Blood of Christ Rosary ~ Speziale

This is my Blood of Christ rosary.  It is the result of lessons learned throughout my lifetime.  The red tear drop shaped beads are symbolic of the blood Christ shed for us.  The wire wrapped Pater beads are symbolic of the thorns on His crown and the parts are a reminder of the trauma of The Crucifixion.  To purchase this rosary now for $18.50, click here.

Background Info:
I come from a multi-religious, multi-ethnic family. My father's family considered themselves Protestant (only attending services on Christmas and Easter).  On the other side, my mom’s family were devout Catholics attending church every week.  As a result, when my parents married, my father converted to Catholicism too.  

Growing up we had more grandparents, aunt’s, uncles, and cousins than most families, but I very rarely saw them. Even to this day only one of my dad’s siblings (an Aunt) decided to pursue a relationship with us. Before her the only member of my father’s family who accepted us (especially my mother) was my Grandfather, who passed away just before I was born. The rest of dad's family could never accept the fact that we were big, bad, evil, pagan, idol worshiping Catholics.  It was so bad that my “Grandmother” wouldn’t even participate in my parent’s wedding.

The accusations always varied. We were pagan because in their view we worshiped the saints and Our Lady as gods. We were idol worshipers because we had statues of them in our churches and homes. And don't even bring up The Holy Trinity.  Holy cow their heads might explode at the though of it. 

But the one big issue that always came up was our “preoccupation with the crucifixion”.  Others believe since our focus isn’t solely on the Resurrection we are missing the point. The extreme sacrifice made by Christ, His family, those closest to Him....the torture, emotional abuse, and cruelty Christ suffered is somehow less significant than The Resurrection in their eyes.

The one thing I know from experience is bigots and haters are a difficult group to deal with, especially for a child. How do you maintain your self esteem when those closest to you (friends, boyfriends, family members, co-workers, and other acquaintances) keep judging and berating you? The only thing I could do was pray that some day God would be able to open their hearts.

So, this rosary became my way of taking  a stand.  Our religion was created by Christ himself, not man. It is a tribute to the fact that we don’t change beliefs just because they may be unpopular with others. It is a way for us to meditate on the pain, suffering, and HUGE sacrifice our Lord made for us (even knowing what imperfect children we would be).  It is a celebration of His never ending love and also a gentle reminder that we were not created to stand in judgment.  God did not sacrifice His only Son so that we could take His power away by standing in judgment of others. We are here to spread his love through words and actions.  It is important to never forget His sacrifice.