BLOOD OF THE LAMB

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‘But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony’ (Rev 12:11). The Holy Bible testifies that the  important weapon that ensures the  victory of saints over the devil in the  end times will be the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ..

Apostles like Peter, John, and Paul  have written extensively about the merits of Lord’s precious Blood (1 Pet 1:18-19, Rom 5:9, 1 Jn 1:7, Heb 13:12). John Maria Vianney, John Chrysostom, Dominic, Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, Catherine of Sienna, Gertrude, and many other  saints were devotees of the Precious Blood. 

We are familiar with the  prayer of St Gertrude to the  Precious Blood. ‘Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.

Again  prayer to the Precious  Blood is the refuge of the dying in their  final hours. ‘O Most Merciful Jesus, Lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the  agony of Thy most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, cleanse in Thine Own Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony and who are to die this day. Amen. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have pity on the dying.’

A short prayer  intended for frequent use is also suggested. ‘O Most Precious Blood of Jesus, save us and the whole world’.

Devotion to  the Precious   Blood has become more popular    during the past three decades, thanks to the  messages our Lord gave through Baranabas Nwoye from Nigeria. It was in 1995  that Barnabas started getting messages from our Lord  calling for a special devotion to the Precious  Blood as reparation for the insults and sins committed against the  Holy Eucharist and His Precious Blood throughout the world. This devotion  as we know today consists of the Chaplet of Precious Blood said in  honor of  five wounds of Jesus. It is  to be  said after the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin. Certain  prayers   follow it. They are  Consolation Prayers, Adoration Prayers, Anguished Appeals, Mystical Prayers, Atonement Prayer, and the Gethsemane Hour Prayer. The Consolation prayers are  addressed to  God the Father and Jesus Christ  to console them for the  insults and atrocities committed     in the Church and in the world against the Precious Blood.

In the  seven Adoration prayers that follow, we  honor, glorify and  adore the Precious Blood and submit our  supplications. It is followed by  seven Anguished Appeals  where Jesus  describes the irreverence, insults and atrocities against the  Holy /Eucharist by way  of neglect, immodesty, greed, lust and the like. Then Jesus  appeals to each one of us to live a life of penance and reparation. Mystical Prayers are special intercessory prayers. Jesus has told  Barnabas  that these are the same prayers that Jesus submitted to the Father in his hours of  suffering  in the cross.

The final part of  this devotion consists of a powerful prayer to be said  from  11.00 pm  every Thursday through 3.00 am on Friday. It is a bit lengthy and those who are  unable to go through the  full session could  do a  shorter version  of  one hour any time between 12.00 am and 3.00am. During the Gethsemane Hour, all the prayers mentioned above are to be said. This will help us to remain  steadfast in  faith during times of  a terrible apostasy that would plague the  Church. It will also help us to face the  days of chastisement  with grace.

As for Church’s approval of this  devotion, a commission  appointed by the bishop of  Enugu Diocese in Nigeria  has  examined all these prayers and has given their  approval. Other bishops from Nigeria like  Ayo-Maria Atoyebi O.P also recommend this devotion. St Pope John Paul II  had high regard for  the devotion to  the Precious  Blood.

 Traditionally 1 July was  celebrated as the Feast of the  Precious Blood in the Roman Calendar. The  month of July is specially dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.

With Catherine of Sienna, let us also pray for the protection of the Precious Blood. “Precious Blood, ocean of divine mercy, flow upon us! Precious Blood, most pure offering, procure us every grace! Precious Blood, hope and refuge of sinners, atone for us! Precious Blood, delight of holy souls, draw us!

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