3 reasons why Catholics differ with our worship of the Precious Blood

If we thought holy water was powerful, what are 3 ways Catholics differ in our worship of the Precious Blood of Christ?

1. Holy Mass. At the last supper, Jesus words were clear, "do this in memory of Me." He did not say take and eat/drink as a "symbol" of Me through grape juice and crackers. These words came from the same Man who said, "let your yes be yes, and your no be no (James 5:12). Our most important prayer is the Holy Mass, defined as the unBLOODied sacrifice on Calvary. When the Holy Mass is defined using His blood, it separates our worship from all other faiths. Obeying the commandments, Catholics honor the Lord's Day with weekly attendance. In some other faiths, weekly worship is negotiable. 

2. Scripture. While all the following examples may not include Jesus, the Catholic bible contains 41 topics about blood. Moreover, the count for biblical mention of blood is 492 times. What's my point? -- that blood is a big deal. Some religions have strict rules around touching blood, rituals for harvesting animals and blood transfusions. One impact from God-the-Son's blood, it opened the gates of heaven. Here are 3 bible verses from Sts Paul and John that don't mention symbols or grape juice. We grow holier through the cleansing of His Precious Blood, through another thing other faiths don't have: Confession.   

“As we are now justified by His Blood, much more shall we be saved by Him, from the wrath of God.” Romans 5:9

“You who once were far off, have been brought near in the Blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13

 “The Blood of Jesus, His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

3. The Saints. Some faiths miss out by not watching how the saints won their heavenly crowns. Numerous saints held a deep devotion to the Precious Blood. Here are 3 champions who nailed this home-run derby.  

St. Catherine of Siena wrote about the Precious Blood of Jesus in her Dialogue, with God the Father. This book catalogues the written accounts of her mystical visions. She is often referred to as an Apostle of the Precious Blood of Jesus. In her letters, she greeted bishops, cardinals and popes with, “I address you in the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.” St. Catherine of Siena would pray constantly with ejaculations like: “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.” Even her last words were, "the Blood."

St. John Chrysostom was known for this articulate and edifying meditation: "This blood, when worthily received, drives away demons and puts them at a distance from us, and even summons to us angels and the Lord of angels. This blood, poured out in abundance, has washed the whole world clean. This is the price of the world; by It, Christ purchased the Church.”

St. Gaspar del Bufalo was a 19th-century priest manifesting a fervent love and reverence for the Precious Blood. It fueled his tireless efforts. He was the founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Pope John XXII named his “the apostle to the most Precious Blood of Jesus.” St. Gaspar spent his life teaching the poor and working class about the Precious Blood. He was convinced that adoration of the Precious Blood had the power to take a soul from mere novice to a mystical union with Christ. He writes, “Jesus has given us His Blood even to the last drop. What is there left to do? Jesus is a victim. Behold I am ready, O my God, to be a victim of love!” As his mission in life, he expressed his deepest desire: “I wish I had a thousand tongues, to endear every heart to the Precious Blood of Jesus.”

Let God love you! In American football, the offense has ball-possession and advances in yard-units to the opponent's end-zone to score points. In the Catholic Church, our offense is Sacrament-possession. We advance in generational-handoffs past opponent-temptations. One common statistic is our group-focused, degree-of-holiness, individual-measurement. The end-zone is our own, unique: majestic-resurrection and euphoric-ascension. To score points, we seek--every soul. The jewels in our crowns just-may reflect each soul we collectively-saved. Second, if we honor Jesus' blood year-round through Holy Mass, Scriptures and the saints, why assign the July intention? It's like extra credit in school. In general, monthly intentions allow for extra prayers (silent, special-time with God), alms and fasting. These actions increase the shower of special graces from God. Anyone can do the bare minimum, but God wants those who are all-in. Those willing to step up can also pray special chaplets (see links below). Sincere litanies of the Most Precious Blood will be remembered by the One, who hemorrhaged every drop of Himself, to buy back our souls. And who doesn't need extra credit!

Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood 

July: Dedicated to the Precious Blood | Covenant Catholic

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus