July is traditionally dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Christ. When we consider how immense a gift His taking on of flesh truly is it is with greater wonder and awe it is we can consider what it meant that He shed His blood for us. Not only did He shed a little blood but rather He poured Himself out. The cup overflowed. His love was to the last drop and He reserved nothing of Himself but rather gave it all for the salvation of souls. He would have done so even if just for the salvation of your soul. What great love! A beautiful prayer that can be rich food for meditation during this month is the Litany of the Most Precious Blood. I will provide below the words of the litany and dwell on a few phrases that are of particular interest. 

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, hear us.

Jesus, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven,

Have mercy on us.

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,

Have mercy on us.

God, the Holy Spirit,

Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, 

Have mercy on us.

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, price of our salvation,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness.

Save us.

Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, stream of mercy,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, victor over demons,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, courage of Martyrs,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, strength of Confessors,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, bringing forth Virgins,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, help of those in peril,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, pledge of eternal life,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory,

Save us.

Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor,

Save us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Have mercy on us, O Lord.

You have redeemed us, O Lord, in your Blood.

And made us, for our God, a kingdom.

Let us pray, - Almighty and eternal God, you have appointed your only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by his Blood. Grant we beg of you, that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of the present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blood of Christ of the New and Eternal Testament, save us.

Through the Paschal Sacrifice Jesus institutes a new covenant or new testament. Covenants were ratified with blood, typically the blood of animals. In every covenant of the Old Testament you find the sacrifice of an animal. But with the weight of sin and the continuous rebellion of the Israelites, Our Lord reveals that He will do something new through the prophets. He will make a new covenant. This covenant is not ratified with the blood of animals but rather through the blood of the Son, the Only-Begotten, precious, and beloved Son. The Son willingly sheds His blood for the sake of drawing as many as possible (those who are willing to accept Him and abide in Him) into this covenant. He has drawn you into this covenant. You need only to be faithful to Him through the life of grace and the sacraments. 

Blood of Christ peace and tenderness of hearts, save us. 

The fact that the blood of Our Lord was shed for the sake of our sins and our wrongdoing ought to soften our hard hearts. When we want to persist in having things our own way, when we want to persist in sin or even in imperfection, let us look upon a crucifix and train our eyes with love on His wounds. He endured that for you. He endured it for me. Whose heart could remain hardened knowing that? What peace can pervade us when we are living the life of grace that we are covered in that Most Precious Blood! He provides peace that surpasses all understanding. 

Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor, save us. 

Do you give Him true glory and honor when you encounter Him at Mass? Do you approach the altar with reverance and awe or do you just shuffle in line? I am guilty of the shuffle, of daydreaming my way through the Mass. The Holy Mass is where we are able to give Him the greatest honor and praise, let us not waste the opportunity or receive the Blessed Sacrament unworthily. May we approach the altar with all humility and ardent love. He deserves nothing less than our whole heart. Let us give Him glory, honor, and praise by reverently worshipping at Mass and receiving Him worthily with great love.