Cult of the Precious Blood of Christ
In reflections before the Angelus prayer on July 1, 2001,Saint John Paul II recalled: The month of July begins today, which popular tradition has dedicated to the contemplation of Christ's Precious Blood, unfathomable mystery of love and mercy. The Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Galatians that "For freedom Christ has set us free" (Gal 5:1). This freedom has a high price: it is the life and blood of the Redeemer. Yes! Christ's Blood is the price God paid to free humanity from the slavery of sin and death. The Blood of Christ is the undeniable proof of the heavenly Father's love for all men, without exception. All this was well emphasized by Saint John XXIII, who had a devotion to the Blood of the Lord from childhood, when he heard the appropriate litany recited in his family. Once elected Pope, he wrote an Apostolic Letter to promote this devotion (Inde a primis, June 30, 1959), inviting the faithful to meditate on the infinite value of that Blood, "a single drop of which can save the whole world from every sin" (Hymn: Adoro Te devote)”.
Devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus
For the believer, the blood of Christ is above all a sign of God's love for man. For any sign to have an effect, it must first be noticed, then read, and finally answered. What is it the sign of the Savior's Blood shed?
1. Natural sign
In various situations of ordinary life, we encounter blood or its symbolism. A direct encounter with blood is always accompanied by a kind of human movement. On the one hand, blood can be a deterrent when it is related to the natural life cycle or when it is a manifestation of a disease. On the other hand, the blood of a wounded person is understood as a cry for rescue, and the gift of blood for the wounded person is tantamount to saving his life. It is no coincidence that the posters of the Red Cross sometimes bear the slogan: "Blood is life". Finally, the blood shed can be a proof of love for the homeland and for another person, or a belief in accepted values or faith (cf. blood of martyrs).
2. The biblical sign
In the Bible, blood is primarily synonymous with the life of every creature; hence the prohibition of eating blood (Dt 12:23), as an expression of respect for life - the gift and property of God. The blood of animal sacrifices in the Old Testament is, in turn, a sign of God's union with man, an expression of atonement for sins and reconciliation with God. The blood of circumcision confirms a covenant with God. One of the most important meanings of blood is found in the history of the Exodus of the Chosen People from Egypt, where the blood of the Paschal lamb protects the Israelites and saves them from death (Exodus 12:13) because they belong to God. The Old Testament’s announcement is fulfilled by the sacrifice of Christ, "the true Lamb who pouring out his own dear Blood, wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness." (cf. Easter message). His blood truly "sanctifies the houses of believers" (cf. Easter message). For a Christian, the Blood of Christ is a sign of God's love for man, the removing out of original sin (1 Pet 1: 18f), liberation from death and sin, liberation from the reign of Satan, as well as a source of health and life through Christ's Resurrection. The first stage of life in the Blood of Christ, related to piety, invites us to be grateful for life saving (salvation) and for paying for sins (redemption) and to follow the Savior in his love (cf. 1 Jn. 4:11), offering our life together with His blood (cf. Col 1:24).
3. Liturgical sign
The Church has always expressed faith in the power of the Blood of the Lamb, which continues to function above all in the sacraments, where she frees from original sin and introduces into a covenant with God (baptism), strengthens the gift of the Holy Spirit to bear witness (confirmation), unites with God in the sacrament of making present His saving sacrifice (Eucharist), cleanses from sins and reconciles (penance and reconciliation), strengthens the path of suffering and heals (anointing the sick), sanctifies the love of spouses (marriage) and instills in Christ the Head, enabling him to distribute His gifts in the service to the People of God (priesthood).
Tradition has left us a legacy of many prayers and devotions in honor of the " The Seven Shedding of Jesus' Blood", which are practiced to this day individually and in different groups: litany, rosary to the blood of Christ, novena of the seven offerings, etc. They are an individual and communal expression of piety to the Price of our Salvation.
4. "A sign of hope and an encouragement to act"
In the encyclical "Evangelium Vitae", the Holy Father Saint John Paul II, referring to the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4: 2-16), reminds that “The blood of every other human being who has been killed since Abel is also a voice raised to the Lord. In an absolutely singular way, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, the voice of the blood of Christ, of whom Abel in his innocence is a prophetic figure, cries out to God. (…)This blood, which flows from the pierced side of Christ on the Cross (cf. Jn. 19:34), "speaks more graciously" than the blood of Abel; indeed, it expresses and requires a more radical "justice", and above all it implores mercy, it makes intercession for the brethren before the Father (cf. Heb. 7:25), and it is the source of perfect redemption and the gift of new life. (…) The blood of Christ, while it reveals the grandeur of the Father's love, shows how precious man is in God's eyes and how priceless the value of his life. (EV 25). The Blood of Christ invites every believer not only to be grateful for the gift of redemption in his own life, to adore and receive this Gift in the sacraments, but also to notice the blood flowing today in the wounds of humanity and to respond to this "blood cry" through an attitude of concrete love towards the needy, protection of life, respect for the dignity of every human being, service to reconciliation. Only such commitment allows us to speak of the mature spirituality of the Blood of Christ.
Pius IX by the decree "Redempti sumus" of August 10, 1849, extended to the whole Church the Feast of the Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was celebrated continuously on the first Sunday in June. Pope Pius X was the one who, in 1914, set the date for the liturgical celebrations on July 1. On account of the Jubilee Year, on April 15, 1934, Pius XI raised these celebrations to the level of Solemnity. Saint Paul VI, with the Calendar reform, associated it with the feast of "Corpus Domini", which from then on is celebrated throughout the Church as the "Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ." Congregations, which live according to the spirituality of the Blood of Christ, do, however, celebrate the MOST DEAR BLOOD OF CHRIST on July 1 as a Solemnity. And in popular tradition the month of July is dedicated to the contemplation of Christ's Precious Blood.
Blood of Christ, only begotten Son of the Eternal Father, Save us.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george