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Deuteronomy 15:20 "You shall eat [the firstling male of your herd and flock], you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place which the Lord will choose."

 

I have heard people ask, and I myself used to question, why God wanted the sacrifice of so many animals in the Old Testament. But I came to realize that these sacrifices are not something He wants for Himself (He needs nothing), but a way to bring His people further into communion with Him. The sacrifice that we in the modern Church eat in His presence, that of His Son's Body and Blood, we call Holy Communion for this very reason. 

 

The sacrifice of the firstborn male of every flock and herd was to be done at the place the Lord designated. By setting aside these animals from the moment of their birth, keeping them ready for the sacrifice, and performing the sacrifice at the time and place that God commanded, the people would be constantly reminded that God was with them and providing for them; they would associate their sustenance and blessings with God's love and protection; they would remember that He is the source of their lives and everything they have. 

 

We remember these very same things at every Mass, where the Son once again sacrifices Himself for us, and we all partake of His Body and Blood. When we bring our bread and wine to the altar, before it has been consecrated, the priest remembers and reminds us that everything comes from Him, saying, "Through Your goodness we have received the bread we offer You", and likewise the wine.

 

At every Mass, we are blessed to receive something so much greater than what the early Jews had, we receive God Himself, who has made the ultimate sacrifice for us. But like the Jews before Jesus' sacrifice, we are at the same time reminded how much He loves and cares for us, and that everything comes from Him.