July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

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  It remains widely used, despite its out-of-date language.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

Catholic July

Here are the most notable feasts of this month, in both the trad and the post-con…

1st-Most Precious Blood of Jesus

2nd-Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

3rd-Saint Thomas, Apostle

16th-Our Lady of Mount Carmel of the Brown Scapular

22nd-Saint Mary Magdalene

25th-Saint James, Apostle

26th-Saints Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Blessed Mother

29th-Saints Martha, Mary & Lazarus

Homeschooling Activities for July

1) Draw a picture of the Chalice with the Precious Blood.

2) Find a prayer honoring the Precious Blood and say it with your family.

3) Write an essay on Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Saint Simon Stock and the Brown Scapular. What miracles have been attributed to the Scapular? 4 paragraphs.

July: Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

This chalice is claimed to be the actual Holy Grail, used by Our Blessed Lord to contain His Most Precious Blood at the Last Supper. It is humbly housed behind an altar in a small chapel within the Cathedral of Valencia, Spain. The exquisite agate stone cup (this photo does not do it justice) is the actual relic, whereas the gold and jewel base was fashioned later. Here is a short article about the topic: The Holy Grail in Valencia. There is also a book by Janice Bennett, which deals extensively with the history and archeological study of the chalice: Saint Laurence & the Holy Grail, Ignatius Press (makes a great gift-I bought it for my father-in-law).

We honor the Precious Blood during the month of July, particularly on the 1st of the month. Here is a beautiful litany to add to your devotions:

Litany of the most precious blood of jesus

July gives us 2 Marian feasts, 4 companions of Christ, 3 Doctors of the Church and the parents of Our Lady. Here is a sampling of some notable feasts this month…

7/1-MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD / St. Junipero Serra

7/2-First Friday / THE VISITATION

7/3-First Saturday / St. Thomas, Apostle

7/6-St. Maria Goretti, Young Martyr of Purity

7/7-Sts. Cyril & Methodius

7/14-St. Kateri Tekakwitha / St. Bonaventure, Doctor, “The Seraphic Doctor”

7/15-St. Bonaventure (new)

7/16-OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

7/19-St. Vincent de Paul

7/21-St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor, “The Apostolic Doctor”

7/22-St. Mary Magdalen

7/23-St. Bridget of Sweden

7/25-St. James the Greater, Apostle / St. Christopher, Patron of Travelers

7/26-Sts. Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7/29-St. Martha, Companion of Christ

7/30-St. Peter Chrysologus, Doctor, “The Golden-Worded”

7/31-St. Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus

+ + +

Commentary on Independence Day, USA: Excuse me, In Dependence Day. A number of years ago, I created a stir on Catholic Answers Forum (recently defunct), by posting “Boycott the 4th of July.” It upset many people and the comments went on for pages. It has always been difficult for me to celebrate a nation that kills its own children (Joan Andrews Bell called it “an obscene pretended peace”). I would however, at times, manage to get myself to some fireworks to have a nice family & friends time. I would rationalize it by telling myself I was really celebrating the true spirit of America, put forth by our founders. In light of the past year, I can no longer muster this small bit of heart-warming feeling. I have nothing now but complete disgust for a nation that has utterly lost all sense of human rights, freedom and morality. The Declaration of Independence is dead. It is too late to fix the System. The only thing left is to escape and build a new world based on the opposite paradigm: Love for God and love for neighbor. I will spend the 4th in mourning and penance. If you have no idea why I’m saying this, you have a lot of work to do. Please pray on it.

As severe as these words are, they are not meant to be a downer. I have said before, we must look toward the Newer World Order (I hope that term really bothers the AI that spiders through the internet:) we should be creating, starting NOW, with hope and excitement. Like Lot, don’t look back. Look forward to the restoration of Holy Church and love to reign over all the earth! Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we pray for the United States of America at this hour and for the unborn. Precious Blood of Christ, have mercy on us for the countless sacrileges against Thee. Amen.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30

Note: The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church. We have completed a whole year of providing these titles (which I hope has piqued your interest in these extraordinarily accomplished saints) and promoting this wonderful book, so this will not be continued.

July is the Month of The Most Precious Blood of Christ!

[Edited since original posting]

Sorry this post is a little late.  I was having computer problems-I do like to get this out the first of the month.  There is a prayer from the Litany of the Most Precious Blood on our Home page-please have a look!  May we honor Our Lord’s Precious Blood this month in whatever ways we can.  May we always defend His Most Sacred Body and Blood.  In this culture of “tolerance,” we must never tolerate sacrilege, which tragically, abounds in today’s world.  What does this mean in practical terms?  Pray about it and the Holy Ghost will enlighten your mind.  The culture is so bad, we must all submit to martyrdom in some fashion.  Don’t expect things to get any easier any time soon.  Bite the bullet and win your heavenly reward!  What is love if it is never tested?

Here are some interesting feasts of this month.  Since we are preppers around here, I like to provide the feasts of saints who are invoked for particular needs which may be relevant in times of distress (Saint Camillus and Saint Pantaleon are both invoked for disease and the medical profession).  We will soon need them more than ever!  And if you don’t understand why, you are not paying attention...on that note, may we exercise penance over this 4th of July weekend for our beautiful and ailing United States of America….and for the babies in the womb she has abandoned.  O Mary, Patroness of the United States, pray for us!  Pray for the little ones!  May we never forget them!

Have a most holy and blessed month of July!

7/1-Most Precious Blood

7/2-The Visitation

7/3-Saint Thomas-Apostle, Martyr

7/4-Our Lady of Refuge (non-standard)

7/6-Saint Maria Goretti-Virgin, Martyr

7/12-Saint Veronica of the Veil (non-standard)

7/16-Our Lady of Mount Carmel (wear the Brown Scapular-it is very powerful!)

7/18-Saint Camillus de Lellis-Priest, Founder, Patron of the sick & nurses

7/19-Saint Vincent de Paul-Priest, Founder of Vincentians, Patron of Charitable Societies

7/22-Saint Mary Magdalen-Patron of Repentant Sinners

7/25-Saint James the Greater-Apostle, Martyr/Saint Christopher-Martyr, Patron of Travelers

7/26-Saints Joachim & Anne-Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7/27-Saint Pantaleon-Martyr, Patron of Lung Disease, Doctors & Medical Profession

7/29-Saint Martha-Virgin, Sister of Lazarus & Mary , Patron of Cooks

7/31-Saint Ignatius of Loyola-Priest, Founder of Jesuits, Patron of Spiritual Retreats

(this blog provides both new and old feasts-non-standard refers to local or “historical” feasts)