Another Sunday Thought About the Precious Blood of Our Lord

Last Sunday we reminded ourselves that Holy Mother Church devotes the month of July to Our Lord's Precious Blood. With that, we suggested mediating on His Precious Blood in a manner informed by our Catholic Faith. But how exactly do we go about "meditating" on this awesome reality?

While we did offer our thoughts on the subject to help spur your own devotion, the fact is many of us simply don't spend any time "meditating." We may not even be too sure of just what mediation consists. Maybe we have the impression that there's something mysterious or complicated about it. If you're in this boat, Father John Grou, S.J. (1731-1803) can help us out. Meditation finds its roots in mental prayer. Mental prayer just means you pray without speaking or even mouthing specific words. I suspect most of us pray without speaking or mouthing words from time to time. If you don't, you'll find Father's words reassuring. You can do it. If you already do engage in mental prayer, Father's words will help you further improve your prayer life. The key here is Father's emphasis on keeping it simple.

We know how Our Blessed Lord suffered and died for us. We stand in awe of the profound reality that He did this so that you and I could spend eternity with Him in Paradise. His mercy and love flowed without measure as He shed His Precious Blood for us. Let's allow Father's words to help us express our appreciation for His infinite love and mercy.

Be simple in your piety. Do not rely upon your mind, nor on the subtlety and depth of your reasoning. Solid piety is not founded on thoughts, but on the affections. And do not use many books, exercises, and methods. Look into your heart for what you wish to say to God and say it to Him simply, without being too particular about the words. It is absurd to aim at eloquence when you are speaking to Him, and to confine yourself to well-composed prayers instead of using those that are more natural to you. Simplicity is the characteristic of all real prayer, and nothing is more pleasing to God. He does not desire so much formality in His service: the reduction of devotion to an art and the use of so much method has had a very injurious effect. After all, everything depends on the Holy Spirit. He alone teaches the true way of conversing with God, and we see that when He takes possession of a soul the first thing He does is to withdraw it from all the methods devised by man. It is generally considered very profitable to hear Mass, and make one’s confession, and communicate in accordance with certain fixed forms in books. I shall always believe that to accustom oneself to these forms to the point of being unable to do without them is a great hindrance; since those who count on this help do not think of drawing on the resources of their own heart, or of appealing to the Holy Spirit, though real prayer is created by the co-operation of the two. I recommend the reader, therefore, to accustom himself gradually to praying without books, even though he should feel rather dry and out of his element for some time; to ask Jesus Christ confidently for the thoughts and feelings He desires him to have during the offering of the Holy Sacrifice; to appeal to the Holy Spirit for the dispositions necessary for a good confession; and – above all – in Communion to surrender himself entirely to Our Lord, depending upon Him to inspire the best preparation and act of thanksgiving. Oh, how much we should do by doing nothing of ourselves and appealing to God to do everything in us! I am convinced that we should find it far more profitable and I have made the experiment more than once.      

This was the custom of the early Christians, who were far more advanced than ourselves in the path of devotion and who received the Body of Jesus Christ with greater fervor and spiritual profit. A great number of simple, devout souls, easily recognizable, are quite ripe for the practice of mental prayer: they are only waiting for a director to introduce them to it, and relieve them of the innumerable exercises which they dare not abandon without advice. But to discern these souls a director must be inspired by the Spirit of God, and be himself practiced in the ways of mental prayer.