Bri Campbell | Last Updated: July 1, 2020
The month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus – a devotion that has existed within the Church since the 16th century.
July also happens to be a big month for the United States, the month in which the most uniquely American holiday occurs – Independence Day, or the Fourth of July.
As I start counting down the minutes until I get to start my Fourth of July plans, I have feelings of anticipation, excitement, and a surge of gratitude for the 3-day weekend ahead. I’m ready to spend time with my friends, create fond memories, and be outside in the heat of summer. I’m preparing to celebrate the country’s freedom that many fought to provide, the beauty of this great nation from coast to coast, and the rights we have that many go without.
As I dove deeper into the devotion of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, I found that it has a lot to celebrate, too.
The Blood of Christ is a powerful thing. It’s not just a bodily necessity for survival, but it goes beyond itself for us, and when shed, becomes the saving power of the human race. It no longer benefits the one person but becomes a gift for the rest of the world. From this blood we behold the greatest act of love – the love of a Savior who endured the most brutal of all tortures until life itself could no longer hold on. This love continues on, throughout time, and is present again and again in every celebration of the Mass, when that Precious Blood is once more given as a gift to the faithful.
As we celebrate our freedoms this weekend, let’s also remember to celebrate our faith. Along with the numerous blessings that our homeland has to offer, we are privileged with the overgenerosity of the Lord and His eternal gifts to us – love, mercy, forgiveness, and a hope to enter His Heavenly Kingdom by way of His Most Precious Blood. To live with such free-flowing goodness and charity, that’s the greatest freedom of all.