"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 1:17
Ave Maria! In the Catholic Church, the month of July is devoted to the Blood of Christ. On the calendar for the Traditional Latin Mass, yesterday, July 1, was the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The liturgy for the day -- both the Mass and the Divine Office -- provided such riches for prayer and meditation that my cup is still overflowing. Then there are the treasures that the Church has wisely and lovingly preserved over the years, such as the following prayer by St. Albert the Great. Of course, nothing can compare to praying to our dear Lord from our hearts in our own words or even in utter silence, but the prayers of the fathers and mothers of our Church teach me much and guide me along the sometimes dark and narrow way. How thankful I am for their wisdom and holiness!
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood!
"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God.
"I adore You enclosed in the veins of Jesus, preserved in His humanity like the manna in the golden urn, the memorial of the eternal Redemption which He accomplished during the days of His earthly life. I adore You, Blood of the new, eternal Testament, flowing from the veins of Jesus in Gethsemane, from the flesh torn by scourges in the Praetorium, from His pierced hands and feet and from His opened side on Golgotha. I adore You in the Sacraments, in the Eucharist, where I know You are substantially present....
"I place my trust in You, O adorable Blood, our Redemption, our regeneration. Fall, drop by drop, into the hearts that have wandered from You and soften their hardness. O adorable Blood of Jesus, wash our stains, save us from the anger of the avenging angel. Irrigate the Church; make her fruitful with Apostles and miracle-workers, enrich her with souls that are holy, pure and radiant with divine beauty."
~St. Albert the Great
No comments:
Post a Comment