July is the Month of the Precious Blood

The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus.

Let us ponder on this:

The Precious Blood that redeemed all mankind.

Truly we cannot fully comprehend what this really means - what God has done for us.

I was given 5 years ago a treasured prayer manual called, “The Precious Blood and Mother” This little book had been produced and distributed by The Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood in New York. I am not sure if they still distribute this particular booklet but you can always email the sisters on the website to check. It is a prayer manual that I highly recommend.

Each day of this month I will post prayers and poems from this beautiful manual. It is a manual dedicated to the Precious Blood but the, “and Mother” in the title is referring to Our Blessed Mother, so there are many beautiful intercessory prayers to her and many other prayers in there as well. I hope to share many of them, there are so many I love, I will need the month to share them all!

I had developed a devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus during my fourth pregnancy. It was my hardest pregnancy and I found great solace and comfort in the Precious Blood of Jesus.

When I went into labour, I remember visualizing the lifting up of the pain of each contraction to the Precious Blood of Jesus. It helped tremendously and it had spiritual value.

We also have a Precious Blood card above the front entrance to our home, asking that our home and family be ‘covered’ in the Precious Blood of my God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Praying daily to the Precious Blood is so easy to do. It can be as simple as a quick and efficacious prayer, “I cover (this intention) in the Blood of Jesus.”

I would like to start the first of this month by quoting this prayer manual as to why we ought to have a deep devotion to the Precious Blood pg 18:

“The Devotion of the Precious Blood exists from the beginning of ages, since it was the first imparted to fallen man. We must thence infer that it ought to be a devotion widespread as the world. Is not everybody redeemed by the Precious Blood? Is it not to this Precious Blood that each of us owe our salvation? And if, hereafter, an everlasting crown rests upon our brow, will it not be the purchase of this Divine Blood?....The Sacred Heart has indeed loved us with a love of surpassing tenderness; and to that love we owe Its long suffering with us; and yet, neither the Sacred Heart nor the gaping wounds of Jesus have been our Redemption; that which has redeemed us – freed us from hell – is the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since, therefore, our salvation is the fruit of that Blood, since to It we are indebted for Heaven, with its unfading joys, is it not just that we should, each and all, embrace Devotion to the Precious Blood, render It special worship, even daily homage? Because of the needs of the ‘people of God,’ there has been a surge of devotion to the Most Precious Blood. This devotion has become universal, and is often spoken of as the “Devotion of the Elect,” so fitting a title that seldom is a dissenting voice raised against it.”

Here is a lovely poem from the manual from pg 20. These poems can make lovely copywork during the month of the Precious Blood. Even just a few lines per day, until the children have a beautiful tribute to the Precious Blood.

Reparation

Daily, in breathless awe, we see the bread, the wine,
Assume under this mystic veil a Majesty Divine!
Most Precious Blood, Thou fount of life, our lowly homage take,
Accept our prayers, our sighs, our tears for sinless Mary’s sake!

Mother Immaculate! To thee our eyes we fondly raise!
Grant us thine aid, and join us in our prayer of love and praise.
In marble hall, on rocky path, at last on Calvary’s Hill,
See, drop by drop, the Precious Blood, shed at the Saviour’s will!
While pitiless, unloving eyes are raised to see Him die,
“I thirst!” it rings around the world! The dying Saviour’s cry!

The midnight hour, mysterious beneath the starry pall,
Within the cloister we adore, by rapture held in thrall!
Sweet Sacrament! Within the place where hallowed memories cling,
Lives lost in Thee! Pure souls, free hearts, their loving tribute bring!

The first prayer I wanted to share was an Act of Consecration to the Precious Blood and Mary for Children from pg 50. It is written as if someone other than the parent is praying it, but I make adjustments to the words at the end where it is worded like that. Also it is a consecration of the unborn child, but I say it for all my children, adjusting the words where necessary.

Act of Consecration to the Precious Blood and the Blessed Virgin for Children

“Blood of my Saviour, a thousand times adorable! Blood a thousand times Precious! Thou, Which dost adorn the baptismal innocence of children, deign to bless this young soul whom we consecrate to Thee this day. O sweet Jesus! Hide beneath the vivifying waves of Thy Most Precious Blood thy little (name) so that he (she) may grow in grace and holiness all the days of his (her) life. Deign to look upon him (her) as a perpetual adorer of Thy Divine Blood in as far as the deigns of Providence will permit and grant that all his (her) prayers, deeds and sacrifices may be so many acts of reparation and love.

O Immaculate Virgin, ever spotless through the Blood of Jesus, thou who art called the “Flower of the Field” and the “Lily of the Valley,” look down lovingly from Thy heavenly throne upon this dear child; may he (she) grow up also under Thy maternal care, shielded by Thy blessings, and may every day of his (her) life be marked by Thy benefits.

Most Holy Virgin whom the Church calls “Morning Star,” shine upon this soul now commencing his (her) earthly pilgrimage, preserve him (her) from al harm, and until the last moment of his (her) life, may he (she) keep pure and unsullied the robe with which, through the Blood of Jesus, he (she) was robed in holy Baptism. Take his (her) family also under Thy protection, O Mary. Bless his (her) pious parents, remove far from them every temporal or spiritual misfortune, and may peace, charity and all virtues dear to thy pure and holy heart dwell in their midst. Amen.”

I am looking for a lovely goblet of some sort at present. I hope to find one and set it up on the altar with some lovely, 'flowing' material cascading from it. There we will pin our pray intentions and people that we want to 'cover in the Precious Blood of Jesus' this month. Inside the goblet I would like to place some of the different prayers from the booklet and allow a child to pick one out each morning to recite for those intentions.

Another idea I am toying with if I cannot find any nice red material is cutting 30 'droplets of blood' from red paper and placing them around the chalice. On each droplet, writing a special intention or person to pray for from one prayer we have chosen for the month. Each day one blood droplet with a special prayer intention on it, is placed in the chalice. Until at the end of the month, they have all been wiped/collected into the chalice.

This idea is based on thought of reparation. Remember in the movie "The Passion" how Our Lady and Mary Magdalen used their veils to wipe up and collect the Precious Blood of Jesus?

This is what this little craft activity is representing.

Maybe sharing a Eucharistic Miracle story with the children will help them understand this idea of 'reparation'. (Do an internet search on some of the famous ones.) One that heaven allowed due to some offence committed against the Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord. Maybe you have some of Bob and Penny Lord's videos that are dedicated to the Eucharist Miracles? I am sure Joan Carroll Cruz would have a book on this subject as well...

I hope to share any pictures of the craft activities we do in this month.