In July, the feast of the Precious Blood of Jesus
" May contemporary humanity experience the power of the Blood of Christ ".
Pope Benedict XVI
The month of July is especially dedicated to the cult of the Precious Blood of Christ , the blood he shed during his painful Passion. It is the source of our salvation. The Lord saved us by shedding it. The sacrament of the Eucharist has been celebrating Christ's love and giving thanks to the Precious Blood for 2,000 years. This month is therefore an opportunity to pray the rosary , litanies or a novena . Prayers to the Precious Blood are particularly powerful. Jesus refuses nothing to those who pray through his Passion.
The origins of the feast of the Precious Blood
The first doctor of the Precious Blood, St. Paul , declared "By him, and not by the blood of bulls and goats, have we been redeemed; it is by his own Blood that Christ entered the Holy of Holies once and for all, having acquired eternal redemption.".
Since then, this cult has spanned the centuries, supported by saints such asSt. Catherine of Siena , St. Gaspard del Bufalo, who devoted his entire life to it, and Mary Magdalene of Pazzi.
But the cult took a real turn in 1850, when Pope Pius IX officially established it as a feast day, and again in 1934, when Pope XI raised it to the rank of " double of the feast day". elevated it to the rank of "double first class", meaning that it is one of the Church's most important feasts.
The choice of July is no coincidence. Indeed, this month marks "one of the Church's most dazzling victories". The Feast of the Precious Blood is a way of celebrating this victory. In 1848, the Roman Revolution established a republic in the Papal States. France and Austria drove out the revolutionaries, and Pius IX, who had been forced to flee, was able to regain his pontifical power. The Pope entrusted the Church to the Lord, establishing the Feast of the Precious Blood on the first Sunday in July, recalling that it was for this Church that Christ had shed his blood.
Unfortunately, the July 1st feast was removed from the liturgical calendar in 1970. Christians are therefore invited to celebrate the Precious Blood throughout the month.
However, in the Church of All Nations in Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem's Old City, the feast of the Precious Blood is still celebrated on July 1. It's the only church. Finally, the only congregation to have obtained permission from the Holy See to keep the feast of the Precious Blood on July 1 are the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood, whose motherhouse is in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.
Gospel of the Precious Blood
"As it was the day of Preparation (i.e. Friday), the bodies were not to be left on the crosses on the Sabbath, especially as the Sabbath was the great day of the Passover. So the Jews asked Pilate to remove the bodies after breaking their legs.
So the soldiers went to break the legs of the first, and then the other man crucified with Jesus.
When they came to Jesus, seeing that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers pierced his side with his spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
He who has seen testifies, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he speaks the truth, so that you too may believe."
Gospel according to Saint John 31-35
Prayers to the Precious Blood of Jesus
Prayer to the Precious Blood to ask forgiveness for our sins
" Eternal Father, I offer you the most Precious Blood of Jesus in atonement for my sins, for the deliverance of the holy souls in purgatory and for the needs of Holy Church. May my whole life, united to that of Mary, be offered to the august Trinity with the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, in perpetual Mass. Christ, Son of the living God, show yourself the defender and friend of men saved by your Blood. Amen. "
Saint Gaspard's prayer to the Precious Blood
" My Jesus, who was so prodigal with your Precious Blood as to pour it out entirely for the redemption of my soul, I can rightly say that there is not a drop that has not been poured out for me. Sprinkled with this Precious Blood, this poor soul presents itself to you. O my God, may this soul that has cost you so much not fall into perdition, and may it not one day have to hear from your mouth the bitter reproach of having uselessly shed your blood for me. Ah! arouse in my poor heart today an effective desire to save myself, even if it costs me both my blood and my life. By the bowels of your mercy, and by the merits of your most Precious Blood, save me, my Jesus, help me in temptations, sustain me in perils, deliver me from eternal death, I who cost you your blood! So be it. "
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The Hozana editorial team.
