When you think you cannot go on, you can’t do it, you can’t bear it or forgive it,…

It was by the shedding of Christ’s Blood that we are redeemed. The smallest of drops of the Precious Blood of Christ is our sinful race’s ransom, and now our guerdon unto hope for Heaven.

Special veneration of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord is by now a long-standing tradition during the month of July.

There is a Feast of the Most Precious Blood in the Roman Church’s traditional calendar, leading the way into the second half of the year on the 1st day of the 7th month. However, it was removed from general calendar by Paul VI, supposedly because Christ’s Blood is already venerated enough through the feasts of Corpus Christi, the Sacred Heart, and the Exaltation of the Cross. I’m unconvinced.

Neither do I think that St Gaspar del Bufalo is impressed with that decision. As I write, I have with me his 1st Class relic, ex ossibus. With Fr. Francesco Albertini, St Gasper founded a Confraternity of the Precious Blood at the Roman Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere, where I served for some years, directed a choir, and was ordained to the diaconate. With Gaspar we rightly exclaim: “I wish that I could have a thousand tongues, to endear every heart to the Precious Blood of Jesus.”

Christ shed his Blood for the forgiveness of our sins and our reconciliation with God. If He, in whose image and likeness we are made, will do that for us, and renew that for us on our altars, then how much more should we be willing to do that for each other.

Weigh also that, though we all may be different in height or sex or shape of eye and color of skin, we all bleed the same red Our Savior bled for our sins. Our unifying human blood, divinely infused, courses ruddy within His Sacred Heart, His risen veins.

As July streams on turn your own life’s blood-beating heart towards the Most Precious Blood of Christ. His beating and dying Heart, His flowing and draining blood, is liquid forgiveness.

Ask Mary, who bore His Heart beneath her heart, whose Blood is in His veins, to help change your heart.

When you think you cannot go on, you can’t do it, you can’t bear it or forgive it, let the Sacred Heart of Jesus lend the heavy pulsing you need to get through.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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3 Comments

  1. Charles E Flynn says:

    I went to confession recently at the St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center in Boston. The priest mentioned that there are many litanies, but only six are approved by the Church. This one was assigned as penance. A convenient printout was provided:

    Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

  2. redneckpride4ever says:

    Thank you so much for this post. My father went to meet our Lord yesterday at about 4:30 pm. This truly touched my heart to read. Thank you Father.

  3. JonPatrick says:

    @Charles E Flynn that little chapel is a peaceful oasis in the hurly burly of a bustling area of Boston. It is nice to be able to go in there and spend some time with our Lord. We stopped in there on our last visit and attended Mass.

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