Festa del Preziossimo Sangue di Gesù
July 1st is the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the entire month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood. Have you ever thought about the Blood that Jesus shed? Actually, Jesus shed blood seven times of significance during His life. He may have fallen down as a little boy and scraped His knee, but I’m talking about seven times in His life that can be found in Holy Scripture. First, a little background: A saint named Gaspar del Bufalo introduced the Precious Blood devotion by forming the Congregation of the Precious Blood in Rome. Pope Pius IX extended the devotion to the entire Church in 1849. Saint Gasper found preaching about the Precious Blood was not easy as it wasn’t thought of often. It’s the same today – we don’t hear much about this feast. It’s important to meditate on the Precious Blood of Jesus because if you really think about it, He spilled every last drop of blood for us. Let’s dive a little further into that.
What happens when blood leaves the body? Ultimately, death, particularly if the cause of the blood loss is not immediately addressed. So then why would Jesus spill every last drop when He could have saved us with just one tiny little drop? He gave us everything because of His intense love for us and His desire to save us (John 15:13). Each drop of Precious Blood that fell from His Body was a drop of life leading to His death – a death He freely experienced for all of us. These are the seven significant times Our Lord shed His blood:
The Circumcision of Our Lord (Luke 2:20) – This happened eight days after His birth and was a Jewish law. We know this more commonly as the Presentation in the Temple.
The Mount of Olives or the Agony in the Garden (Luke 22:39-44) – He sweat blood because He was under such great stress that tiny capillaries in the sweat glands broke and mingled with His sweat. Imagine seeing the sins of the entire world from the beginning of time to the end. On top of that, He knew a brutal death was coming. Imagine the agony, fear, terror, and anxiety He must have felt. It’s no wonder He sweat blood.
The Scourging at the Pillar (John 19:1-3) – Jesus lost a lot of blood here. The injuries He sustained were many and He was in serious condition after the beating occurred. His Sacred, Precious Blood lay on the ground as if an animal had been slaughtered.
The Crowning of Thorns (Matthew 27:29) – When we think of a crown, we naturally think of the beautiful gold/silver crown of nobility set with precious stones. Using a crown of thorns to place on Jesus’ Sacred Head, was intended to humiliate and dishonor Him. More Precious Blood poured from those wounds.
The Carrying of the Cross (John 19:16-17) – He sweat Precious Blood, was beaten to a bloody pulp, crowned with thorns that dug into His Sacred Head, and now He has to carry a heavy wooden cross on an already wounded shoulder all while being hit as He walks a mile or so to the place of crucifixion. He continues to bleed from open wounds, the new wounds He received, and the re-opening of existing wounds.
The Crucifixion (John 19:16) – This is the culmination of everything. Jesus, at this point is full of wounds, weak, exhausted, dehydrated, struggling to breathe, and suffering from massive blood loss. And now, iron nails are driven into His hands and feet
Jesus’ side is pierced (John 19:32-35) – A soldier took a lance and pierced what was most likely the Heart of Jesus. Blood and water poured out. Every last drop of His precious blood was finally shed.
The Feast of the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed an important feast. It is wise to contemplate the Passion of our Lord so that in our hearts we can begin to understand what Jesus really did for us. It is said that the early Church fathers stated that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ and the Sacraments were brought forth through His blood. This brings a whole new meaning to the importance of the Sacraments. What will you do today to honor the Precious Blood of our Lord?
Prayer in Honor of the Most Precious Blood
Eternal Father I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in atonement for my sins, and in supplication for the holy souls in purgatory and for the needs of holy Church.