The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-22
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD.

thought of it is not one that may
be reserved merely for special seasons
like Lent, or for odd moments when
it harmonizes with our passing mood;
It is a subject that should never be far
from our thoughts, for it is the central
point of our faith and the greatest in.
centive to a holy life. Christs Pas.
sion is the one thing which more than.
any other keeps clearly before us our
real position in Gods sight, and conse-
.quently our duties towards Him, to-
wards our neighbors, and towards our
own souls. For this reason we are
asked to mediate on the sacred Pas
sion under various aspects, at different
times of the year, and during the pres
ent month it is presented for our con-
sideration under the aspect of the
Precious Blood
The Blood of Christ! To give ones
life-blood for another is the supreme
test of love. Human nature is capable
of no higher proof of devoted attach
ment. We recognize the vast extent
of such sacrifice. Whenever it hap
pens in our human experience that one
man gives his life to save another, not
only does he earn thereby the lasting
gratitude of the man he has befriend-
ed, but he gains for all time the name
of a hero. What then of Christ? He
gave His life; but how far greater than
all human sacrifice was His act of obla-
ton. If man gives his life, it is for
a fellow-Creature for one who is his
friend-or if not, for one who will ever
after cherish him as a friend and pass
on his name as sacred memory to his
children. But Christ was infinitely
above all men, He was God; and yet He
became as one of us. He came into
the world with a heart overlooking
with love and scattering blessings as
He went. Nevertheless men received
Him with utter Indifference and even
scorn; they cared not whether He lived
or died; some few were willing to fol
low Him when He seemed to lead them
to earthly happiness and glory, but
turned away when He spoke to them
of suffering and the cross. He, the
God Who holds the world in the hollow
of His hand, was rejected and con.
demned by those He sought to save
Thus it was in His lifetime, and with
prophetic eyes He looked into the flu
ture and saw the same ingratitude, the
same Indifference or active hostility
looming like an inky storm-cloud across
the ages yet to come; and at the sight
His very soul was sad even unto death
and He shuddered with horror at the
prospect of the awful multitude of sins
He had to eXpiate. Yet despite all this
He died for men. He poured out, amid
untold sufferings, every drop of His
most Precious Blood, that sinful and
ungrateful mankind might, in spite of
all, be helped towards Heaven.
What, then, does the Precious Blood
mean to us, what message does it car.
ry to our hearts? 1t tells us of love
beyond all bounds, love that no mere
human mind can grasp. It makes a
piteous and most powerful appeal to
every heart not to let that Blood be
shed in vain.
Let us mediate on two great
thoughts this month: in the first place
Christ's excess of love. Saints have
been lost in contemplation of the un
fashionable abyss of sacrifice to which
it led. That the Eternal and All-holy
God should leave His home of ever
lasting bliss, and not merely clothe
Himself with our infrmity, but even
take upon Himself the loathsome bur
den of our sins, the foul iniquities OF
all mankind, and stand before His
Father as one drenched in wickedness
the Victim of His Justice, to expiate in
His own Person this awful torrent OF
of human reason, it is mystery OF
abasement quite beyond our compre
hension.
The other thought, which has pene
trated deep into many souls, and which
should sink also deeply into ours, is
this: that each one can say, Christ has
died for me, for every individual soul;
He had each individual member of the
human race present to His mind when
He made the stupendous offering of
Himself for men. Knowing this, can
look unmoved on the bleeding Wounds
of Christ? Can remain untouched by
that great Passion endured in order
that my particular soul may be wrested
from the grasp of Satan and saved
from everlasting death? Surely il
there is single spark of generous feel
ing in my nature it will respond to this
appeal; my spirits will be fired with
the desire to show my Redeemer that
am not utterly ungrateful, that my
heart is ready to serve Him in what
soever way He wills. Lord, what
wilt Thou have me to do?"-this is the
cry of the generous soul at the sight
of the Precious Blood flowing in ex.
piation of my sins from the Wounds OF
the dying Saviour.
Is there any very special work that
Christ would have us do? Is there
anything He hungers for and asks from
us with longing earnestness? There is
For He appeals to us to help Him in
such way as that His Blood may not be
shed in vain. In giving Himself up, a
sacrifice for man, His generosity was
perfect. He reckoned as nothing suf.
ferings and humiliation, sorrow and
ignomonies. One thing alone he cared
for, longed for, died for-the salvation
of souls. It is for our cooperation in
this divinest of all works divine that
He appeals to us so earnestly.
Christ finiShed His work on earth