In June, our prayers were dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; this month, our devotion is directed to the Precious Blood, which was "shed for the many, for the remission of sins."

Many non-Catholics find our devotion to the "body parts" of Jesus Christ to be a little odd. In addition to the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood, there are devotions to the Five Wounds; to the shoulder wound, where Christ carried the Cross; and to the wounds caused by the crown of thorns, to name just a few.

Faced with Protestant discomfort with these devotion, many Catholics have abandoned or downplayed them. But we should not do that. These devotions provide a living witness to our belief in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Our Saviour is not an abstraction; He is God-Made-Man. And as the Athanasian Creed tells us, in becoming man, Christ assumed humanity into the Godhead.

It's an awesome thought: Our physical nature is united to God through the Person of Jesus Christ. When we venerate Christ's Precious Blood or His Sacred Heart, we aren't making an idol out of Creation; we are worshiping the One True God Who so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son.

Through our Prayers for July, we can all join with the Church in reaffirming our belief that our God walked among men, that one day we might all dwell with God.