CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

“I have today set before you, life and GOOD, death and EVIL.

DEUTERONOMY 30:15

In the beginning our first parents, Adam and Eve, was in possession of Sanctifying Grace and preternatural gifts.  Had Adam and Eve not sinned they would have passed this state of “original justice” down to their descendants.

At the suggestion of the Serpant (Satan), Adam and Eve chose the Tree of Good and Evil to be like God. All they came away with were the consequences of evil.

 God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know^* good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

THE LORD GOD BANISHED THEM FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN,

After Adam and Eve committed “original sin,” they lost “original justice” and the preternatural gifts for all the human race. They could only pass on a human nature in a fallen state, one deprived of original holiness and integrity. Adam and Eve’s descendants are subject to ignorance and endure suffering and death.

Like then, today, Moral Relativism dominates the world. Moral relativism is the philosophical theory that all morality is relative. We all can decide what is good and evil. You decide what’s right for you, and I’ll decide what’s right for me.

Essentially, moral relativism says that anything goes. Words like “ought” and “should” are rendered meaningless. There is no absolute goodness or badness. An act may be good for one person but bad for another, but cannot be either good or bad in the absolute.

MAN MADE CHOICES SUPPORTED

BY MORAL RELATIVISM

I want to choose to kill my unborn child because the child is inconvenient to me

Old people are a burden on society and don’t contribute much of anything how about just putting them to sleep so we can get on with our lives

Homosexuality must be taught in our grade school as an alternative life style, because some will grow up to be gay and some may already have gay parents….

Sexual activity outside marriage is all right.  Sex is a good thing to be enjoyed, why put limits on our fun and pleasure just because some old clerics in dresses don’t like sex.  They are just buzz killers…

ABORTION

 “I have today set before you, life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am giving you today…you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you…

If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey…and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish… Deuteronomy 30:15-30

 CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 2270  Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.

When is abortion permitted?  NEVER! Not when a child is inconvenient …. not when the child in the womb is the wrong sex ….not when child created by God is a result of rape or incest …not when child in womb may be born with some handicap…. KILLING INNOCENT LIFE IS NEVER PERMISSABLE!

 CONTRACEPTION.

Contraception has been around since the beginning in one form or another, despite God’s wishes.  Here is an example from the Old Testament in the first book of the bible, Genesis. 

 “Then Judah said to Onan, “Have intercourse with your brother’s wife, in fulfillment of your duty as brother-in-law, and thus preserve your brother’s line.” Onan, however, knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground, to avoid giving offspring to his brother. What he did greatly offended the LORD, and the LORD took his life too.” GENESIS 38:7-10

Today’s contraceptive society is a very dangerous adversary to Christians attempting to follow God’s will in all things.   So who are we going to serve, God or Man?

The Vicar of Christ, Pope Paul VI,(Humanae Vitae) 50 years ago made several predictions about a society that embraced contraception as their god.

He argued that men will no longer respect woman as a beloved companion but a mere instrument of selfish gratification.  The Pope noted, also, that the widespread use of contraception would “lead to conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality whereas the Church’s teaching on contraception is designed to protect the good of conjugal love.”

GENDER IDENTITY

 We acknowledge and affirm that all human beings are created by God and thereby have an inherent dignity. We also believe that God created each person male or female; therefore, sexual difference is not an accident or a flaw—it is a gift from God that helps draw us closer to each other and to God.

What God has created is good. “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” Genesis 1:27.

We must remain true disciples, rooted in who we are as Catholics and in the anthropology that undergirds our vision of the human person. We need to be able to articulate that and hold to that vision and not be swayed by the various public opinions that are prevalent in our society, today.

We as a Church, want to walk with those struggling with gender dysphoria.  We want those, struggling, to know the unconditional love of Jesus and to bring Him to you in the Sacraments. You are a part of the Church — you belong here and, truly, you are welcome here. …

 SAME SEX MARRIAGE  

Same Sex marriage is the tip of the spear in the “Gay” agenda.  The “Gay” agenda is to establish a new “norm,”… that there is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual behavior as far as acceptable behavior.

Let us begin in the beginning in the book of Genesis. Genesis 1:27-28, “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply”

a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh

Matthew 19:5-6

In Matthew 19 when Jesus is challenged over the question of divorce and remarriage, Jesus reinforces what is already in Hebrew Scripture.  “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’  ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 

 Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate….  Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

 Catechism of the Catholic Church 1643 Marital love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter… It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh. Unitive and procreative are the goods of marriage.

 THE HOMOSEXUAL COUPLE CANNOT FULFILL THE GOODS OF MARRIAGE.

The Church teaches that homogenital behavior is objectively immoral, the same as heterosexual activity outside of marriage, The Church makes the important distinction between this behavior and a homosexual orientation, which is not immoral in itself.

 Homosexual persons “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity” These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. (CCC #2358)

 

TO HAVE LIFE WE MUST GIVE IT AWAY 

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,  but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 16:24-25

There are many calls to discipleship throughout Scripture.  I will cite just a few examples because of the circumstances of the call, the manner of the call, and the reaction of the one called.

CALL OF MATTHEW

The first one is the call of Levi, the tax collector whose name was later changed to Matthew.  When you encounter the Lord your name is often changed, .Simon/Peter.

And he saw tax collector and said follow me. Matthew points at himself with the expression-Who me?  Leaving everything behind, he got up and followed HIM

Do we ever ask God if He got the wrong person, Who Me! OR DO WE FOLLOW ANYWAY?

BLIND BARTIMAEUS

As Jesus was leaving Jericho, he came across a blind beggar named Bartimaeus.  The beggar when he heard who was passing by kept calling out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.”

Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see. Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:50-52

Why did Jesus ask the beggar what he wanted from him? In prayer, Are we specific in telling God what we want?  Do we persevere in that prayer?

ZACCHAEUS

 Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”

And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.  Jesus said to him,

“Today salvation^c has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:1-10

 DO WE CHANGE WHEN WE ENCOUNTER JESUS?  HOW SO? ARE WE LOOKING FOR CHANGE WHEN WE ARE LOOKING FOR JESUS?

We are all familiar with these kinds of stories in the Gospels where once confronted by Jesus that person gets a sense of healing, physically/spiritually…a movement towards wholeness… THEY leave whatever state they were in…. to follow Jesus down the road…along the WAY. We may stumble along the way but Jesus is there to pick us up if we only ask,

As followers,(imitators of Christ) we share with others as Jesus did.-love our enemies, forgive that we may be forgiven, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, be merciful that mercy will be shown you…  The only thing we take with us when we die, is what we have given away….so leave that suitcase behind…

JESUS’ DISCIPLES BEARING GIFTS FOR OTHERS

One teaching of Jesus I always had trouble with was giving my life away that I might have life.  It’s my life, isn’t it?  Don’t I have the right to live it as I want?  I do have free will, after all. The choice is mine. What about my choices?  Choices have consequences.

There is both an Ego drama and a Theo drama being played out.  One is my plan (Ego drama) the other is God’s plan for bringing me into excellent existence.  Life is a gift from God.  God has a plan and purpose for my existence.

Do I stick with God or do I separate myself with sin. Uh-Oh, No sins allowed in heaven. Be holy as I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16  Well, I better begin now to become what God envisioned when he breathed life into my soul and body if I want to end up there for all eternity.

 To have Heaven and a share in Divine life I must set aside this world, its pomp, transient glories, and passing pleasures. I must help the needy and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

PRAYER

King of kings, we come before you to ask for your help. Give us your wisdom to elect leaders who will stand for us and who will lead by example. Open our eyes to see what’s good for us as a nation.  Let candidates respect the dignity of each and every human life, each and every step along the long continuum from conception to natural death.  Grant them the wisdom and grace to do just that.

 Protect us from those who want leadership for selfish reasons, for power and financial gain at the expense of developing the nation. I pray that you may scatter any plans set by the devil to disrupt the election process.  Let the candidates accept the outcome of the elections without creating tension and violence. Let your Holy Spirit guide us in our decision making. Amen.

 INTRODUCTION

Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that sees the proper relationship among moral goods.

There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. Such actions are so deeply flawed that they are always opposed to the authentic good of persons. These are called “intrinsically evil” actions.

They must always be rejected and opposed. A prime example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion and euthanasia. It is always a grave sin if the voter’s intent is to support those positions.

Negative commandments such as thou shall not kill does not mean they are more important than obligations to do good (Veritas Splendor ST. John Paul II)   It is our positive duty to contribute to the common good and to act in solidarity with those in need. Both opposing evil and doing good are essential obligations.

Each of us has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for the proper development of life; these are primarily food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and, finally, the necessary social services” (St. John XXIII Pacem in Terris, no. 11).

The formation of conscience begins with a desire to embrace goodness and truth. For Catholics, this begins with a willingness and openness to seek the truth and what is right by studying Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church as contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. At the center of these truths is respect for the dignity of every person.

We are called to practice Christ’s commandment to “love one another” (Jn 13:34). We are also called to promote the well-being of all, to share our blessings with those most in need, to defend marriage, and to protect the lives and dignity of all, especially the weak, the vulnerable, the voiceless.

The text Catholic Catechism was approved by St. John Paul II on 25 June 1992, and promulgated by him on 11 October 1992, the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council

FORMING A CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE

 1776 “Deep within his conscience, man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . .

Here, the Church references the clear teaching of both the Old and the New Testaments. “I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts” Jeremiah 31: 33, and “I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts” Hebrews 8: 10

The natural law is inscribed in every human heart and mind by God. This law is knowable by all human beings, whether or not they have encountered the revealed law of God in Sacred Scripture. This is why natural law is the basis of all the Catholic Church’s teachings regarding politics.

1782 Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.”

1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful… The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences of the world and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.

1785 The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.

Pope Francis in 2018 Encyclical Gaudete et Exsultate wrote,” The “defense of the innocent unborn needs to be clear, firm and passionate,” But after noting the sacredness of the lives at stake in abortion, Francis pointedly noted, “Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to euthanasia, victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.”

COMMENTARY

In this election there are many issues for Catholics to consider. These issues certainly include the character of the candidates, the management of the pandemic, the death penalty, religious liberty, human sexuality, poverty, racism, economic justice, climate change, immigration, domestic and international peace and more.

A Catholic should ask if there are serious reasons that could justify voting for a candidate who supports the legal right to abortion.  The U.S. bishops’ conference uses the term “proportionate or truly grave moral reasons.”

The idea here is that Catholics should take abortion very seriously but also consider the full range of serious issues at stake. In other words, for the sake of the common good, Catholics are not single issue voters. Catholic Teaching does not prohibit voting for a candidate that supports the legal right to abortion.

However a Catholic may not vote specifically for a pro-choice politician if it is their intention to support abortion, always intrinsically evil Also a candidate who opposes abortion does not make that candidate pro-life but anti-abortion. Life begins at conception and continues to natural death.  That is a long continuum to respect the dignity and sanctity of every human life, every human life!!!

PRAYER

Merciful Father, Thank you for inviting each of us to join in your work of building the kingdom of love, justice, and peace. Draw us close to you in prayer.

 Send us forth to encounter all whom you love: those not yet born, those in poverty, those in need of welcome. Inspire us to respond to the call to faithful citizenship, during election season and beyond.

 Teach us in your merciful love to treat others with respect, even when we disagree.  We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen

 

 ONE GOD, THREE PERSONS

GOD THE FATHER, LOVER, GOD THE SON, THE BELOVED

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, LOVE ITSELF

Many of us ask that question, WHERE IS GOD, perhaps daily as the world seem to crumble around us, natural disasters, human disasters, the world calling evil good, and rebuking what we know is good as petty and meaningless.  For many of us it seems like a disaster, a train wreck and why doesn’t God intervene?

Has God forgotten us?  Is He away on Sabbatical? No, that Sabbath day happened a long time ago. “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished. Genesis 2:3 God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. GEN. 1:31

Today we live more in a world of man’s making. God created everything GOOD! Man messes things up from the very beginning and we keep repeating the same mistakes due to our pride and willfulness.  Who made us God?  All we have to boast in are gifts from God.  Has God just thrown his hands up in the air wiped them clean of us?

Is God done with us?  No, in the Old Testament, He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Moses among others.  It is not that God is not involved.  He watches.  He sees. He cares.  He heard the cries for deliverance of Israel, enslaved in Egypt, in the Book of Exodus. Ask yourself this question, why would God who put so much care and love in creating you just walk away from you before you reach your heavenly home?  You don’t do that with your children or even your pets.

The better question to ask, is WHERE ARE WE, TODAY? God has been pushed to the margins, denied, ridiculed, mocked and suppressed by man-made laws and moral relativists who make up their own truth. Is it any wonder that we who abandon God suffer the fate of our ancestors in the Old Testament?

When the “chosen” people in the Old Testament turned away from God, the result of going on their own was famine, slavery, and exile. We are in the same mess as our ancestors with climate disasters, migration, pandemics, enslaved to our sins…

God never gives up on us. God loves infinitely and eternally. He loves the sinner. His love created us.  He had no need for us but wanted to share his life with us.  “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” Isaiah 49:15

When our Old Testament ancestors didn’t get it right, breaking one covenant after another, God promised a Messiah, a Savior, through the Prophets.  “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 Jesus is that heart of flesh, that Word Incarnate, who took on our human nature that we might share in His divine nature.

JESUS BECOMES HUMAN THAT WE MIGHT BECOME DIVINE

God is present in our prayers today.  God is present in our neighbor today.  God is present today in the sacraments to be ministered through the Church Jesus founded. In the Sacrament of Baptism He adopts us and makes us heirs of heaven, in the Eucharist, we abide in Jesus and share in divine life. “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. “ John 6:54 In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God forgives our sins, “whose sins you forgive are forgiven” John 20:23 And the healing words from the priest in the person of Christ (persona Christi) I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Wow, Is God present in this world or what! But some will say they have given up on the Church and all the bad shepherds.  There have always been bad shepherds, even in Jesus’ time, but that never stopped Him from spreading the Good News.  Jesus had plan for this also after He ascended into heaven.  He would send His Spirit upon His Church. “…I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” John 16:7

The Holy Spirit of Truth unveils Christ to us. Union with God is impossible for anyone except through participation in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinfulness, helps restore us from corruption to God’s likeness and glory. The Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier.  He makes us Holy.  And only the Holy will see God. Strive for…. that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

We are asked to place our faith in the Church because, for Catholics at least, the Church is not a merely human enterprise. She is the Bride of Christ: divinely instituted, sustained, and destined. “I saw a new heaven and a new earth… a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.^c He will dwell with them and they will be his people^* and God himself will always be with them…. Revelations 21:2-3

Just as God chose Israel to be a light to the nations in the Old Testament, God formed a new people in the New Testament. God loved the world so much, he joined himself to our human nature in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and in so doing, formed a new people, a chosen race, a holy Church.

 The Church of Christ would have collapsed centuries ago if not for the Divine underpinnings and support of the Holy Spirit.  Think about that.  Pray about that! If you have left the Church, come home to Christ’ Mystical Body. When we say AMEN at the reception of the Eucharist, we are acknowledging we are the BODY OF CHRIST!  Jesus calls us all to REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL! MARK 1:15

HOLY SPIRIT, SANCTIFIER AND ANIMATOR OF CHURCH, THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.

And you shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful,

grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise

and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

 

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD

WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD

JOHN 1:29

BACKGROUND

Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.

Just as Eve, the mother of all life, whose name means Life, was taken from the side of Adam, the Church and all the life giving sacraments flow from the pierced side of Jesus.

In the first century, Pope St. Clement I wrote “Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious it is; it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world.”

For centuries the Feast of Most Precious Blood was celebrated on July 1. But in 1969, Paul VI removed the feast day from the Roman Liturgical Calendar.  His reasoning was is that the Most Precious Blood of Christ is already venerated in the solemnities of the Passion, the Feast of Corpus Christi, Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.”  In today’s liturgy the entire month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. In some rites of the Church, July 1 is still celebrated as Feast of Most Precious Blood.

 The Blood of Christ is the source of salvation for the world. God chose the sign of blood, because no other sign is so eloquent to express the supreme love of life given for others. This donation is repeated in every Eucharistic celebration, in which alongside the Body of Christ, His precious blood is made present; the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, shed for all, for the redemption of sins.

 SCRIPTURE

 In the Bible, blood had a very significant meaning. Blood in the Old Testament was a key component in the system of atonement instituted by God. The lifeblood of a sacrificial animal offered in sacrifice represented the life of the individual making atonement.

The Bible regards blood as the symbol and source of life. Leviticus 17:14 states, “For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life…

God’s holiness and justice demand that sin be punished. The offering of an animal and even our own death are not sufficient sacrifices to pay for sin. Atonement for the infinite offense against God requires a perfect, spotless sacrifice.

Jesus Christ, the one perfect God-man, came to offer the pure, complete and everlasting sacrifice to make payment for our sin…..not by the blood of sacrificial animals, but by his own precious blood on the cross, Christ poured out his life in the ultimate atoning sacrifice for our sin and the sins of the world.

But when Christ came as high priest…he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption….

Hebrews Chapter 9

 “for this is My blood, the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28

 In the scourging at the pillar, we see the Lord under raw strokes of the lash spurt out His divine Blood.  Pilate displays the blood-covered Body to the crowds: Ecce homo (Behold the Man)! As we go through Jerusalem’s streets we follow the bloody footsteps to Golgotha. Precious blood trickles down the cross until a soldier opens the sacred side. Water and Blood flow from that side to wash us clean in the blood of the Lamb!

COMMENTARY

In my opinion, removing a feast as “precious” as this one from the Roman Liturgical Calendar may have had unintended consequences to lessen traditional devotions and thus deprive those traditional Catholics certain opportunities to reverence the body and blood of Christ.

The Eucharist, the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ is a BIG DEAL at daily Mass.  We can never be reminded too often of the Mystery of our Salvation! Our redemption flows from the pierced side of Jesus.

BLOOD OF CHRIST FALLING UPON THE EARTH,

HAVE MERCY ON US!

 in must be the most dreadful thing in the universe, because it cost the living God, in human form, the shedding of His Blood.   In order to die, the soul has to separate from the body. But for the Body to have the soul separate from the body, the body has to be deprived of its Blood.

In the very first letter of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ, Peter addressed the need for reverence for the “precious blood” of Christ, “realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ” I Peter 1:17-19.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, You became Man that you might suffer your Passion and Death even to the draining of your most precious blood so you might prove to us your love for us. 

 Protect us, dear Jesus.  Strengthen our weak human wills so that we will not run away from the cross, but welcome every opportunity to shed our blood in spirit in union with your Precious Blood, so that, dying to ourselves in time, we might live with You in Eternity  Amen

“GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD,

HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER!