APOSTLE OF
THE DEVOTION
TO THE
MOST PRECIOUS
BLOOD OF
JESUS
Gaspar's vocation of
service was born at an early age and nurtured by the people and
circumstances he encountered on his way to sainthood. He was born
January 6, 1786 in Rome.
At the time St. Gaspar lived and worked, the Church was in need of
reform. Abuses among the hierarchy blemished the papacy and the
Napoleonic wars threatened the future of the Church. As a young
priest, Gaspar refused to pledge allegiance to Napoleon and he gave
others the courage to do likewise. The magistrates used persuasive
ways and accommodating expressions to induce Gaspar to take the
sacrilegious oath. His response was worthy of the first martyrs:
"I cannot, I must not, I will not!"
As founder of a religious community dedicated to service, Gaspar believed that the true disciple of Jesus is deeply involved in the
life of his time, his surrounding, and his country.
The Blessed Mother had
an ever-present place of honour in Gaspar's life and work. On August
15, 1815, the Feast of Mary's Assumption, the Society f the Precious
Blood of Jesus was founded. Gaspar placed his group under the
protection of Mary, titled "Our Lady of the Precious Blood."
Gaspar's retreats and missions were often described as "spiritual
earthquakes" in the souls of his listeners so that they
experienced a new and personal outlook on the powers of grace and
conversion. When the Pontiff launched a program of reform, Gaspar made
it the reason for his life and the ideal of the work he and his
companions were to carry out. At the urging of Pope Pius VII, Gaspar prepared himself to travel throughout the Italian peninsula to
participate in the religious and moral renewal. Eventually, his
dawning Institute was blessed by Pius VII and a Mission House and
Headquarters was established at San Felice. Here, under the sky of
Assisi where Francis had understood the words of Jesus and gave them
life, Gaspar understood the love of Jesus in the shedding of His Blood
and was impelled to spread its devotion - a devotion Pope John XXIII
has called the "Devotion of our Time." There were some
people who wondered about his silence when confronted with slanderous
accusations. "The work is the Lord's," he would answer, and
"God knows how to keep it going." Even when his very life
was at stake, the words did not change much: "My motto is suffer,
pray and keep quiet." Support came from the papacy in the voice
of Leo XII. On one occasion he embraced Gaspar and said, "My dear
son, you have many enemies, but don't worry, the Pope is with
you." His associates realized the wear and tear of his activities
were taking its toll on his health and advised him to take a little
rest. Gaspar's response revealed the flame burning inside him:
"For God we must do much, quickly and well: much, because He
deserves a lot; quickly, because life is short; and well, because that
is the only way to serve God." Gaspar did not consider the
worship of Precious Blood of Jesus as just another simple devotion,
but as the summary of all religion: "It is the sure way of
achieving personal sanctification, the leaven of life that revives
society, the irrepressible incentive of apostolic activity."
Today, the authoritative teachings of the Second Vatican Council have
surely emphasized the mystery of the redemptive Blood which pervades
the whole issue of grace and which flows to us through the liturgy of
the paschal mystery. 'The Litany of the Most Precious Blood, which is
part of the prayer life of the Society, was amended and extended to
the universal Church by Pope John XXIII. The Second Vatican Council
was placed under the protection of St. Gaspar - a fitting tribute to
his work for the reform of the Church more than a century ago. Pope
John XXIII proclaimed St. Gaspar " 'The true and greatest Apostle
of devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus in the whole
world"- a title which consecrates his life and work in time and
for all eternity.
