In any discussion of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, we must consider the source. Since Jesus had no biological father, His physical make-up, including His Precious Blood, could only have been contributed by His holy mother. It is union with this Blood that Our Lady offers to the world as she stands at Calvary, assisting Christ in the dissolution of all the world’s sins.
The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, which is both a physical and mystical phenomenon.
Scientists have examined particles of blood in the fibers of the Shroud of Turin, in the Sudarium of Orvieto and in numerous other Eucharistic miracles, and they arrive at only one astounding conclusion: the blood type of all these examples of blood is the same.
It is AB-type blood, which is considered the “universal recipient” blood type. The Catechism states that by the sacrament of the Eucharist, “we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body” (#1331). This means that Christ can and will receive any sinner who comes to Him.
We may call this the “divine blood type”, and it fits perfectly our conception of the Blood that was shed on the Cross for the salvation of the world. Christ’s saving Blood is the open door of life to all mankind

The Source
But His Blood is actually Our Lady’s blood, isn’t it? Biologically speaking, the only parent of the God-Man who could have contributed the human DNA and blood for His physical constitution would have been His mother. Her blood is the biological source of the Precious Blood.
We must not go so far as to claim that Mary’s blood itself is divine. The divine character of the Precious Blood comes from the hypostatic union of the divine and human natures of Christ. There is no comparable human reality to the infinite value of the Blood of the Son of God. Even Our Lady’s perfect holiness and purity is in a subordinate category.
But as Jesus derived His physical makeup from one source only, we can say that the blood that the Immaculate One gave to her Son was as untainted as His sacred humanity.

A Gift Offered
Surely Our Lady knew the traditions of her own people and the ceremonies of their faith which required the shedding of blood as offerings for sin:
The covenant was sealed with blood and sprinkled on the people (Exodus 24:8);
The blood of the paschal lamb was displayed on the doorframes and lintels of the Israelites’ homes before they departed Egypt (Exodus 12:21-22);
King Solomon dedicated the Temple with thousands of animal (blood) sacrifices to expiate the sins of the people (1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 7).
These must have been vivid images in Our Lady’s mind as she stood at the foot of Jesus’ Cross contemplating His offering of the ultimate sacrifice of His Body and Blood for the sins of humanity.

She Applies that Blood
At that same place where Christ looked down upon her from the Cross, Mary received a new role. She became the Mediatrix of all the graces that flow from Calvary and stands administering His Precious Blood to all believers.
Much as an accountant will “apply” a payment to lessen or cancel a debt on an account, Our Lady applies the Precious Blood to all the petitions and debts of sinful humanity. To all those who turn to her and ask for relief from sorrow, strength in suffering or salvation from sin, she pours out her Son’s Blood in a direct manner upon their prayers.
This is a spiritual action. It is a cleansing action. It is a dissolving action for all the knots of human problems.

The Dissolving Power of Blood
The Church, in the Sacrament of Penance, has the preeminent authority of applying the Precious Blood of Christ to the sins of humanity. It is a divine power to “dissolve” sin in a direct manner, given by Christ in a positive decree after His Resurrection (Matthew 16:19; John 20:23)
What Our Lady offers does not replace the sacramental power and authority of the Church but accompanies it with the strength of her intercession. She applies the Blood of Christ to all human problems, all our sorrows and pains, and all seemingly impossible scenarios.

When the Precious Blood enters into our lives and our problems, dilemmas are resolved, problems find their solutions, thorny situations work themselves out, closed doors open to us. These situations may not involve direct sin on our part, but they are part of living in a sinful world.
We have only to look to Our Lady, Untier of Knots , the source of the Precious Blood, for help in dissolving the many knots of our lives. She waits to pour out the world’s greatest gift on our petitions.

By Peter Darcy