The Solemn Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in
Gethsemane
“Today’s
Solemnity answers an ancient cry by man. As usual, it is a response that
differs from the one man could have imagined. Once again, there is blood and
sacrifice, but this time the blood is not of man, but of God. It is not the
sacrifice of man for God, but God’s sacrifice for man.”
Today, on the first Sunday of July, the friars of the Custody gathered together in Gethsemane for the Solemn Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Basilica designed by Barluzzi, the the Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, presided the Solemn Mass for this Feast, which Vatican Council II combined with Corpus Christi, but which survives in Jerusalem where it is celebrated each year on the Mount of Olives.
It is a Feast that, as the Custos recalled in his homily, emphasizes the unique bond between Jerusalem and the Mystery of the Redemption.
“Our land, that of man, has always been marked by blood. From the very first pages of the Bible, and therefore from the history of man, we see that the experience of violence, evil and hatred disrupts the lives of people and their relations, and the land is forced to accept innocent blood and be a witness to its cry.
This blood, the symbol of life, thus also becomes the symbol of death and of violent death. Blood, namely life given by God, is wrenched from man and spilt unjustly. We also bear the consequences of this wound and in our hearts, we harbour the doubt that our evil is too great. We are wrong if we think that God’s mercy cannot penetrate that far and that our sins are stronger and greater than His love.”
By Serena Picariello
Today, on the first Sunday of July, the friars of the Custody gathered together in Gethsemane for the Solemn Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Basilica designed by Barluzzi, the the Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, presided the Solemn Mass for this Feast, which Vatican Council II combined with Corpus Christi, but which survives in Jerusalem where it is celebrated each year on the Mount of Olives.
It is a Feast that, as the Custos recalled in his homily, emphasizes the unique bond between Jerusalem and the Mystery of the Redemption.
“Our land, that of man, has always been marked by blood. From the very first pages of the Bible, and therefore from the history of man, we see that the experience of violence, evil and hatred disrupts the lives of people and their relations, and the land is forced to accept innocent blood and be a witness to its cry.
This blood, the symbol of life, thus also becomes the symbol of death and of violent death. Blood, namely life given by God, is wrenched from man and spilt unjustly. We also bear the consequences of this wound and in our hearts, we harbour the doubt that our evil is too great. We are wrong if we think that God’s mercy cannot penetrate that far and that our sins are stronger and greater than His love.”
By Serena Picariello
2011/04/07 - The solemn feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord
Jesus Christ in Gethsemane
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| Welcome refresment |
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De
Pretiosissimo Sanguine Domini Nostri
Sollemnitas
-die 1 Iulii -Getsemani
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