Precious
If I were to ask you, “What is the most precious thing in your life right now?” Most of the time, when we think of something precious, we think of something valuable; a great treasure like a keepsake or perhaps something that we do not want damaged or stolen. Sometimes precious items are handed down from one generation to the next such as jewelry or even a family homestead.
Many times, when we think of something “precious” we also think about people in our lives who just really mean a lot to us! Maybe a spouse, or children, or grandchildren, or a good friend. These are examples of precious people in our lives; people that we treasure in our lives.
We know that we are precious to God. “God so loved the world that He sent His own Son so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus shows us love. He shows us the real meaning of love. Every time we look at a crucifix, we see the great love that He has for us.
The Catholic Church reflects upon the Precious Blood of Jesus in the month of July. The Blood of Jesus is Precious. He gave it all out of love for us. We know that the Church was born from the side of Christ. We recall in the Gospel of John, “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34-37). We recognize that the Church came from the side of Christ. Jesus gave everything out of love for the Church.
We are told in the Scriptures that there is redemption through the Blood of Jesus: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7). Also, “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:14).
Jesus offers Himself completely for us…we must offer ourselves completely to Him. He has won redemption for us…may we always say thank you to the Lord for pouring out His Precious Blood out of love for us.
