When you wash yourself with something, you basically state it is clean, and it is removes dirt on you. But it is not only cleansing yourself, but also "putting on" that which cleansed you. One does not wash oneself with something foul, but instead with something that refreshes and leaves a lovely scent.
Robes washed with blood seems visually unappealing, but blood is the symbol of life. Jews, muslims, and Christians see blood with sacredness. And in today's reading, it is not only ordinary blood, but the Lamb's that cleansed their robes, thus underlining that only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us. Without His death on the Cross, there is nothing that could clean us -- i.e. His death that is the ultimate sacrifice for our redemption, and His resurrection that crushed death forever for us.
But if we mean Jesus' life when we speak of His blood, we need to look at His life to show us the Way, too. The road to the cross and resurrection, is, as Jesus said, filled with sacrifice and pain; worse than foxes with holes and birds with nest, it seems. Thus, to wash ourselves with His blood and to put Him on, is to live His life. Does that mean the Christian life is a sad life?
The Gospel leads us to the beatitudes, that is, the ultimate blessedness. In them we realize that real happiness is found not in the material things we have, the power we possess, or the fame that we may have. It is rather found in the complete giving of oneself for the sake of God and of others, without asking for anything in return.
It is counter intuitive to what the world teaches, but if all joy comes from God, than He is the only reliable guide to how we gain life to the fullest. The world will always teach us otherwise, but God will always tell us that it is only when we give ourselves fully to Him and to others that we our life is realized and fulfilled.
Lost? Empty? Uncertain of where to go? Let Jesus' blood fill your life and lead you to give yourself to others, just as He did for us.
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