“Don’t hold yourselves cheap, seeing that the creator of all things and of you estimates your value so high, so dear, that he pours out for you every day the Most Precious Blood of his only-begotten Son.” ―St. Augustine of Hippo

With our beloved Mother Church enduring such tremendous trials in our day, it is an ideal time to embrace devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Christ.

As Servant of God Father John Hardon wrote in his work, The Precious Blood of Christ:

Devotion to the Precious Blood is not a spiritual option, it is a spiritual obligation, and that not only for priests, but for every follower of Christ. I really believe that one of the symptoms of modern society (and I would even include, sadly, modern Catholic society) one of the symptoms of a growing, gnawing secularism is the lessening and the weakening of devotion to the Precious Blood. Devotion, as we know, is a composite of three elements: It is first, veneration; it is secondly, invocation; and it is thirdly, imitation. In other words, devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ, the Lamb of God who was slain, is first of all to be veneration on our part, which is a composite of knowledge, love and adoration. We are to study to come to a deeper understanding of what those two casual words, Precious Blood, really mean.

Traditionally, the Catholic Church dedicates each month of the year to certain devotions — July being dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Christ. In the past, the feast of the Most Precious Blood was celebrated on the first Sunday of July as confirmed by past popes and recalled recently by Pope Benedict XVI in his speech after praying the Angelus on July 5, 2009. He made special mention of Pope John XXIII’s apostolic letter, Inde a Primis (dated June 30, 1960) which explained the devotion’s significance in the life of the Church and approved its litanies.

The feast of the Precious Blood of Our Lord was instituted in 1849 by Pius IX, but the devotion goes back to the very foundations of Christianity. In about A.D. 96, Pope St. Clement I called upon the faithful, saying, “Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious It is, seeing that it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world.” In their writings, the early Fathers tell us that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through his blood.

No matter how burdensome the crosses that we carry are, or how dark the Culture of Death is in which we live, we can always count on the Blood of Christ to be a source of solace and redemption for us. Its power is ineffable, and its presence never fails to deliver the hopeful soul. When we call upon the Precious Blood of Christ, we call upon the infinite mercy of Our Father, who holds us in the palm of His hand. When the harshness of life gets the best of us, and when temptation and angst assail us, His Precious Blood will rescue us — if only we ask.

As Dom Guéranger writes in The Liturgical Year:

From all this horror whither shall we look for deliverance? Not to ourselves; for we know the practical infinity of our weakness, and the incorrigible vitality of our corruption. Not to any earthly power; for it has no jurisdiction here. Not to philosophy, literature, or science; for in this case they are but sorry and unhelpful matters. Not to any Saint, however holy, nor to any Angel, however mighty; for the least sin is a bigger mountain than they have faculties to move. Not to the crowned queen of God's creation, the glorious and the sinless Mary; for even her holiness cannot satisfy for sin, nor the whiteness of her purity take out its deadly stain. Neither may we look for deliverance direct from the patience and compassion of God Himself; for in the abysses of His wisdom it has been decreed, that without shedding of blood there shall be no remission of sin. It is from the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ alone that our salvation comes. Out of the immensity of Its merits, out of the inexhaustible treasures of Its satisfactions, because of the resistless power of Its beauty over the justice and the wrath of God, because of that dear combination of Its priceless worth and Its benignant prodigality, we miserable sinners are raised out of the depths of our wretchedness, and restored to the peace and favor of our Heavenly Father.

Throughout the history of the Church, numerous saints hailed devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ. Countless hymns and prayers have been composed in its honor. These can serve as a treasure chest for us modern-day Catholics, so that we may make use of them, and be victorious over our enemies.

St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Doctor of the Church, was one such Saint. She wrote this beautiful prayer, and made sure to pray it often:

Precious Blood,
Ocean of Divine Mercy,
Flow upon us!
Precious Blood,
most pure Offering,
Procure us every grace!
Precious Blood,
Hope and Refuge of sinners,
Atone for us!
Precious Blood,
Delight of holy souls,
Draw us!
Amen.

Following her radiant example, we can renew our love for this jewel of Catholicism, savoring devotion to the Most Precious Blood with all of our strength. For further information on this devotion, as well as litanies and prayers, visit here or here.

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“Glory Be to Jesus” by Friedrich Filitz(1804-1876)

Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the life-blood
From His sacred veins.

Grace and life eternal
In that Blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind.

Blest through endless ages
Be the precious stream,
Which from endless torments
Did the world redeem.

Abel’s blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

It the conscience sprinkles,
Frees our guilty hearts;
Satan in confusion
Terror-struck departs.

Oft as earth exulting
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel-hosts rejoicing
Make their glad reply.

Lift ye then your voices;
Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
Praise the precious blood.