Tears, Hammocks, and the Precious Blood of Jesus

The Precious Blood of Christ poured out for us.

July isn’t just for fireworks, barbecues, and melting popsicles. It’s also—quite profoundly—the Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. I know that sounds a bit intense. But this sacred devotion might just leave you in tears…in a good way. I speak from a recent hammock-bound experience.

I’ve been making my way (somewhat slowly, between other books and bursts of real life) through a book about one of my favorite saints: St. Thérèse of Lisieux, affectionately known as the Little Flower. The book is The Life of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face—and wow, it’s not just a pious little summary. It’s deep. Detailed. Delightful. And, almost, a bit of a spiritual gut-punch.

At the halfway point, I’ve already cried more than a few Holy Spirit-inspired, heart-squeezing tears. Thérèse had this piercing awareness of her vocation—at age three, mind you! I was still chasing bugs and eating crayons at age three. (Okay maybe not eating crayons, but you get my point.)

What hit me hardest was reading about her long, physical and emotional struggle to enter the convent at fifteen. (She even went to the Pope, you know!) At one point, she writes about trying to make sense of the unnecessary sufferings that were put in her path—especially those caused by people with authority over her including an uncle. I had to stop and reread that part. Because, really, it is so often within family that we have the hardest heartbreaks.

Then—this is the part that just unraveled me—following prayers after Mass, a holy card slipped out of her prayer book with the image of one of Christ's nail-wounded hands, His Precious Blood streaming. The Scripture read: “With these have I been wounded in the house of them that loved me.” It clicked for her. And it clicked for me. Whose suffering was ever more “unnecessary” than that of Jesus?

No one’s.

That’s when I had to pause my reading (from the comfort of my half-sunny, half-shady hammock sanctuary) and just thank God. For everything! His Precious Blood. My blessings. My joys. And—yes—especially my sufferings.

I’m not saying I’ve always loved my crosses. As a young mom, I sometimes wanted to toss those crosses straight into the nearest laundry basket and pretend they didn’t exist. (And maybe some did end up in the laundry basket by mistake.) But now? I’m learning. I’m seeing. And wow, how much I’ve grown since becoming part of this beautiful St. John the Evangelist community. I LOVE growing in faith. I love how the Holy Spirit sneaks up and moves me purposefully, again and again.

While I was reading that book on that sunny Sunday afternoon (in a Hammock after Mass), the chirping birds, rustling leaves, and fluttering butterflies around me weren’t just background noise. They were praises! They were joys! They were life. All made possible by the love poured out through the Precious Blood of Jesus.

So yes, July is hot. July is busy. But above all, July is holy.

The Precious Blood of Christ is not just a symbol. It is the price of our salvation.

The Blood of Christ is the lifeblood of the Church. It’s what covers our sin, heals our wounds, and gives us a way back home.

So this month, let’s not just go about our summer business. Let’s pause. Reflect. Let’s Be Disciples Who make Disciples. Let's be deeply, sincerely grateful for our Savior who loved us enough to shed His blood for us poor, often-clueless, miserable sinners.

And maybe, just maybe, let’s all find a little time in a hammock to cry some holy tears and let the gratitude sink in.