In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. Ephesians 1:7-8
Stand with me at the foot of the cross, like St. John, St. Mary Magdalen, and the Blessed Mother. See the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God flowing, poured out for us (Matthew 26:28). His blood was shed for us from the moment His Passion began: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44). His Blood was shed again, wretched from His body as He was scourged by the Roman soldiers. Blood poured from dozens of wounds of His head from the crown of thorns. His Blood dripped from his wounds as He carried His cross from the palace, through the Way of the Cross, outside the gates of Jerusalem, and up the hill of Calvary. It covered His cross and spilled out anew when the nails entered His hands and feet. Even after His death, He had not fully poured Himself out until His Sacred Heart was pierced, draining His life for us: “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34).
“unlimited is the effectiveness of [Christ’s] the God-Man’s Blood — just as unlimited as the love that impelled him to pour it out for us … in his agony in the garden, in his scourging and crowning with thorns, in his climb to Calvary and crucifixion, and finally from out that great wide wound in his side which symbolizes the divine Blood cascading down into the Church’s sacraments.”
– Pope John XXIII, On Promoting Devotion to the Most Precious Blood
July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus. It is truly Precious. Not a drop of it was wasted. His Blood is powerful and effective, and we can call on Jesus to pour His Blood upon us when we need cleansing, redemption, and when our joy needs restored.
The Blood That Cleanses Us
The blood of Christ cleanses us from our sins: “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Hyssop was used by the Jewish priests to sprinkle blood from sacrificed animals over the people. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). When we ask to be made pure with hyssop, we are begging to be sprinkled with sacrificial Blood of Christ. His Blood is the instrument of our return to purity and of His forgiveness: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). The saints in heaven have been thoroughly cleansed and made holy by His blood: “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).
The Blood That Redeems Us
To be redeemed is to be purchased: “You are not your own; you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We do not belong to ourselves anymore; we do not belong to the power of Satan; we belong to Christ, “which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). The price of our redemption is the Blood of Christ. Each human person is priceless, thus requiring the most valuable “currency,” paying the price for each and every one of us if we cooperate with His grace: “You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). When we receive the Holy Eucharist, we drink His Blood, which cleanses us and leads to our redemption: “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).
The Blood That Cheers Our Hearts
Consider that Jesus transformed water into wine (John 2:9), and later wine into His Blood. He could have chosen to institute the Eucharist with water, but He chose wine. Wine can cheer us, it “gladdens the heart of man” (Psalm 104:15). A little wine can make us “inebriated” with His love. It seems strange that encountering the Blood of Christ, shed so sorrowfully in His Passion, would make us joyful. It’s the effects of His Blood that brings the joy. In Psalm 51, we ask God to cleanse us and restore our joy: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:10-12). The effects of Christ’s Blood, His cleansing, forgiveness, and redemption, bring us the deepest sense of joy we can imagine. The joy of being restored to relationship with the Lord and the promise of His everlasting love.
Jesus, wash me with Your Precious Blood. Cleanse me from my sins. Priceless Blood of the Lamb, I acknowledge that I belong to You. Wine turned to Blood, inebriate me, cheer my heart.
The Agony in the Garden: “He rises languidly from the earth, and turns around to meet the traitor and his band, now quickly nearing the deep shade. He turns, and lo there is blood upon His garment and in His footprints. Whence come these first-fruits of the passion of the Lamb? no soldier’s scourge has touched His shoulders, nor the hangman’s nails His hands and feet. My brethren, He has bled before His time; He has shed blood; yes, and it is His agonising soul which has broken up His framework of flesh and poured it forth. His passion has begun from within. That tormented Heart, the seat of tenderness and love, began at length to labour and to beat with vehemence beyond its nature; “the foundations of the great deep were broken up;” the red streams rushed forth so copious and fierce as to overflow the veins, and bursting through the pores, they stood in a thick dew over His whole skin; then forming into drops, they rolled down full and heavy, and drenched the ground.”
From “The Mental Sufferings of Our Lord in His Passion” by St. John Henry Newman