On the Day of Atonement

Karen Popp explains how St. Paul connects the ancient Jewish Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Popp notes that during Yom Kippur, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, known as the propitiatory, was sprinkled with animal blood to symbolically bring sins before God for forgiveness. While this rite expressed a desire to cast sins into divine mercy, Popp writes that animal blood did not achieve true expiation.

According to Popp, St. Paul suggests that a more direct contact between human sin and divine love was necessary. This contact occurred on the Cross, where Christ serves as the point of contact between human suffering and divine mercy to renew life.