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THE FIRST PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O Jesus Christ! Eternal
Sweetness to those who love Thee, joy surpassing all joy & all desire,
Salvation & Hope of all sinners, Who hast proved that Thou hast no
greater desire than to be among men, even assuming human nature at the
fullness of time for the love of men, recall all the sufferings Thou
hast endured from the instant of Thy conception, & especially
during Thy Passion, as it was decreed & ordained from all eternity in
the Divine plan.
Remember, O Lord, that during
the Last Supper with Thy disciples, having washed their feet, Thou
gavest them Thy Most Precious Body & Blood, & while at the
same time thou didst sweetly console them, Thou didst foretell them
Thy coming Passion.
Remember the sadness &
bitterness which Thou didst experience in Thy Soul as Thou Thyself
bore witness saying: "My Soul is sorrowful even unto death."
Remember all the fear, anguish
and pain that Thou didst suffer in Thy delicate Body before the
torment of the Crucifixion, when, after having prayed three times,
bathed in a sweat of blood, Thou wast betrayed by Judas, Thy disciple,
arrested by the people of a nation Thou hadst chosen & elevated,
accused by false witnesses, unjustly judged by three judges during the
flower of Thy youth & during the solemn Paschal season.
Remember that Thou wast
despoiled of Thy garments and clothed in those of derision; that Thy
Face and Eyes were veiled, that Thou wast buffeted, crowned with
thorns, a reed placed in Thy Hands, that Thou was crushed with blows
and overwhelmed with affronts and outrages. In memory of all these
pains and sufferings which Thou didst endure before Thy Passion on the
Cross, grant me before my death true contrition, a sincere and entire
confession, worthy satisfaction and the remission of all my sins.
Amen.
THE SECOND PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! True liberty of angels, Paradise of delights, remember
the horror and sadness which Thou didst endure when Thy enemies, like
furious lions, surrounded Thee, and by thousands of insults, spits,
blows, lacerations and other unheard-of-cruelties, tormented Thee at
will. In consideration of these torments and insulting words, I
beseech Thee, O my Saviour, to deliver me from all my enemies, visible
and invisible, and to bring me, under Thy protection, to the
perfection of eternal salvation.
Amen.
THE THIRD PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Creator of Heaven & earth Whom nothing can encompass or
limit, Thou Who dost enfold & hold all under Thy Loving power,
remember the very bitter pain Thou didst suffer when the Jews nailed
Thy Sacred Hands & Feet to the Cross by blow after blow with big blunt
nails, & not finding Thee in a pitiable enough state to satisfy their
rage, they enlarged Thy Wounds, & added pain to pain, & with
indescribable cruelty stretched Thy Body on the Cross, pulled Thee
from all sides, thus dislocating Thy Limbs. I beg of Thee, O
Jesus, by the memory of this most Loving suffering of the Cross, to
grant me the grace to fear Thee & to Love Thee.
Amen.
THE FOURTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Heavenly Physician, raised aloft on the Cross to heal our
wounds with Thine, remember the bruises which Thou didst suffer and
the weakness of all Thy Members which were distended to such a degree
that never was there pain like unto Thine. From the crown of Thy
Head to the Soles of Thy Feet there was not one spot on Thy Body that
was not in torment, and yet, forgetting all Thy sufferings, Thou didst
not cease to pray to Thy Heavenly Father for Thy enemies, saying:
"Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
Through this great Mercy,
and in memory of this suffering, grant that the remembrance of Thy
Most Bitter Passion may effect in us a perfect contrition and the
remission of all our sins.
Amen.
THE FIFTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Mirror of eternal splendor, remember the sadness which
Thou experienced, when contemplating in the light of Thy Divinity the
predestination of those who would be saved by the merits of Thy Sacred
Passion, Thou didst see at the same time, the great multitude of
reprobates who would be damned for their sins, and Thou didst complain
bitterly of those hopeless lost and unfortunate sinners. Through
this abyss of compassion and pity, and especially through the goodness
which Thou displayed to the good thief when Thou saidst to him:
"This day, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise." I beg of Thee, O Sweet
Jesus, that at the hour of my death, Thou wilt show me mercy.
Amen.
THE SIXTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Beloved and most desirable King, remember the grief Thou
didst suffer, when naked and like a common criminal, Thou was fastened
and raised on the Cross, when all Thy relatives and friends abandoned
Thee, except Thy Beloved Mother, who remained close to Thee during Thy
agony and whom Thou didst entrust to Thy faithful disciple when Thou
saidst to Mary: "Woman, behold thy son!" and to St. John: "Son,
behold thy Mother!"
I beg of Thee O my Saviour, by
the sword of sorrow which pierced the soul of Thy holy Mother, to have
compassion on me in all my affliction and tribulations, both corporal
and spiritual, and to assist me in all my trials, and especially at
the hour of my death.
Amen.
THE SEVENTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Inexhaustible Fountain of compassion, Who by a profound
gesture of Love, said from the Cross: "I thirst!" suffered from the
thirst for the salvation of the human race. I beg of Thee O my
Saviour, to inflame in our hearts the desire to tend toward perfection
in all our acts; and to extinguish in us the concupiscence of the
flesh and the ardor of worldly desires.
Amen.
THE EIGHTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary
O
Jesus! Sweetness of hearts, delight of the spirit, by the
bitterness of the vinegar and gall which Thou didst taste on the Cross
for Love of us, grant us the grace to receive worthily Thy Precious
Body and Blood during our life and at the hour of our death, that they
may serve as a remedy and consolation for our souls.
Amen.
THE NINTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Royal virtue, joy of the mind, recall the pain Thou didst
endure when, plunged in an ocean of bitterness at the approach of
death, insulted, outraged by the Jews, Thou didst cry out in a loud
voice that Thou was abandoned by Thy Father, saying: "My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsaken me?"
Through this anguish, I beg of
Thee, O my Saviour, not to abandon me in the terrors and pains of my
death.
Amen.
THE TENTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Who art the beginning and end of all things, life and
virtue, remembers that for our sakes Thou was plunged in an abyss of
suffering from the soles of Thy Feet to the crown of Thy Head.
In consideration of the enormity of Thy Wounds, teach me to keep,
through pure love, Thy Commandments, whose way is wide and easy for
those who love Thee.
Amen.
THE ELEVENTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Deep abyss of mercy, I beg of Thee, in memory of
Thy Wounds which penetrated to the very marrow of Thy Bones and to the
depth of Thy being, to draw me, a miserable sinner, overwhelmed by my
offenses, away from sin and to hide me from Thy Face justly irritated
against me, hide me in Thy wounds, until Thy anger and just
indignation shall have passed away.
Amen.
THE TWELFTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Mirror of Truth, symbol of unity, link of Charity,
remember the multitude of wounds with which Thou was covered from head
to foot, torn and reddened by the spilling of Thy adorable Blood.
O GReat and Universal Pain which Thou didst suffer in Thy virginal
Flesh for Love of us! Sweetest Jesus! What is there that
Thou couldst have done for us which Thou hast not done! May
faithful remembrance of Thy Passion, and may Thy Love increase in my
heart each day, until I see Thee in eternity, Thou Who art the
treasury of every real good and every joy, which I beg Thee to grant
me, O Sweetest Jesus, in Heaven,
Amen.
THE THIRTEENTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Strong Lion, Immortal and Invincible King, remember the
pain which Thou didst endure when all Thy strength, both moral and
physical, was entirely exhausted, Thou didst bow Thy Head, saying:
"It is consummated!" Through this anguish and grief, I beg of
Thee Lord Jesus, to have mercy on me at the hour of my death when my
mind will be greatly troubled and my soul will be in anguish.
Amen.
THE FOURTEENTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! Only Son of the Father, Splendor and Figure of His
Substance, remember the simple and humble recommendation Thou didst
make of Thy Soul to Thy Eternal Father, saying: "Father, into
Thy Hands I commend My Spirit!" And with Thy Body all torn, and
Thy Heart Broken, and the bowels of Thy Mercy open to redeem us, Thou
didst Expire. By this Precious Death, I beg of Thee O King of
Saints, comfort me and help me to resist the devil, the flesh and the
world, so that being dead to the world I may live for Thee alone.
I beg of Thee at the hour of my death to receive me, a pilgrim and an
exile returning to Thee.
Amen.
THE FIFTEENTH PRAYER
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O
Jesus! True & fruitful Vine! Remember the abundant outpouring of
Blood which Thou didst so generously shed from Thy Sacred Body as
juice from grapes in a wine press. From Thy Side, pierced with a lance
by a soldier, blood & water issued forth until there was not left in
Thy Body a single drop, & finally, like a bundle of myrrh lifted to
the top of the Cross Thy delicate Flesh was destroyed, the very
Substance of Thy Body withered, and the Marrow of Thy Bones dried up.
Through this bitter
Passion & through the outpouring of Thy Precious Blood, I beg of Thee,
O Sweet Jesus, to receive my soul when I am in my death agony.
Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER:
O Sweet Jesus! Pierce my
heart so that my tears of penitence and love will be my bread day and
night; may I be converted entirely to Thee, may my heart be Thy
perpetual habitation, may my conversation be pleasing to Thee, and may
the end of my life be so praiseworthy that I may merit Heaven and
there with Thy saints, praise Thee forever.
Amen.
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