Precious Blood of Jesus, infinitive price of our redemption and both the drink and the laver of our souls. You continually plead the cause of all people before the throne of infinite mercy.Our Foundress, Blessed Alphonse Marie, was deeply touched by the price of our redemption. It was Jesus’ blood. Explaining to the children the Holy Sacrifice of Mass, their priest said the words, which our Foundress never forgot: “My children, see how much Jesus our Savior suffered for our sins, and how His sufferings caused Him to sweat blood!” These words led her to make resolution never again to sin and, even more, to make reparation for sinners.
Later, she pictured the passion of the Divine Redeemer so vividly that she believed she saw the blood flowing from His wounds caused by scourging, coronation with thorns and crucifixion. Seeing Jesus covered with wounds, torn by lashes, streaming with blood she prayed:
"My Jesus, wounded and bleeding, You suffered so much for the sinners and for the enemies of Your glory and Your name out of love. I unite myself with You and love sinners as children of God and as my brothers and sisters. United with You I offer my life and my blood for their salvation."
She often contemplated Jesus’ cruel coronation. The thorn-crowned Savior with drops of blood running down His face, and bruised for our offenses was always before her spiritual eyes. She often saw the Redeemer during the time of His sufferings, with a sorrowful countenance, with a crown of thorns on His head, His forehead and eyes overrun by blood. The frightful image of the Ecce Home in His passion urged her to pray:
"My Jesus, let me realize how I have already offended You and how often I have pressed these thorns into Your head. I entreat You, grant that I may always think of You. Let me know what I should do to please You and never to sadden You. For Your most holy blood shed for the sinners, do not let me to be occupied by thoughts of vanity and pride which increase Your suffering so terribly. I offer You my prayers, works, sufferings and mortifications for souls You have ransomed by Your blood."
Contemplating on Jesus on the cross, she placed herself before a cross and opening her heart to the influence of grace, she completely abandoned herself to all thoughts, all the feelings, and all the movements the Lord created in her. First, she meditated on Jesus’ right hand: “What pain must that have been at the moment when the torturershammered a big nail into the middle of this hand in order to fix it to the cross? What pain would I feel if a big nail was run through my hand as it was run though the hand of my Divine Redeemer?” How much precious blood flowed from this most holy wound of our Savior! Passing from one wound to the other she let herself be penetrated more deeply by the heroism of Jesus’ love for us. Blood and water flowed from Jesus’ pierced Heart after He died on the cross in order to heal our brokenness through His mercy and love. She encourages us: “Let us go to the Cross of Jesus in order to gather the precious Blood, so that none of it may be lost.”
When she was 30 years old, she would experience in prayer some unusual phenomena called “ecstasies” by which she penetrated deeper and deeper into the mystery of the cross and divine mercy.
She saw the state of the Church and the urgent need for sanctification of priest: "One of the great graces that Jesus Christ gained for us by his Passion is the institution of the Eucharist, His body and blood, and the power to confer the sacraments upon us… Instead of thanking God for these huge benefits, people don’t think about them and they have scant respect for priest… They don’t pray for them… However, despite all this ingratitude, God continues to give His graces, to show us His infinite mercy even more. She says again: If only I could tell the priest how much God loves them with a special love, and how sublime their state is! Ah, if only they could understand how much God loves them!" The unfaithfulness of certain members of the clergy haunted her. All her life she would never stop praying for them.
Elizabeth foresaw in her visions great changes to political regimes. On several occasions she saw thebloody uprising that would take place in Paris in 1848. She was deeply shaken by the vision of the fighting and the many dead.
She prayed: "Jesus, insofar as I am able I want to make reparation for the insult and outrages which You receive from human beings, especially from those who blaspheme You."
Faced all these events, she exhorted people to pray, to do penance and to turn from sins. More clearly than ever, she understood the love of God and humankind’s ingratitude.
"Who would not venerate this Blood of infinite value! Who does not feel inflamed with love for Divine Redeemer Who shed it! What would have become of me had I not been redeemed by this divine Blood! Who has drained it all from the veins of my Savior? Surely this was the work of love!"
She realized that God loves us immensely but so many people seemed indifferent to this love. It is the same message that a humble Visitation Sister had received at Paray-le-Monial in 1675: “Behold this Heart which loves people so much that He did not spare Himself at all, even to the point of exhausting Himself and being consumed to bear witness to them of His love. And in return, all He receives from most people is ingra
titude.”Even today we are witnessing the bloodshed, violence and wars! Therefore, Blessed Alphonse Marie invites us to make reparationfor the insults and outrages and pray for peace in the world, in our families and, especially, in human hearts.
"Touch my heart with Your sacred Wounds and penetrate my soul with Your precious Blood, so that wherever I turn I will see only my divine Crucified Lord, and everything I see will appear colored with Your blood."
The salvation of souls became her incessant prayer’s intention: "I only think about doing God’s will and suffering out of love. My only desire is that God’s name should be glorified by all people and that He should be better known."
"O infinite love, which has given us this saving balm! O balm beyond all price, welling up from the fountain of infinite love! Grant that every heart and every tongue may render You praise and thanks now and forever!"