Friday, July 17, 2015

MONTH OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS - SEVENTEENTH DAY



          MY BLOOD IS DRINK INDEED


Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. It is plain from these texts that our Lord wants us to partake of His body and blood, if we wish to have life in us. We must never lose sight of the Catholic doctrine, however, that in Holy Communion Christ cornea to us in person, and that the body of Christ is now, after the resurrection, inseparable from His Personality, from His Blood, His Soul, His Divinity, so that wherever the body is there also is Christ whole and entire. Nor do they receive the Blood of Christ in greater measure, who receive under the form of wine alone, because whoever receives under any form, receives not the body only nor the blood only, but Christ himself. With very good reason has it been ordained that two consecrations should separately take place in the Mass; first, to represent more effectually the passion of our Lord, in which His blood was separated from His body, wherefore, in the consecration, we mention the effusion of His blood; and secondly, because, as the sacrament was to be used by us to nurture the soul, it was most fitting that it should be instituted as meat and drink, which evidently constitute the perfect sustenance of the body. When, therefore, it is said in the words of the consecration: For this is the chalice of my blood, these words are to be understood to mean: This is my blood, which is contained in this chalice. Rightly and appositely is mention of the chalice to be made at the consecration of the blood, as it is the drink of the faithful; for the blood, were it not contained in some vessel, would not seem sufficiently to signify this sort of drink. Catechism of the Council of Trent. But from the very fact that our Lord Himself so often mentions His Blood separately from the body, although contained whole and entire in the latter, it follows that His Blood is worthy of particular worship. This Precious Blood flowed in the heart and veins of Jesus during His earthly sojourn and was the bearer of His life, of His great love for us. But since Jesus has returned to heaven, it now dwells in His glorified and adorable body on the throne of the Most High. It is the glory of heaven, the delight of the angels and saints, the very life of Jesus, His splendor and His happiness. And the Lamb is the lamp thereof.

The whole of the Precious Blood is in the chalice and in the Host. It is no part; it is the whole. We may well tremble to think what sanctuaries we are when the Blessed Sacrament is within us. - Faber

The pouring out of one’s blood is a proof of the strongest, the most powerful, the most perfect love. The life of the flesh is in the blood. Hence, whoever shed his blood for us, gives his life for us, gives himself entirely to us. Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Properly speaking, Christ did not die for any friend, but only for enemies, since all men being sinners, were consequently His enemies, the Blessed Virgin exempted. But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, Christ died for us: much more therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him. 

Oh, who can fathom the depths of the love of Jesus? He hath loved us and delivered Himself for us, says St. John. He loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.



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