July begins with a celebration of the Most Precious Blood on the 1st, in the trad calendar. We give thanks for this great Gift of Our Lord at the Last Supper, which becomes present to us at each Holy Mass. We must not forget the wine which transforms into the Precious Blood, began as grapes in a vineyard…so connected to the land is the practice of our Holy Faith, in accord with God’s will, in accord with an Authentic Life.
So what did we pick out of the plastic cup this time? The Catholic Encyclopedia. That means for the Precious Blood of Jesus, we will look at what this famous volume has to say. The Catholic Encyclopedia was completed in 1914 and has been added to, numerous times since then. It remains widely used, despite its out-of-date language. It is at times a tedious read (and quite exhaustive)…but in the case of this month’s theme, the content is brief, though does get into the theological weeds, as is to be expected. Please see the link above at New Advent, for more info and also for the complete, updated content. This site is also a great resource for Catholic news and other offerings.
The entry on the “Precious Blood” draws on the writings of Pope Benedict XIV and other well-known theologians. The first sentence states simply:
“The Blood of Our Divine Saviour.”
That does not leave much to misunderstand, does it? Here are some excerpts, broken down into readable segments for meditation:
1) “Jesus, at the Last Supper, ascribes to [His Blood] the same life-giving power that belongs to His flesh.”
2) “The Apostles, St. Peter…St. John…and above all St. Paul regard it as synonymous with Jesus's Passion and Death, the source of redemption. The Precious Blood is therefore a part of the Sacred Humanity and hypostatically united to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.”
3) “Viewed as a part of the Sacred Humanity hypostatically united to the Word, the Precious Blood deserves latreutical [of or pertaining to latria, the highest form of worship*]…adoration. It may also like the Heart or the Wounds from which it flowed, be singled out for special honour, in a way that special honour was rendered it from the beginning by St. Paul and the Fathers who so eloquently praised its redeeming virtue and rested on it the Christian spirit of self-sacrifice.”
4) “…the lives of the saints are replete with devotion to the Precious Blood. In due course of time the Church gave shape and sanction to the devotion by approving societies like the Missionaries of the Precious Blood; enriching confraternities like that of St. Nicholas…attaching indulgences to prayers and scapulars in honour of the Precious Blood; and establishing commemorative feasts of the Precious Blood…”
The Catholic Encyclopedia gives us food for thought during this month when we give praise to the Most Precious Blood. May we also seek to make reparation for the sins against this extraordinary Gift.
We pray especially on the 4th for the United States of America…for peace, liberty, restoration of the sanctity of life and the triumph of Holy Church through our Patroness, the Immaculate Conception.
Notable feasts in July, from both calendars…
2nd-VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
3rd-Saint Thomas, Apostle
6th-Saint Maria Goretti, Martyr of Purity
11th-Saint Benedict, Founder of Western Monasticism
14th-Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks (USA)
16th-OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL
22nd-Saint Mary Magdelan
25th-Saint James, Apostle
26th-Saint Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin
29th-Saints Martha, Mary & Lazarus
31st-Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits
****** Prepper Challenge for Summer ******
What is My Contribution? What is My Special Gift?
Your community and the Church are going to need you in the coming days. What will you specialize in that will be a significant contribution? Every prepper tends to develop a skill or two that is specialized. What interests you? What is a “sustainable” skill that will have value even in a grid-down (no electricity) situation? Do you already have a skill? Can you improve it? Can you learn a new one? Think and pray about it!
Noah was the Original Prepper ~ Build Your Ark!
*From Wiktionary