St. Gaspar del Bufalo was an Italian priest who lived during the time of Napoleon, in the early 19th century. He refused to swear an oath of loyalty to the French emperor. As a result, he was exiled from Rome before finally returning in 1814.
He then devoted himself to the conversion of sinners for more than 20 years. To accompany him in this mission, he founded the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and chose a special devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. He was beatified by St. Pius X in 1904 and canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954.
St. Gaspar wrote many prayers, including this one:
Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus
O Precious Blood of the Lord,
may I bless you forever.
O love of my Lord,
how wounded you have been!
How far I am
from being conformed to your life.
O Blood of Jesus Christ,
balm of our souls,
fount of mercy,
grant that my tongue,
stained with your blood
in the daily celebration of the Mass,
may bless you now and always.
O Lord, who will not love you?
Who will not burn with affection for you?
Your wounds, your blood,
the thorns, the cross,
the divine blood in particular,
shed to the last drop—
with what an eloquent voice
they cry out to my poor heart!
Because you suffered
and died for me, to save me,
I too will give my life if need be,
to attain the blessed possession of heaven.
O Jesus, you are our Redeemer.
From your open side,
ark of salvation, furnace of charity,
blood and water flowed out,
a sign of the sacraments
and of the tenderness of your love.
O Christ, you who have loved us,
wash us in your blood!
