Month of Precious Blood

Today is 1^st July and so we begin the Month of the Precious Blood. It is a very ancient devotion but it has been updated very effectively by the Apostolic Letter of Pope John XXIII ON PROMOTING DEVOTION TO THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, June 30, 1960.

Before coming in this morning I made a detour through the adjoining room of the Guesthouse Chapel to look at the hand made tapestry of this miracle of Jesus, “The Calming of the Storm”..

Saint Matthew 8,23-27

The Gospel vignette appears in the three Synoptics. St. Matthew is different from Mark and Luke in a significant detail. In Matthew Jesus reminds the disciples of the faith they have even if it is little, “O you of little faith”, before he calms the waters. In the case of Mark and Luke it is only after the miracle that Jesus’ reproach is for the lack of faith.

There are two questions. The disciples ask one question and we can ask the second.

1] he disciples ask, "What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey”.

2] And we can ask then question what kind of faith is that of the disciples.

An answer to the first might be the words of

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (313-350), who commented on the words of Matthew on the Calming of the Storm.
"What sort of man is this?"
If any one wishes to show piety towards God, let him worship the Son, since otherwise the Father does not accept his service. The Father spoke with a loud voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Cyril goes on to enumerate some of the names of this ‘sort of man’, Jesus.

The Litany of the Precious Blood composed by John Paul II also takes up the theme of the 'sort of man this is'::

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father,
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God,
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament,
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross . . . . . .

The answer to the second question, is in the consistency of Matthew in the cases where Jesus looks for the signs of faith before his miraculous response. The scene with the blind man, for example, shows Jesus asking, “Do you believe that I can do this?” They answered, “Yes, Lord”, and Jesus said “According to your faith let it be done to you”. (Mt. 9:28-29). It was the same in the scene with the woman who touched the hem of his garment, “your faith has saved you”. Have faith and something will happen, way beyond expectations.

The disciples were sure they were sinking, their faith was in turning to Jesus not only as their only alternative but also in the measure of their unqualified turning to Him.

Whenever we feel our boat is sinking, just have faith. Something greater than we planned for, will surprise us.

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