Jesus Christ came into this world to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice, shedding his blood on the cross for the salvation of all sinners, living and dead (CCC 632), as part of God the Father’s salvific plan for us (CCC 601).
We can observe this salvific plan from the beginning of time in the fall of humanity when God warns the serpent of the enmity between his offspring and the offspring of Eve (Genesis 3:14-15).
Just like this, we have many other references in the old testament prefiguring Jesus.
Isaac carries the wood to build the altar, when on the way he asks his father Abraham where the lamb is for the sacrifice; he continues to accompany and obey his father when he had already realized that it was himself, who would be the sacrifice to God (Genesis 22:6-9). So also Jesus Christ, carries the wooden cross for his own sacrifice (John 19:17), obeying the will of his heavenly Father (Mark 14:36).
When the Israelite people in the exodus from Egypt begin to speak against God, they are attacked by snakes in the desert, God tells Moses to raise a bronze serpent on a banner and whoever has been bitten by a snake, should turn to see said banner and would not die (Numbers 21:4-9), so also Jesus was raised on the cross, those who fix their eyes on Jesus Christ and believe in Him, will not suffer eternal death (John 3:14)
Another reference in the history of salvation is the story of Jonah, who was inside a big fish for three days (Jonah 1:17), then, coming out of it, he went to Nineveh to do the will of God. Also Jesus Christ was in darkness and on the third day he came out of it through his resurrection (Luke 24:6-7) to redeem the world following God’s salvific plan.
We also have one of the greatest references in the salvation of the Israelite people in the first Passover, where they were saved from death by having the mark of the blood of the spotless lamb on their doors (Exodus 2:13) and consuming their meat accompanied by the unleavened bread (Exodus 2:8), so is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who by his blood shed on the cross opened the door to the Kingdom of Heaven for us, who frees us from the death of sin through his body and blood that we consume in the paschal banquet that is offered to us in each mass.
Let us faithfully attend Mass, recognizing God’s salvific plan announced from the beginning of time and through the scriptures in our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we receive every time we enter in communion with Jesus through the Holy Eucharist.