If our heart is to preserve the true, interior peace of God, we must approach the Lord Jesus with the cross, and with the blood that falls on us beneath the cross we must wash away the stains of sin. St. Francisca of Rome had a vision in which she saw many chains issuing from the wounds of Our Lord’s sacred body, and these went out to a multitude of souls and bound them to the Redeemer. She understood that in this attachment was the peace, the happiness, and the victory of many who otherwise would have perished. Let us look for the particular chain intended for us, as we can thereby bind ourselves to the contemplation of the Passion, in which we shall find peace and comfort as long as we remain faithful. Heavenly Father, I offer to Thee, for Thy glory and my salvation, the blood of Jesus; let me appreciate its value in its fulness. Thou, my Jesus, seest the many dangers by which I am surrounded, and as Thou didst at one time command the winds to cease and the waves of the stormy sea to be calm, so watch over me that I may find peace in Thy service and be attached to Thee out of love for that peace which Thou alone canst give. Prayer. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the precious blood, etc., etc. Twelfth Day. Our Lord had a great desire to gain our souls. He made it easy for us to approach His sacred wounds, from whence the blood flowed. He instituted the Blessed Sacrament for our nourishment; speaking of this sacred blood, He said: “Drink ye all of this; this is My blood; and if any thirst let him come to Me and I will give him to drink.” The sacraments are nothing but channels by which the blood of Christ is conveyed to our souls. It was the Passion and sufferings of Christ that gave the sacraments their efficacy. The water of Baptism becomes, as it were, the blood of Christ; the penitential accusation is carried to the presence of the Lord Himself, and by the mouth of the priest He speaks the absolution; the blood of Christ is in reality in the Holy Eucharist. Confirmation makes us strong Christians, because the blood of Christ is there, and the Spirit of God comes to complete the work of Jesus. What is Extreme Unction but the application of the blood of Christ to the sick, that they may become strong? Prayer. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the precious blood, etc., etc. Thirteenth Day.