July 1
The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Titular Solemnity of the Congregations
Solemnity for CPPS and ASC

In the church of St. Nicholas in Chains at Rome, traditionally known for the devotion to the Blood of Christ, Fr. Francesco Albertini instituted a religious association in 1808. It was inaugurated with the preaching of his friend, Fr. Gaspar del Bufalo, “the greatest apostle of the blood of Christ’ (St. Pope John XXIII), who founded the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood in 1815. During a mission that Fr. Gaspar conducted at Vallecorsa in 1822, young Maria De Mattias was profoundly struck by his preaching. It contributed to her discernment regarding the beginning of a Congregation of sisters, which she later founded in Acuto, under the title of Adorers of the Most Precious Blood. After Bl. Pope Pius IX returned to Rome from his exile in Gaeta, he published the decree Redempti sumus on August 10, 1849, extending the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the universal Church. In 1914, Pope St Pius X fixed the date of the feast as July 1. And Pope Pius XI, in memory of the Jubilee of our Redemption in 1934, raised it to the level of solemnity. With the reform of the liturgical calendar under Pope Paul VI, it was joined to the solemnity of Corpus Christi, that is, “The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ”. Congregations inspired by the spirituality of the Blood of Christ, continue to celebrate the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ on July 1.

Mass

Liturgy of the Hours

Any suggestions for the celebrations contained in the website are just that, suggestions, and are the creation of Fr. Dennis Chriszt, C.PP.S. Feel free to use, adapt or disregard them.

Possible Intercessions

Homily Suggestions

Like the people of Israel gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai and the disciples gathered in the upper room, we stand before the Lord in need of his blessings.

  1. For the Missionaries and the Sisters of the Precious Blood and Adorers of the Blood of Christ, their Companions and associates, and for all whom they serve.... We pray to the Lord.
  2. For all who serve in positions of leadership in the Church and in the world.... We pray to the Lord.
  3. For all who shed their blood today in wars and other acts of violence around the world.... We pray to the Lord.
  4. For peace and justice in our world, especially in the land where Jesus once lived.... We pray to the Lord.
  5. For the sick, the lonely and all who suffer.... We pray to the Lord.
  6. For all who have died, especially those who once served as Missionaries, Sisters or Adorers of the Precious Blood.... We pray to the Lord.

God and Father of us all, as Moses sprinkled the people with the blood of the covenant, and as Jesus shared his blood of the new covenant, so make our blood and the blood of all your people precious in your sight, now and always, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Musical Suggestions

Click on the titles below to see a pdf of the musical suggestions.  Feel free to include them in any worship aids you may publish, noting that they are copyrighted by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, United States Province.

Accompaniment for these pieces is available for download as a pdf file below, but should only be reproduced for the accompanist and/or  soloist.

  1. Imagine what it must have been like, when the people of Israel had stood at foot of Mount Sinai and heard the words of the covenant.

    They had only recently seen the signs and wonders God had worked for them.

    They had been set free from slavery, walked as free men, women and children through the waters of the Red Sea.

    They had heard the rumors that Moses had been speaking with God on the top of that mountain.

    They had seen God’s power and might and were ready and willing to pledge to God their faithfulness as they said, We will do everything that the Lord has told us!  All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do.

  2. Imagine what it must have been like, to see the Moses splashing the blood upon the altar and then to see it splashed upon themselves.

    They were indeed stained by blood.

    There were no detergents or bleaches that could remove the stain, and very little water with which to wash their clothing.

    Most people only had a couple of changes of clothes anyway.

    And every day, the rest of their lives, they would see those stains, on their own clothes or on the clothing of the people around them, and they would remember the covenant God had made with them that day.

     

  3. Imagine what it must of have like, when they first gathered in the upper room to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, to remember what God had done for them in Egypt and how he had set them free.

    Imagine the hope that one day they would be free from the Romans who oppressed them at this time in their history in what was supposed to have been the Promised Land, but was now an occupied land.

    Imagine the despair as some wondered would they ever be free, would the one they had followed for so long turn out to be a failure.

    There were rumors that he would soon be arrested, tortured and put to death.  And then he took a cup filled with wine, blessed it and handed it to them.  Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes and This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.

    They would be stained, like the ancestors at Sinai, but not on their clothing, but in their hearts.

    They would be stained forever by the memory of this night and the days to follow as they watched him arrested, tortured, crucified.

    They would be stained by the memory of that moment when he drank of the fruit of the vine again as he gathered with them in the same upper room, risen from the dead and proclaiming Peace be with you!

    They would be stained forever by what they heard and saw as they walked with him and talked with him in the days and weeks to come. 

  4. Now imagine for a minute what it is like for you to share that same cup of the blood of Christ. You are not stained on the outside, like the people of Israel gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai.

    No, you are stained on the inside, because the precious blood of Jesus Christ flows through you veins and arteries.

    You are a vessel of Christ’s blood.

    You carry his presence in you because you stand at this table of the Lord.

  5. Now it is time to stop imagining, but a time to witness to the power of the Precious Blood.  The preacher may want to tell a story of his own experience or to share a story from the life of someone else who believed how precious the Blood of Jesus really is.
  6. Finally, the preacher may want to invite his listeners to remember in their own lives the power of the Blood of Christ.