Dr. Helen Titilola OLOJEDE

Last week, we discussed July as the month devoted to the Precious Blood of Christ, as June is to Sacred Heart and May to Our Lady. But what is the origin of this devotion?

In 1849, during the First Italian War of Independence, Pope Pius IX was forced into exile in Gaeta. Accompanying him was Don Giovanni Merlini, the third Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Precious Blood. Amidst the continuing conflict, Merlini proposed to the Pope the institution of a universal feast in honour of the Precious Blood of Christ, as a spiritual appeal for divine intervention to end the war and restore peace in Rome.

The reason Merlini gave is striking to me. This tells us that we can also have a personal devotion to the same precious blood when the war of life comes upon us. He’s ever-present help in trouble (Ps. 46:1).

Responding to this suggestion, Pope Pius IX announced on 30 June 1849 his intention to establish such a feast. Not long after this declaration, the war concluded, and the Pope was able to return to Rome. On 10 August of the same year, he formalised the feast, designating the first Sunday of July as the day to commemorate the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Later, Pope Pius X revised this arrangement by assigning the celebration to a fixed date, 1st July.

So why does the feast seem silent in our liturgy?

Following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the feast was removed from the universal liturgical calendar. However, a votive Mass in honour of the Precious Blood was retained and remains permissible for celebration in July and on other occasions. Despite its removal from the general calendar, the feast continues to be observed in certain dioceses, particularly in parts of Europe, where the devotion remains strong.

How can we stay close to the precious blood?

We can do this by praying:

• The Holy Rosary, which is seeking the intercession of Our Lady
• Chaplet of the Precious Blood
• Litany to the Precious Blood
• Offering prayers of consecration and adoration

What simple prayer can we say daily to the Precious Blood, especially in July?

O God, who by the Precious Blood of your only Begotten Son have redeemed the whole world, preserve in us the work of your mercy, so that, ever honouring the mystery of our salvation, we may merit to obtain its fruits. Through our lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit, one God, forever and ever.

 

May the precious blood of Christ continue to be our guide and comfort in our troubled world.