His blood be upon us and on our children (Matthew 27:25)
Continued from LAST WEEK
On the day of Pentecost this year, we were greeted with the news of the massacre of the lay faithful at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo state by unknown gunmen. Although that was a sheer act of barbarism carried out from the depths of evil and stark ignorance, intended to be a stinker and leave a bitter taste, we look onto the other side with clear eyes of faith and see the blessing. The attack happened within the Eucharistic sacrifice where the blood of the victims comingled with the blood of Christ. Once again, in this scenario, the blood of Christ is involved to effect the change from evil consequence to good end.
Those men and women – martyred for their belief are washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, to merit eternal life. Following from this, we too can say with the Jews, “Let his blood be upon us and upon our children.” Surely, it will be upon us, because it is the blood of the Cross that makes us whole, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, poured out for us by which we are saved. It is the blood of Jesus that shows us the dignity of every human blood and the respect that accrues to it. In this month of July, may I request that we all incorporate devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus in our spiritual routine.
Apart from the spiritual benefits, it serves to remind us that our salvation was costly for Christ. Possibly every family might include this devotion (especially the Litany of the Precious Blood of Jesus) after the Holy Rosary during the month of July. Pope St. Clement I, in an old document from the first century of the Christian era dated about 96 A.D said; “Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious it is, seeing that it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world.” Blood of Christ falling upon the earth in the Agony. Have mercy on us.
• Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins is the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
