The Catholic Church dedicates the month of July to the Precious Blood of Jesus, which was “shed for the many, for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). (The Feast of the Precious Blood, established by Pope Pius IX in 1849, is celebrated each year on the first Sunday of July.) Like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the subject of Catholic devotion in June, the Precious Blood has long been venerated for its role in our redemption.
Devotion to the “Body Parts” of Jesus
Many non-Catholics find Catholic devotion to the “body parts” of Jesus Christ to be a little odd. In addition to the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood, there are devotions to the Five Wounds (in Christ’s hands, feet, and side); to the shoulder wound, where Christ carried the Cross; and to the wounds caused by the crown of thorns, to name just a few.
Faced with Protestant discomfort with these devotions, many Catholics have abandoned or downplayed them. But we should not do that. These devotions provide a living witness to our belief in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Our Savior is not an abstraction; He is God-Made-Man. And as the Athanasian Creed tells us, in becoming man, Christ assumed humanity into the Godhead.
It’s an awesome thought: Our physical nature is united to God through the Person of Jesus Christ. When we venerate Christ’s Precious Blood or His Sacred Heart, we aren’t making an idol out of Creation; we are worshiping the One True God Who so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son to save us from everlasting death.
Through the following prayers, we can all join with the Church in reaffirming our belief that our God walked among men, that one day we might all dwell with God.
Petition to Jesus Christ
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Lord Jesus Christ, who camest down from heaven to earth from the bosom of the Father,
and didst shed Thy Precious Blood for the remission of our sins: we humbly beseech
Thee, that in the day of judgment we may deserve to hear, standing at Thy right hand:
“Come, ye blessed.” Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
An Explanation of the Petition to Jesus Christ
Christ’s Precious Blood, like His Sacred Heart, is a symbol of His love for all mankind. In this prayer, we recall the shedding of His Blood and ask that He may guide our lives so that we may be worthy of Heaven.
Precious Blood Prayer to the Mother of God
Dear Mother of God and purest virgin, do offer to the Heavenly Father the Precious
Blood and merits of Jesus Christ for all poor sinners and for the prevention of mortal sin.
Dear Mother of God and Protectress of the Holy Church, do offer to the Heavenly Father
the Precious Blood and Merits of Jesus Christ for our Holy Mother Church, for our Holy
Father the Pope and his intentions, for our Bishop and his diocese.
Dear Mother of God, and my Mother also, do offer to the Heavenly Father the most
Precious blood and the merits of Jesus Christ, His most holy and Divine Heart, and His
infinite merits, for our cruelly persecuted brethren in every land where Christians suffer
persecution. Offer them also for the unhappy pagans that they may learn to know Jesus,
Thy Son, and their Redeemer, and for the liberty, victory, and extension of the Catholic
Faith in all the countries of the world. Obtain also for the newly converted fidelity and
constancy in our holy Faith. Amen.
An Explanation of the Precious Blood Prayer to the Mother of God
In this beautiful Precious Blood Prayer to the Mother of God, we ask the Virgin Mary to offer the Precious Blood of Christ—the Blood He received from her—to God the Father, on our behalf and for the protection and advancement of the Church.
Offering in Reparation to the Precious Blood
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son,
my Savior and my God, for the spread and exaltation of my dear Mother, Thy holy
Church, for the preservation and welfare of her visible Head, the sovereign Roman
Pontiff, for the cardinals, bishops, and pastors of souls, and for all the ministers of the
sanctuary.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised for evermore be Jesus, who hath saved us with his Blood!
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son,
my Savior and my God, for peace and concord among Catholic kings and princes, for the
humbling of the enemies of our holy faith, and for the welfare of all Thy Christian people.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised for evermore be Jesus, who hath saved us with his Blood!
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son,
my Savior and my God, for the conversion of unbelievers, the rooting-up of all heresies,
and the conversion of sinners.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised for evermore be Jesus, who hath saved us with his Blood!
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son,
my Savior and my God, for all my relations, friends and enemies, for those in need, in
sickness, and in tribulation, and for all those for whom Thou knowest that I am bound to
pray, and willest that I should pray for.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised for evermore be Jesus, who hath saved us with his Blood!
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son,
my Savior and my God, for all those who are to pass this day to the other life, that Thou
wouldst deliver them from the pains of hell, and admit them with all speed to the
possession of Thy glory.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised for evermore be Jesus, who hath saved us with his Blood!Eternal
Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son, my
Savior and my God, for all men who are lovers of this great treasure and who are united
with me in adoring and glorifying It and who labor to spread this devotion.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised for evermore be Jesus, who hath saved us with his Blood!
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Thy beloved Son,
my Savior and my God, for all my needs, both temporal and spiritual, as in intercession
for the holy souls in purgatory, and in an especial manner for those who were most
devoted to this price of our redemption, and to the sorrows and sufferings of our dear
Mother, Mary most holy.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Blessed and praised for evermore be Jesus, who hath saved us with his Blood!
Glory to the Blood of Jesus both now and for evermore and through the everlasting ages.
Amen.
An Explanation of the Offering in Reparation to the Precious Blood
This long but beautiful prayer recalls that our salvation comes through Christ’s shedding of His Precious Blood. We offer our intentions together with His merits, so that God may look with favor on the needs of the Church and of all Christians.
Prayer to Jesus
We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants: whom Thou has redeemed with Thy
Precious Blood.
An Explanation of the Prayer to Jesus
This short prayer calls to mind the Precious Blood of Jesus and asks Christ for His aid. It is a type of prayer known as an ejaculation or aspiration—a short prayer meant to be memorized and repeated throughout the day, either alone or in combination with longer prayers.
Prayer to the Eternal Father
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in atonement for my sins, and in supplication for the holy souls in purgatory and for the needs of holy Church.
An Explanation of the Prayer to the Eternal Father
Christ shed His Blood for our salvation, and we in turn should join in His sacrifice by offering to God the Father the Precious Blood of Christ. In this prayer, we are reminded that repentance for our sins goes hand in hand with the struggles of the whole Church and concern for the souls in Purgatory.
For the Fruits of the Precious Blood
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast appointed Thy only-begotten Son to be the
Redeemer of the world, and hast been pleased to be reconciled unto us by His Blood,
grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate with solemn worship the price of our
salvation, that the power thereof may here on earth keep us from all things hurtful, and
the fruit of the same may gladden us for ever hereafter in heaven. Through the same
Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
An Explanation of the Prayer for the Fruits of the Precious Blood
By the shedding of His Precious Blood, Christ saved mankind from our sins. In this prayer, drawn from the traditional Roman Missal, we ask God the Father to help us to recognize our debt and thus properly to venerate the Precious Blood.
A Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus
Precious Blood of Jesus, infinite price of sinful man’s redemption, both drink and laver of
our souls, Thou who dost plead continually the cause of man before the throne of infinite
mercy; from the depths of my heart, I adore Thee, and so far as I am able, I would
requite Thee for the insults and outrages which Thou dost continually receive from
human beings, and especially from those who rashly dare to blaspheme Thee. Who
would not bless this Blood of infinite value? Who doth not feel within himself the fire of
the love of who shed it all for us? What would be my fate, had I not been redeemed by
this Divine Blood? Who hath drawn it from the veins of my Savior, even to the last drop?
Ah, this surely was the work of love. O infinite love, which has given us this saving balm!
O balm beyond all price, welling up from the fountain of infinite love, grant that every
heart and every tongue may be enabled to praise Thee, magnify Thee and give Thee
thanks both now and for evermore. Amen.
In this moving prayer, we recall the redemptive quality of the Precious Blood of Jesus and adore the Precious Blood, which represents Christ’s infinite love for all mankind.
