1 Corinthians Commentary

BLOOD DONATION: A UNIFYING ACT

BY DR. JOHN ARMITAGE

Giving blood is a transcendent act that celebrates the unity we all enjoy by virtue of our shared, physical natures. Through a miracle of human biology, we are able to give part of ourselves to someone else in act of healing. This is a distant representation or echo of the Communion Sacrament that Paul highlights as a bodily action of sharing that symbolizes our spiritual oneness in Christ.

The gift of blood provides a universal benefit because it could be transfused to essentially anyone. Recipients are not excluded based on age, gender, location, income, race, religion, ethnicity, infirmity, or any other categorization.

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are of one body, for we all share one loaf.

1 Corinthians 10: 16-17

When matching donors and patients, all people are sorted into only eight major blood groups (A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+, and AB-). In emergencies, it drops to four because the Rh type can generally be ignored. By comparison, there are many thousands of tissue (“HLA”) types for purposes of organ and tissue transplantation.

Giving blood is a broadly inclusive activity open to everyone aged 16 or older who meets the health screening requirements. There are no barriers based on income, education, talents, experience, strength, or other descriptors not linked to blood safety.