Have you ever wondered how much blood Jesus lost during his Passion?
Christ revealed details of His Passion in His “True Letter of Our Savior Jesus Christ,” including exactly how much blood He lost.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Saint Bridget, and Saint Matilda all wanted to know more about Jesus’ Passion, so they fervently prayed for a revelation from Christ.
Answering their prayers, Jesus revealed details regarding His Passion, including the loss of 28,430 drops of blood.
Jesus’ spoken words were transformed into a letter form. The letter is said to be preserved in a silver box at the Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem.
Pope Leo XIII approved this letter and its promises in 1890.
Here’s the text of Jesus’ letter:
“Be it known that the number of armed soldiers were 150; those who trailed me while I was bound were 23. The executioners of justice were 83; the blows received on my head were 150; those on my stomach, 108; kicks on my shoulders, 80. I was led, bound with cords by the hair, 24 times; spits in the face were 180; I was beaten on the body 6666 times; beaten on the head 110 times; I was roughly pushed, and at 12 o’clock I was lifted up by the hair; pricked with thorns and pulled by the beard 23 times; received 20 wounds on the head; thorns of marine junks, 72; pricks of thorns in the head, 110; mortal thorns in the forehead, 3. I was afterwards flogged and dressed as a mocked king; wounds in the body, 1000. The soldiers who led Me to the Calvary were 608; those who watched Me were 3, and those who mocked Me were 1008; the drops of blood which I lost were 28,430.”
(Pieta Prayer Book)
Jesus made five promises to those who honor these drops of blood by praying two Our Fathers, two Hail Marys, and two Glory Bes.
An individual must recite these prayers every day for three years.
If the individual dies before completing the three years’ devotion, Jesus will keep these promises as if the individual finished them. However, this is not meant to replace the sacrament of confession.
Here are the five promises to those who honor Jesus’ drops of blood with the prayers above:
1) The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins.
2) You will be free from the pains of Purgatory.
3) If you should die before completing the said three years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them.
4) It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith.
5) I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation.
The Church also provides additional approved devotional prayers to the Precious Blood of Jesus.
One may recite the prayer, “Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, save us and the whole world!” multiple times per day.
The Litany of the Most Precious Blood, the Chaplet of the Precious Blood of Jesus, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet are also good options for this devotion.