July: Month of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord

The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood. The feast of the Precious Blood of our Lord was established in 1849 by Pius IX, but the devotion itself is as old as Christianity. The early Church Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood. Popes have confirmed that the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Christ would be celebrated on the 1st Sunday of July.

• Catholic doctrine teaches us that the blood of Jesus Christ is part of His Sacred Humanity and His Divinity united to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

• As such, it is worthy of adoration and veneration properly given which is rendered only to God. In other words, we adore the human nature of Christ because of its intimate and eternal union with the Person of the Divine Word.

• It is for this same reason that we honor the Most Sacred Heart or the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage found in the oldest document, outside of sacred scripture, to be exact, from Pope St. Clement I, dated about 96 A.D. Says Pope Clement: "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."
To understand the meaning of the Precious Blood we must have some understanding of the seriousness of sin, of the nastiness of hurting God, because it required the Blood of the Son of God to forgive that sin. We are living in an age in which to sin has become fashionable.

During this month of July you might include this prayer in your daily prayer time: “Lord Jesus, You became Man in order by your Passion and Death and the draining of your Blood on the Cross, might prove to us how much You, our God, love us. Protect us, dear Jesus, from ever running away from the sight of blood. Strengthen our weak human wills so that we will not only not run away from the cross, but welcome every opportunity to shed our blood in spirit in union with your Precious Blood, so that, dying to ourselves in time we might live with You in Eternity. Amen”