THE FIRST DAY OF JULY, FEAST OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Month in honor of the Same.

Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo

120th Tract on John

One of the soldiers with a spear pierced His Side, and forthwith came thereout Blood and Water. The Evangelist speaketh carefully. He saith not that he smote the Side, nor yet that he wounded It, nor yet anything else, but pierced It, to fling wide the entrance unto life, whence flow the Sacraments of the Church, those Sacraments without which there is no entrance unto the life which is life indeed. That Blood which was shed there was shed for the remission of sins, that Water is the water that mantleth in the cup of salvation. Therein are we washed, and thereof do we drink. Of this was it a type when it was said unto Noah: The door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof and of every living thing of all flesh shalt thou bring into the ark to keep them alive. Gen. vi. 16, 19. A figure this of the Church. Thus was it that the first woman was made from the side of her husband while he slept, and she was called (Eve, which is, being interpreted,) Life, because she was the mother of all living. Gen. iii. 20. This name set forth a great good, before it became associated with the bitter fruit of a great evil. And here we have the Second Adam bowing His Head, and the deep sleep of death falling upon Him upon the Cross, and He sleepeth, that the Lord God may take a thing out of His side, and may make thereof a wife for Him. O what a death was His, which quickeneth the dead! What is cleaner than His Blood? What more health-giving than His wounding?

Enarr. in Psalm 95, n. 5

Then were being held bondsmen to the devil, slaves to evil spirits. But they have been redeemed from that bondage. They had been able to sell themselves, but they were not able to redeem themselves. A Redeemer came and paid the price for them. He shed His Blood, and at that cost bought the world. Ye ask what He bought? Look what He paid, and ye shall see what He bought. Christ's Blood was the price. What is His Blood worth? What, but the whole world? What, but all men? They are very unthankful for His redemption, or very proud, who say that It is only precious enough to buy the Africans, or that they themselves are so precious that It was shed only for them. Let there be an end to such conceit, an end to such vainglory. What He paid, He paid for all.

Sermon 31, alias 344

That Blood was his own, and thereby he redeemed us. Yea, it was to this end that he took Flesh and Blood, namely that he might shed his Blood in order to redeem us. If thou wilt accept it, the Blood of thy Lord was given for thee. If thou wilt not accept it, it was not given for thee. For perchance thou sayest: My God had Blood, with which he redeemed me, but now since he hath suffered, he hath given it all; what hath remained to him, that he may also give any of it for me? This is a great thing, because he gave once, and he gave for all. The Blood of Christ is salvation to him that doth accept it, punishment to him that doth not accept it. Why therefore dost thou hesitate to be set free from the second death, thou who dost not wish to die? By this thou art set free, if thou art willing to take up thy Cross, and follow the Lord; for he took up his Cross and sought his servant.