The Precious Blood: Gift of Infinite Worth

For July, the month of the Precious Blood of Jesus, Tina Mayeux reflects on the importance of this devotion in the life of the Church. 

Have you ever walked with your child through an extremely difficult time and felt powerless to help them? Maybe it was an illness, the consequences of a poor choice that they had to face, or their being hurt or mistreated by others. There are times when our children's problems fall outside our circle of control, yet we love them so much that we would do anything to take their pain away. Many times this is not possible, but as parents, we comfort and support them in every way we can.

Watching a child suffer with a physical or mental health condition can be a devastating trial that takes a toll on the entire family, but especially on parents. One of our daughters has been hospitalized twice, and both times were experiences that tested our strength and faith as we worried and prayed and suffered alongside her. Each of our children has endured her own personal trials and tribulations as we stood nearby offering consolation and doing our best to improve the situation.

Mary and the Precious Blood

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was a witness to Jesus' Passion and death and understands the heartbreak of a parent suffering with their child. Mary was different in that she remained perfectly sinless and full of grace as she stood by Jesus during His Passion, Crucifixion, and death. Her acceptance as she accompanied her Son through the ordeal demonstrated her unsurpassed love and compassion and merited her the title of Our Lady of Sorrows. Mary, the Mother who remained at the foot of the Cross, also stands by us in our times of trial.

There is an unforgettable scene in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ that profoundly expresses the anguish Mary must have felt during her Son's Passion. With the ever-devoted Mary Magdalene at her side, Our Lady drops to her knees to gather the blood of Jesus that has pooled on the ground during His flogging. It is a painful and poignant moment for the viewer, and Mary's sorrow is palpable. As mothers, we are especially attuned to her bitter heartache, imagining how agonizing such an act might be for us if our own child had endured such suffering.  

Mary understood and appreciated that this was no ordinary blood, but the Blood of our Savior. She knew that this Blood was precious and sacred, having issued from the wounds of the Son of God. In that scene, where she knelt and lovingly tried to collect every drop that was shed by Jesus, we are reminded of the saving power of His Precious Blood and the honor and reverence we should extend to it.

July Is the Month of the Precious Blood

In July, the Church honors the Most Precious Blood of Jesus in a special way. It is a devotion which dates back to the times of the early Christians and was born at the site of the Crucifixion. When the soldiers saw that Jesus was dead, they did not break His legs as with the others crucified with Him, but "one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out" (John 19:34). This is the moment that Divine Mercy was poured out for our salvation.

Saint Clement of Rome said:

Let us fix our eyes on Christ’s blood and understand how precious it is to his Father, for, poured out for our salvation, it has brought to the whole world the grace of repentance. (First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 7:4)

The Blood Which is the Life of Souls

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (Diary of Saint Faustina, 84). 

These words, taken from the opening prayer of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, remind us of the hope we should place in the Divine Mercy of God through this shedding of Christ’s Blood for us on the Cross. In 1935, the Divine Mercy Image was first venerated at Ostra Brama in Poland, the “Dawn Gate” in the city of Vilnius. The image was painted at the request of Jesus himself in a vision to St. Faustina.

St. Faustina’s confessor requested her to ask Jesus what the two rays in the Divine Mercy image symbolized, and she responded:

During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the water that makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls ... These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when my agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. (Diary 299)

Today, more than ever, we need the abundant graces that are available to us from this devotion if only we ask for them. The red and pale rays stand for the Blood and water and the healing and sanctifying graces, especially of Baptism and the Eucharist, that come from Jesus' Sacred Heart.

The Offering of the Precious Blood

The Offering of the Most Precious Blood to the Eternal Father is an excellent means of receiving grace and interceding for others. Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was a Carmelite nun who herself practiced this devotion and encouraged others to offer up the Blood of Jesus, remining us that it is a gift we can give that is infinitely valuable for souls. During her life, she offered up the Precious Blood at least 50 times a day and was said to have seen some of the souls she saved by her fervent practice of the devotion. 

This offering is a simple but fruitful means of helping ourselves and others. By it, we can assist our fellow Christians on earth and those in Purgatory as this saint did. The prayer can be a simple offering from your own heart, or you can follow a formula such as the Saint Gertrude Prayer, which has traditionally been prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

The Litany of the Precious Blood is another devotion that has been approved by the Church for universal recitation. Other prayers and devotions dedicated to the Precious Blood can be found for recitation at CatholicTradition.org.

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Copyright 2026 Tina Mayeux
Images: (top, center) Canva; (bottom) iStockPhoto.com, licensed for use by Holy Cross Family Ministries