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Continuing with this month’s theme of the Most Precious Blood:

Christ’s Blood is the precious source of salvation for the world precisely because it belongs to the Word who became flesh for our salvation.

The sign of “blood poured out”, as an expression of life given in bloodshed as a witness to supreme love, is an act of divine condescension to our human condition. God chose the sign of blood because no other sign suggests a person’s total involvement so eloquently.

(Pope John Paul II, Christ’s Blood, Source of Salvation, July 1, 2000)

Litany of the Most Precious Blood

As the month of July is traditionally dedicated to the Precious Blood it seemed fitting to continue the theme throughout the month.

Blessed Pope John XXIII had a particular devotion to the Precious Blood:

“From infancy this devotion was instilled in us within our own household. Fondly we still recall how our parents used to recite the Litany of the Most Precious Blood every day during July.”

Pope John XXIII, Apostolic Letter Inde a Primis (On Promoting Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ)

And here is the Litany they recited:

Litany of the Most Precious Blood

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, save us.

Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God, save us.

Blood of Christ, of the new and Eternal Testament, save us.

Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony, save us.

Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging, save us.

Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns, save us.

Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross, save us.

Blood of Christ, Price of our salvation, save us.

Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness, save us.

Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls, save us.

Blood of Christ, river of mercy, save us.

Blood of Christ, Victor over demons, save us.

Blood of Christ, Courage of martyrs, save us.

Blood of Christ, Strength of confessors, save us.

Blood of Christ, bringing forth virgins, save us.

Blood of Christ, Help of those in peril, save us.

Blood of Christ, Relief of the burdened, save us.

Blood of Christ, Solace in sorrow, save us.

Blood of Christ, Hope of the penitent, save us.

Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying, save us.

Blood of Christ, Peace and Tenderness of hearts, save us.

Blood of Christ, Pledge of Eternal Life, save us.

Blood of Christ, freeing souls from Purgatory, save us.

Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor, save us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

V. Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, in Thy blood, R. And made of us a kingdom for our God.

Let Us Pray

Almighty and Eternal God, Thou hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by His Blood, Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may worthily adore this Price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of this present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in Heaven. Through the same Christ Our Lord.

R. Amen.

The Wave of the Future?

Fr. Z has an excellent post on the Holy Father’s recent trend of distributing Communion on the tongue to people who are kneeling.

How should people receive Communion? Pope Benedict sets example…again

And in a comment on another post on Fr. Z’s blog a reader writes:

Apparently, the Pope said today during Mass at a site in Italy:

“I am convinced of the importance of giving the host once again to the faithful directly in the mouth without them touching it” and “the return of kneeling during Communion as a sign of respect”

HOORAY FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI !

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“Oh, Lord, please let me say the right words this afternoon, as I consecrate another gay union that angers you so.”

“And do you Julio take Thad to be your lawfully wedded life partner, in Massachusetts and Vermont, maybe Canada, stay out of Texas, for as long as you both are gay?” (audio clip)

-Homer Simpson in There’s Something About Marrying

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“Your prayers should be liturgical. How I would like to see you using the psalms and prayers from the missal, rather than private prayers of your own choice.”

(St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 86)

Subjects For Daily Meditation

Remember, Christian soul, that thou hast this day, and every day of thy life:

God to glorify,
Jesus to imitate,
The Blessed Virgin and the Saints to venerate,
The Angels to invoke,
A soul to save,
A body to mortify,
Sins to expiate,
Virtues to acquire,
Hell to avoid,
Heaven to gain,
Eternity to prepare for,
Time to profit by,
Neighbors to edify,
The world to despise,
Devils to combat,
Passions to subdue,
Death perhaps to suffer,
And Judgment to undergo.

Manual of Prayers, 3rd Plenary Council of Baltimore, 1888

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I read this quote this morning in both the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal and Volume 10 of The Liturgical Year:

“As soon as we have celebrated the Advent of the Holy Ghost, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity in the office of the following Sunday.

The time is well chosen, for, immediately after the descent of this Divine Spirit, began the preaching, and belief and Baptism and confession in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

-Abbot Rupert of Deutz

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“And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be you Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.”

-Stephen Colbert

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“Once you go Vatican, you never go back again.”

-Homer Simpson in The Father, The Son & The Holy Guest Star

Bishop Campbell’s Easter Message

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

On this Easter Sunday, we once again celebrate the great feast of joy and hope, two of the distinguishing marks of a faithful Christian.

The joy that Christians experience is not a simple optimism nor an unwarranted exhilaration. It is a joy rooted in the realization that in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all that threatens the dignity and future of the human person has been overcome. Our existence is framed by the eternity of God’s love that gives life, truth, and peace.

We now live our everyday lives with extraordinary hope. Facing all of the challenges of an imperfect world, we know that the power of the resurrection still can transform every reality, even banishing the fear of death. For, when all is said and done, Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, and in the end His love will triumph.

This love, manifested on the Cross and confirmed in the Resurrection, sustains all of creation and every one of our lives. From this understanding flows that peace of which our diocesan patron saint, Francis de Sales, once wrote: “Have no fear for what tomorrow may bring. The same loving God who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.”

This love and peace of the Risen Lord we experience especially and preeminently in the celebration of the Eucharist instituted by Christ before His passion, death and resurrection. Here the Lord is truly present, fulfilling His promise that He would be with us until the end.

Therefore, in this Easter season let us rejoice and be glad. May the ever living Lord rise in your hearts and minds and bring you to life without end.

- The Most Reverend Frederick F. Campbell, D.D., Ph.D.
Bishop of Columbus