Preces Gertrudianae/For the Church, for those in Affliction, for the Dying, and for the Faithful Departed
PART VIII
PRAYERS FOR DIFFERENT NECESSITIES.
KISSING THE FIVE WOUNDS FOR THE SINS OF THE CHURCH.
When St. Gertrude, inspired by God, had kissed the five Wounds of Jesus in the manner which follows, it was revealed to her that whenever any one does any good work, however small it be, for the glory of God, or says an Our Father, or the welfare of the Church, the Son of God receives that work with ineffable delight as the fruit of his Passion, gives thanks to God the Father for it, blesses it, and in blessing, multiplies it, and distributes it to the whole Church to promote the everlasting salvation of his elect.
AT THE WOUND OF THE LEFT FOOT.
O SWEETEST Jesus, with all the loving affection of my heart I kiss the wound of thy left Foot, in expiation of all the sins which have been ever committed in thy whole Church by thought, or desire, or intention; beseeching thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to impart to it for its cleansing that perfect and sufficing expiation whereby thou hast purged away the sins of the whole world. Amen.
AT THE WOUND OF THE RIGHT FOOT.
O Most compassionate Jesus, with all the loving affection of my heart I kiss the wound of thy right Foot, for all the omissions made by thy whole Church in good thoughts, in holy desires, and pious intentions; beseeching thee that thou wouldst now vouchsafe to impart to it for the supply of its omissions that most perfect and sufficing satisfaction by which thou didst pay the debt of all the race of man. Amen.
AT THE WOUND OF THE LEFT HAND.
O Most loving Jesus, with most devout intention of soul I kiss the wound of thy left Hand, in expiation of all the sins of word and of deed committed by the whole world; beseeching thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to impart to thy Church for its cleansing that most perfect and sufficing satisfaction whereby thou hast made atonement for all our sins of word and deed. Amen.
AT THE WOUND OF THE RIGHT HAND.
O Most kind Jesus, with most profound devotion I kiss the wound of thy right Hand, in satisfaction for all the negligences of thy whole Church in useful words and good works; beseeching thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to impart to it for the supply of all its defects that consummate perfection wherewith thy Divinity caused thy Humanity to shine with such transcendent glory. Amen.
AT THE WOUND OF THE SIDE.
O Most gentle Jesus, with the deepest love of my heart I kiss the loving wound of thy most sacred Side; beseeching thee that after having bestowed on thy holy Bride the Church sufficing expiation of all its sins, and perfect satisfaction for all its negligences and omissions, thou wouldst, according to the multitude of thy divine compassions, impart to it for the increase of its everlasting bliss the merits of all thy most holy life and conversation, wherein thou dost now shine forth with such effulgence in the presence of God the Father. Amen.
OFFERING OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST FOR THE SINS OF THE CHURCH.
St. Gertrude was accustomed to say, under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, five Our Father's in honour of the Five Wounds of our Lord, and in satisfaction for all the sins of the Jive senses committed by the whole race of men. She added also three Our Father's in satisfaction for all the sins of the three principal faculties of the soul committed by all mankind, as well as in supply of all their omissions and defects.
OFFERING OF OUR lord's PRAYER.
O SWEETEST Jesus, I offer thee this prayer in union with that most perfect intention wherewith thou didst sanctify it in thy sacred Heart, and give it forth to us for our salvation; in satisfaction for all our sins committed, and for all the negligences and the defects arising from human frailty, ignorance, or ill-will, against thy irresistible omnipotence, thy unsearchable wisdom, and thy superabounding gratuitous goodness. Amen.
When she had made this offering our gracious Lord,as though propitiated by the ineffable complacency with which he looked on her, stretched forth his Hand, and gave her his loving benediction, signing her with the sign of the cross from the crown of her head to her feet. Let us strive, by imitating the saint, to gain a like blessing.
On another occasion, our Lord said to her: Recite thirty-three Our Father's, and thus buy of me my holy conversation and life while for thirty three years I was working salvation in the midst of the earth. And I communicate this fruit of my work to my whole Church for its salvation and my glory. And when she had done this she saw in her spirit the whole Church adorned as a bride with all the fruit of the most holy life and conversation of Christ.
You may gather how pleasing it is to Christ to pray for his Church, from these following words which he said to St. Mechtilde: If any one, of pure love to God, prays for another person as though he were praying for himself, his prayer shall enlighten the heavenly Jerusalem like the morning sun
PRAYER FOR THE WHOLE CHURCH.
St. Gertrude said to our Lord, on one occasion: Behold, O Lord, I offer thee the desires and petitions of all who have commended themselves to my unworthy prayers. And the Lord said to her: Thou hast enkindled and inflamed my heart with as many torches of love as are the persons whom thou dost represent before me. Then said the saint: Lord, teach me how to come before thee for all the members of thy Church, and I will enkindle in thy Heart as many torches of love as there are persons in the whole universal Church. Our Lord answered her thus: You may do what you desire in these four ways: by praising me for having created them; by giving me thanks for the benefits I have bestowed on them, &c, as follows:
O Most compassionate Jesus, I praise, bless, and glorify thee with the love of my whole heart for the creation of all those whom thou hast deigned to form after thine own image and likeness, and I render thee thanks for all the benefits that thou hast ever bestowed, or shalt ever hereafter bestow, on them. In union with thy most exceeding sorrow I pour out now my complaint before thee,with true sorrow and repentance for every manner in which they have ever hindered or frustrated thy grace; and I most devoutly pray for all men, that each in his appointed place may be made perfect in every good work, to thy everlasting praise and glory. Amen.
LAUDATE REPEATED THRICE FOR OUR OWN SINS OR THOSE OF THE CHURCH.
St. Gertrude said to our Lord: Teach me, O most loving Master, with what prayer I may most sweetly soothe and propitiate thine anger, excited by the sins of men. Our Lord answered her thus: It will be very pleasing to me to recite the Our Father, or the psalm: Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes, three times, and offer them to God in the following manner:
Our Father, or, Laudate.
O Most holy Father, in expiation of all the earthly and carnal delights and the perverse desires with which any human heart, and in particular my own, has ever been ensnared, I offer thee all the toil of the most sacred Heart of thine only-begotten Son, wherewith he was wearied upon earth for our salvation; all its praise, its giving of thanks, its plaints, its movements, its yearnings, and its love. Amen.
Our Father, or, Laudate.
O Most holy Father, in expiation of all the sins committed in thy holy Church, and particularly my own, by gluttony and drunkenness, and by the multiplication of useless and hurtful words, I offer thee all the utterances of the most sacred Lips of thine only-begotten Son; all his abstinence and temperance, his silence, his unwearied preaching and his prayers, wherein he toiled for our salvation. Amen.
Our Father, or, Laudate.
O Most holy Father, in expiation of all the sins which any member of thy Church, and in particular I myself, have ever committed in any manner, or by the misuse of any member of the body, I offer thee now every movement of the most sacred Body of thine only- begotten Son; the movements of all his most holy Limbs, all the whole course of his most perfect conversation and life, together with all the bitterness of the most sinless Passion and Death which he endured for the redemption of the human race. Amen.
A VERY EFFICACIOUS PRAYER FOR OUR RELATIONS AND FRIENDS.
While St. Gertrude was thus praying for all who had an especial claim on her affection, the merciful Lord, recalling to mind in the light of his divine knowledge the necessities of each, vouchsafed to display towards them his tender and most loving compassion.
O Most kind and gentle Jesus, I commend all those who have asked my unworthy prayers to thy divine knowledge and love, under the guidance of which thou didst come down to earth from the bosom of thy Father to save man. And in union with that love wherewith thou didst commend thy Spirit to thy Father, I commend them all to thy sacred Heart, and enclose them all therein; and I offer and set it forth before thee, in union with that love wherewith thou didst take it to thyself, a human heart, for the salvation of all the human race, and hast often given it as a token of thy special friendship to thy well-beloved friends; beseeching thee from its infinite treasures to take wherewith to bless those for whom I pray, or am bound to pray. Amen.
Thus our Lord taught St. Gertrude to pray. Then add an Our Father, and offer it thus:
O GOOD Jesus, I offer thee this prayer to thine everlasting praise,and that through it thou mayest shed forth thy benefits and blessings on those who are dear to thee and to me, according to the good pleasure of thy divine compassion. Amen.
In like manner St. Gertrude was accustomed to offer, with the approval of our Lord, a Miserere for all who were dear to her.
That you may know how useful it is to pray for others, hear what our Lord said to St. Gertrude on one occasion. Even as it cannot be that a man's feet should be pierced through, and his heart not feel a thrill of anguish and compassion, so it is impossible that my fatherly pity should not look with an eye of mercy on him who, although he feels himself bowed down beneath the burden of his own transgressions, and needs first of all for himself the healing balm of divine forgiveness, still prays unceasingly for the salvation of his neighbour.
FOR OUR ENEMIES.
When St. Gertrude had prayed the following prayer, it seemed to her as though our Lord fell down before the Face of God the Father, and offered for her the fruit of all his most holy life and conversation, in expiation of all her sins.
O Lord Jesus, in union with that love and that surpassing sweetness with which, amidst the unutterable anguish and sorrows of thy Passion, thou didst pray for those who crucified thee, saying: Father, forgive them, I beseech thee with all the love of my heart that thou wouldst now vouchsafe to forgive all who have ever or in any way offended against me. Amen.
PRAYER IN ANY TRIBULATION.
When St. Gertrude and her sisters had long prayed to God in a certain affliction without receiving any answer, site said at length: How is it, O thou most tender Lover of my soul, that thou thus deferrest my hope? Then our Lord answered her, saying: It were not to be wondered at that a father should permit his son to ask him for a piece of money, if at each demand he laid up for him a hundred. In like manner do not wonder if I seem to defer to grant your petition in this matter; for as often as you pray to me in this matter, be it only by one word or by one thought, I lay up in store for you far more than a hundredfold of eternal good things.
O FATHER of mercies and God of all consolation, vouchsafe, I beseech thee, to look on me with the eyes of thy compassion, as thou didst look upon thy beloved Son when, in the Garden of Olives, he cried unto thee in the sore anguish of his spirit, and bedewed the ground with his sweat of blood. Is it not thy will, O most pitiful Father, that we should flee to thee in all our necessities, and call upon thee to turn away from us all our perils? Seeing, therefore, that thou wiliest that we should pray to thee and call upon thy Name, I beseech thee in accordance with thy will that thou wouldst deliver me from this tribulation, in thy own most adorable good-pleasure. O most tender Father, incline the ears of thy compassion to my prayers, all unworthy as they are, and draw me out of this great strait. Before the eyes of thy mercy, at the feet of thy tender love, I lay open all the anguish of my heart and the distress of my spirit, and I offer it to thee that thou mayest do with it as seemeth best in thy sight. O sweet Jesus, by all the anguish and the distress thou didst undergo for our salvation, let this chalice pass from me. O most compassionate Jesus, I offer thee that transcending prayer which thy sweat of blood in view of the agony of death rendered so fervent, and which the glowing love of thy Divinity rendered so effectual; beseeching thee to hear me hrough its virtue, and to deliver me from this affliction. Wherefore I implore thee, with thine own intention and resignation, with the feelings of thine own heart and the words of thy sacred lips, saying: Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this chalice from me; nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. Amen.
PRATER OF ONE WHO IS SICK OR AFFLICTED.
When on one occasion St. Mechtilde was ill, and had poured out her complaint before our Lord, he said to her: Lay all thy pains in my Heart, and I will grant thee all the alleviation I have ever granted to any of my saints. And like as my Passion brought forth ineffable fruit, so if you commend your sickness to me it shall bring forth increase of honour to the blessed, of merit to the just, and of forgiveness to sinners.
O Most loving Jesus, I accept with most ready will this sickness [or, this affliction] which thou hast sent me from thy paternal Heart in token of thy love, and I offer it to thee with thankfulness, in that same love wherein thou hast sent it upon me. Wherefore I lay all my pain and my anguish in thy most sacred Heart,beseeching thee that thou wouldst deign to unite them to thine own most bitter Passion, to absorb them therein and render them perfect and acceptable to thee. And since by reason of the multitude of my sorrows and pains I cannot praise thee as I ought, do thou praise thy Father for my sufferings with that praise wherewith thou didst praise him upon the cross in thine own extremest agony. And as thou didst give him thanks with all thy heart for all the contumely and the pain which he laid upon thee, so do thou thank him for these my sufferings. And finally, with that same love wherewith thou didst accept all thy wounds and all thy reproaches and offer them to thy Father with perfect gratitude, do thou offer to him this my outward and inward affliction, together with thy most holy Passion, to his everlasting praise and glory. Amen.
OFFERING OF ANY PAIN OR GRIEF.
Whenever any pain or grief comes upon you, offer it immediately to the divine love, as our Lord taught St. Mechtilde.
O My sweet Love, I offer thee this little smart, and commend it to thee with that same intention wherewith thou hast Drought it down to me from the Heart of Jesus, beseeching thee to record it for me on high together with my deepest thankfulness.
ACT OF RESIGNATION IN SICKNESS.
A sick or dying person can do nothing better than to commit himself wholly and unreservedly to the divine will, and to profess his perfect readiness to accept from his hand all suffering, and even death itself. And whoever does this with his whole heart may be sure that he shall enter heaven without passing through purgatory, even though he have committed innumerable sins. So we are taught by Thauler, Blosius, Suso, and others. Wherefore the sick person should, often recite Vie following prayer, or have it recited for him.
BEHOLD, O almighty and most merciful God, I thy unworthy servant offer and resign myself to thee wholly and unreservedly,for thine everlasting praise and glory, that thou mayest do in me, both in body and in soul, all thine adorable will; and I make this offering in union with that love wherewith thy Son offered himself to thee while hanging on the cross. And I profess from my heart my readiness to endure with patience, and for the sake of thy love and thy glory, all the pains and anguish of this my sickness, and even death itself, and all the evils and the chastisement which the severity of thy divine justice may lay upon me in time or in eternity. Wherefore, in thy presence and in presence of all thy saints, I declare and protest, that were it in my power to live a thousand years amidst all the pleasures and delights the heart of man can conceive or desire, I would nevertheless choose rather for thy love and thy glory to die at this time, if it be thy holy will. And with the fullest resignation of myself into thy hands, I say and repeat a thousand times with heart and mouth: Not my will, but thine be done, O most loving Jesus, in me, by mo, in all that concerns me, in time and in eternity. Amen.
PRAYER FOR A SICK PERSON.
When St. Gertrude was about to pray for a sick person, she asked our Lord what prayer would be most pleasing in his sight, and received this answer: Say the fete following words for him with a devout heart; and as often as you repeat them, both you and the sick person shall receive a notable increase of merit. Those who are sick may say this prayer for themselves, making the needful changes.
O Lord Jesus, I beseech thee, by that love wherewith thou didst bear all our languors and carry all our sorrows, that thou wouldst sustain the patience of this thy servant who is sick, and overrule for thy greater glory and his most real advantage all these moments of his suffering in conformity with the decree which thy fatherly Heart hath decreed from eternity for his everlasting salvation. Amen.
THREE MOST EFFICACIOUS PRAYERS FOR A HAPPY DEATH.
O BELOVED truth, O just equity of God, how shall I appear before thy face, bearing my iniquity, the guilt of the waste and loss of my life, and the burden of my exceeding negligence! I have not only spent in vain the talent of time entrusted to me; I have squandered it, wasted it, lost it all. And where shall I go, whither turn, whither flee from thy presence? O just equity of God judging all things in number, weight, and measure, and weighing all things in thy most true and strict balance; woe, woe is me if I fall into thy hands, and have no advocate to plead my cause. O good Jesus, I flee unto thee, unto thee I sigh from my inmost heart; do thou answer for me, do thou obtain forgiveness for my sins; plead thou my cause, that my soul may live for thy sake. O Jesus, my Love, who for love of me wast seized and bound and dragged to an unrighteous tribunal, that on thee might be laid the sins of the whole world, though there was in thee no sin nor stain save that thou didst love me and bear my sins, I take thee this day for my Advocate and Friend at the bar of God. O my sweetest Jesus, beloved pledge of my redemption, do thou come with me to my judgment. Be thou thyself my Judge and my Advocate. Tell forth all that thou hast done for me, all thy thoughts of love towards me, at what a price thou hast made me thine. Thou hast lived for me, that I might not perish; thou hast borne my sins, that I might not be crushed by their weight; and thou hast died for me, that I might not die; and thou hast bestowed all thou hast on me, that in thy merits I might be rich. Wherefore judge me in the hour of my death according to that sinlessness which thou hast conferred upon me in thyself, in that thou hast paid all my debt, condescending to be judged and condemned for me. Amen.
SECOND PRAYER.
O GENTLE goodness and amiable mercy of God, which alone dost restrain the anger of the Prince, and dost encompass and adorn the throne of the King with clemency; shelter me beneath thy wings, that I may be safe from the evils which threaten me, and which my many and great negligences make me fear. Behold, now the Creditor stands at the door, demanding from me account of the life entrusted to me. Now the Exactor claims from me the tribute of my time, and I dare not appear before him, for I have not wherewithal to pay. O Jesus, my Love, refuge of all in distress, appease thy Father towards me. Speak for me a word in charity; say, I will ransom him. O Jesus, my Love, who for me wast harshly bound to the pillar and cruelly scourged, who wast painfully crowned and scoffingly saluted; be thou my Advocate and my Patron. Judaea disowned thee for her King, that I might have thee all my own. Do thou quicken and refresh my soul now through thine own unutterable sorrows and griefs, and may that most bitter chastisement of our peace which the Father laid upon thee acquit all my debts. Anoint and soothe all my senses with the blood which flowed from thy most glorious Head, and efface all their stains through the anguish of thy most holy Body. May the most blameless use thou didst make of all thy senses cover all my faults and supply all my defects, that I may find all I want in thee, who hast delivered thyself all for me. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER.
O SWEET compassion, O dear liberality of my God, that openest thy bosom to all, and art the refuge of all the poor; I shudder with dread at thought of my sins of commission. blush and am ashamed at my sins of omission, I greatly fear by reason of the wretched waste I have made of my whole life. I quail with awe while I look onward to that scrutiny wherewith thou wilt search me when thou, my God, shalt enter into judgment with me. For if thou shalt require at my hands an account of the time and the talents which thou hast entrusted to me, I find within me no answer worthy of thine exceeding love to me. What shall I do, or whither betake myself? Oh, spare me and have mercy on me, Jesus, my Love, who for me wast condemned to an unjust death, laden with thy heavy cross, fastened to thy cross with cruel nails, mocked in thy thirst with vinegar and gall, till thou didst die for me a bitter death. Thou hast given thy soul for my soul, thy life for my life, thy death for my death. Thou didst once offer thyself upon the cross, and thou dost even now daily offer to God the Father upon the altar that Sacrifice which transcends all merit, and is infinitely more than enough to pay all my debt. Oh, by this Sacrament renew my life, and restore to me a hundredfold all I have wasted and lost. Blot out all mine iniquities in thy compassion, cover all my sins with thy charity, make amends for all my negligences by thy love, and in that love restore to me that liberty of spirit wherein thou, the true and sinless Heir, didst die for me, and set me at liberty at the cost of thine own Blood. Make me such as thou willest and desirest me to be, and in the hour of my death open to me the door of thy most benign and tender Heart, that through thee I may enter without impediment into the repose of thy thrilling love, and possess thee and enjoy thee, thou true Joy of my heart. Amen.
THREE PRAYERS FOR A PERSON IN THE AGONY OF DEATH.
A certain Pope on his deathbed asked his chaplain to say these three prayers for him when he entered into his agony. This was done; and after his death he appeared and told him that all his sins had been effaced by Jesus through the virtue of these prayers, and that he had entered heaven with his Lord.
FIRST PRAYER.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
O Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech thee by thy own sacred Agony, and by the most fervent prayer thou didst pray in the Garden of olives,when thy sweat became as it were drops of blood falling down upon the ground, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to offer and set forth before thy heavenly Father for the manifold sins of this sick person that dire sweat of Blood which the exceeding sorrow of thy Heart wrung from thy Body. And do thou be pleased to deliver him in this hour of his death from all the anguish and punishment which he most justly fears that he has deserved by his sins. Amen.
SECOND PRAYER.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who for the salvation of the world didst condescend to die upon thy hard cross, I beseech thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to offer and set forth before thy heavenly Father for the sinful soul of this sick person all the bitterness thou didst endure thereon, and above all when thy most holy Soul went forth from thy blessed Body. And do thou be pleased to deliver him in this hour of his death from all the sufferings and torments which he most justly fears that he has deserved by his sins. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast said by thy prophet: Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee: by the love which drew thee down from heaven to earth to bear all our woe and sorrow, I beseech thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to offer and set forth that thy great love before thy heavenly Father for the soul of this sick person, and to deliver it from all the penalties and the woe which he most justly fears that he has deserved by his many sins. Be thou at hand to help him, O compassionate Jesus, now in this hour of his death; open to him the gate of life, and lead forth his soul into the Paradise of joy and exultation, that he may praise thee throughout eternity. Amen.
OFFERING OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED.
LOOK down, O Father of compassion,from thy high and holy seat upon the hapless souls detained in purgatory. Look upon all the pains and torments wherewith they are so piteously chastised; regard now the piteous groans and tears which they pour forth unto thee; hear the prayers and the supplications wherewith they entreat thy mercy, and be merciful unto their sins. Remember, O most compassionate Father, all the sufferings which thy Son hath endured for them; remember his precious Blood ,shed in such abundance for them; call to mind the most bitter death which he suffered for them, and have mercy on them. For all the sins they have ever committed against thee I offer thee the most holy life and conversation of thy most beloved Son; for all their negligences I offer thee his most fervent desires towards thee; for all their omissions I offer thee the great abundance of his merits; for their every insult and wrong to thee I offer thee the sweet submission with which he honoured thee. Finally, for all the chastisements which they have ever incurred I offer thee all the mortifications, fastings, watchings, the labours and afflictions,wounds and stripes, passion and death, which he endured in such spotless innocence and with such loving eagerness; beseeching thee now to suffer thy anger to be appeased towards them, and to lead them forth into everlasting joy. Amen.
FOUR PRAYERS FOR THE DEPARTED
Written by St. Gertrude with the approval of our Lord.
When St. Gertrude was about to say these prayers together with the psalter, she asked our Lord whether they were acceptable to him, and received this answer: They are so acceptable to me that whenever a soul is liberated from purgatory, it is to me as though my own soul were delivered out of captivity, and I will surely reward them in due time, in the omnipotence of my boundless com passion. Wherefore, although you cannot recite the whole psalter, say at least these four most effectual prayers, and after each of
them say:Hail, Jesus Christ, Splendour of the Father; hail, Prince of peace, Gate of heaven living Bread,Offspring of the Virgin, Vessel of the Godhead.
V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
Or, De profundis.
FIRST PRAYER.
I ADOBE, salute, and bless thee, O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, and I praise thee and give thee thanks with the love of all thy creatures for the vast love wherewith thou didst condescend to be made man for us, to be born , to endure hunger and thirst, toils and sorrows, for thirty-three years, and to bestow on us Thyself in the most holy Sacrament; beseeching thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to unite and blend with the merits of thy most holy conversation and life this my prayer, which I make to thee for the soul of N. departed [or, for the souls of all the faithful departed]; and to supply from the great abundance of those merits, and perfectly to complete whatsoever he has neglected in thy worship and love, in thanksgiving and in prayer, in virtue and good works, and all the service due to thee, in all that by thy grace he might have done and has not done, or did from impure motives, or carelessly and imperfectly. Amen.
SECOND PRAYER.
I ADORE,salute, and bless thee, O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, and I give thee thanks for that love wherewith thou, the Creator of all things, didst condescend for our redemption to be seized and bound and dragged away to judgment, to be trampled upon, buffeted and spit upon, to be scourged and crowned with thorns, to be condemned, to bear thine own cross, to be stripped and nailed to the cross, to die a most bitter death, and to be pierced through with the lance. And in union with that love I offer thee these my unworthy prayers, beseeching thee to blot out and efface utterly through the merits of thy most holy Passion and Death whatsoever this soul for which I pray has ever done against thy will, by evil thoughts or words or deeds; and that thou wouldst vouchsafe to offer to God the Father all the sorrow and the anguish of thy torn Body and of thy desolated Soul, all thy merits and all thine actions, for all that chastisement which he has incurred at the hands of thy justice. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER.
I ADORE,salute,and bless thee, O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, and I give thee thanks for all the love and the faithfulness with which thou didst overcome death and rise from the dead, and glorify our flesh by ascending in it to the right hand of the Father; beseeching thee that thou wouldst now vouchsafe to render the soul for which I pray partaker of thy triumph and of thy glory. Amen.
FOURTH PRAYER.
I ADORE, salute, and bless thee, O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, and I render thee thanks for all the graces thou hast ever bestowed on thy glorious Mother and on all thine elect, in union with the gratitude with which all thy saints exult in the bliss thou hast obtained for them through thy holy Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection; beseeching thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to supply to this soul from the merits and prayers of the same glorious Virgin and all thy saints, whatever is lacking to his own. Amen.
THE LORD'S PRAYER FOR THE DEPARTED.
On one occasion when St. Mechtilde had received holy Communion for the departed, our Lord appeared to her, saying: Recite for them one Our Father. And as she prayed she received by divine inspiration the prayer which follows, the which when she had recited she saw a great multitude of souls ascending into heaven.
Our Father, who Is art in heaven. I beseech thee that thou wouldst forgive all the souls in purgatory, whereinsoever they have neither loved nor worthily honoured thee, their adorable and most beloved Father, who of thine own mere grace didst adopt them to be thy children, and have thrust thee forth from their hearts in which thou didst delight to dwell. And in satisfaction for this their sin, I offer thee that love and honour which thy beloved Son showed thee upon earth, and that most abundant satisfaction which he hath made for all their sins. Amen.
Hallowed be thy Name. I beseech thee, O thou Father of compassion, forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not worthily honoured nor duly made mention of thy holy Name, but have taken it in vain, and by their scandalous life rendered themselves unworthy of the name of Christians. And in satisfaction for these their sins I offer thee the consummate holiness of thy Son, whereby he magnified thy Name by his teaching, and made it honourable by his work. Amen.
Thy kingdom come. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not fervently longed nor ardently striven after thee and thy kingdom, in which alone is true rest and abiding glory. And for this and all their sloth in doing good I offer thee the most holy and longing desires of thy Son, wherewith he desired to make them heirs together with him of his kingdom. Amen.
Thy will be done on earthy as it is in heaven. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed, and especially of those consecrated to thee in the religious life, whereinsoever they have not preferred thy will above their own, nor have loved it in all things, but have too often lived and done only according to their own will. And in satisfaction for this their disobedience I offer thee the union of the sweetest Heart of thy Son with thy Will, and all that his most ready and loving obedience wherewith he was obedient unto thee, even to the death of the cross. Amen.
Give us this day our daily bread, I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not received the most blessed and adorable Sacrament of the Altar with pure and perfect desire, devotion, and love; or have received it unworthily, or seldom, or not at all. And in satisfaction for these their sins I offer thee the consummate holiness and the devotion of thy Son, together with that most ardent love and ineffable yearning desire wherewith he bestowed upon us this most inestimable treasure. Amen.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them their trespass against us. I beseech thee,O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have sinned against thee by any one of the seven mortal sins, and especially wherein they have not forgiven those who had trespassed against them, or have not loved their enemies. And for all these their sins I offer thee that most sweet and tender prayer which thy Son prayed to thee for his enemies while hanging on the cross. Amen.
And lead us not into temptation. I beseech thee, O Father of compassion, vouchsafe to forgive the souls of the faithful departed whereinsoever they have not resisted their concupiscence and the sins to which they were especially prone, but have again and again consented to the devil and the flesh, and entangled themselves by their own will in many grievous evils. And for all these their manifold sins I offer thee the glorious victory wherewith thy Son overcame the world and the devil, together with all his most holy life and conversation, his toil and weariness, his most bitter Passion and his Death. Amen.
But deliver us and them from every evil and every woe through the merits of thy beloved Son, and bring us to the kingdom of thy glory, which is none other than thy most glorious self. Amen.
A SHORT AND EFFICACIOUS PRAYER FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED.
O Most compassionate Jesus, have mercy on the souls detained in purgatory, for whose redemption thou didst take upon thee our nature and endure a bitter death. Mercifully hear their groanings, look with pity on the tears which they now shed before thee, and by the virtue of thy Passion release them from the pains due unto their sins. O most pitiful Jesus, let thy precious Blood reach down into purgatory, and refresh and revive the captive souls which suffer there. Stretch forth unto them thy strong right hand, and bring them forth into the place of refreshment, light, and peace. Amen.
PRAYER TO THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED.
O Most afflicted and unrepining souls, may Jesus Christ have mercy upon you, who for you was crucified and died, and may he refresh you in your sufferings by the sprinkling of his precious Blood. I commend you to that exceeding love which drew down the Son of God from heaven, and constrained him to a most bitter death on earth, that in that amazing compassion wherewith he entered into and took upon himself all the afflictions of the afflicted, he may have compassion on you. And for your full solace and refreshment I offer you all that filial love which the same Jesus Christ felt towards the Father in his Divinity, and towards Mary in his Humanity.
PRAYER IN A BURIAL GROUND.
HAIL, all ye faithful souls of Christ; may he give you rest, who is himself the one true Rest. May Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who for our salvation and for that of all mankind was born of the Immaculate Virgin, and redeemed you with his precious Blood, bless you, release you from your pain, raise you up in the day of judgment, and place you with his holy angels.