that the altar is the locus
of sacrifice. The sacrificial blood