Posted on 08/20/2008 6:34:15 AM PDT by NYer
Yea, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet--I can count all my bones. (Ps 22:16-17)
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. " (Isaiah 53:5)
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:24-28)
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The Sacred Wounds which Jesus received during His Passion are part of the price for our salvation: "By His wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Catholics have always loved and venerated these wounds, which Jesus still bears in His Risen Body, as an eternal sign of His redeeming Love.
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Oh! Sacred Feet, all gashed and torn,
Bruised by the hammer's cruel blows,
Bathed in the life-blood dripping down
From anguished Heart in bitter throes;
I press You to my lips in tears,
With contrite sorrow, fervent sigh.
Dear precious Wounds, God's bleeding prayers,
Ah! plead for me when death draws nigh.
Oh, Mangled Hands, transfixed and wan,
in suppliance raised to Heaven above,
Pierced by the nails that torture wrung,
From breaking Heart of burning love;
I press You to my lips in tears,
With contrite sorrow, fervent sigh.
Dear precious Wounds, God's bleeding prayers,
Ah! plead for me when death draws nigh.
Oh! Sacred Refuge, tender Side,
Rent by the lance with cruel thrust,
There, where His Heart is, let me hide,
There, where His love is, let me trust.
I press Thee to my lips in tears,
With contrite sorrow, fervent sigh.
Most Holy Wound, allay my fears,
Recieve my soul when death draws nigh.1
Devotion in Honor of the Five Holy Wounds
As I kneel before Thee on the Cross, most loving Savior of my soul, my conscience tells me it is I who have nailed Thee to that Cross with these hands of mine, as often as I have fallen into mortal sin, wearing Thee with my monstrous ingratitude.
My God, my chief and most perfect Good, worthy of all my love, seeing Thou hast ever loaded me with blessings, I cannot now undo my misdeeds, as I would most willingly, but I can and will loathe them, grieving greatly for having offended Thee Who art infinite Goodness. And now, kneeling at Thy feet, I will try at least to compassionate Thee, to give Thee thanks, to ask of Thee pardon and contrition. Wherefore, with heart and lips I say:
(To the Wound of the Left Foot)
Holy Wound of the Left Foot of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for the love whereby Thou was wearied in overtaking me on to way to ruin, and didst bleed amid the thorns and brambles of my sins. I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most Sacred Humanity, in atonement for my sins, all of which I detest with sincere and bitter contrition.
(To the Wound of the Right Foot)
Holy Wound of the Right Foot of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for the love which pierced Thee with such torture and shedding of blood in order to punish my wanderings and the guilty pleasures I have granted to my passions. I offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most Sacred Humanity, and I pray unto Him for grace to weep over my transgressions with burning tears, and to enable me to persevere in the good which I have begun, without ever swerving again from my obedience to the commandments of my God.
(To the Wound of the Left Hand)
Holy Wound of the Left Hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for having, in Thy love, spared me the scourges and eternal damnation which my sins have merited. I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most Sacred Humanity, and I pray Him to teach me how to turn to good account my span of life, and bring forth in it worthy fruits of penance, and so disarm the angry justice of my God.
(To the Wound of the Right Hand)
Holy Wound of the Right Hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for Thy graces lavished on me with such love, in spite of all my miserable obstinacy. I offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most Sacred Humanity, and I pray Him to change my heart and its affections, and make me do all my actions in accordance with the will of God.
(To the Wound in the Sacred Side)
Holy Wound in the Side of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for the cruel insult Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee, my Jesus, for the love which suffered Thy side and Heart to be pierced, that the last drops of Blood and water might issue forth, making my redemption to abound. I offer to the Eternal Father this outrage, and the love of Thy most Sacred Humanity, that my soul may enter once for all into that most loving Heart, eager and ready to receive the greatest sinners, and from it may never more depart. 2
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The following prayers in honor of the Holy Wounds of Jesus come from private revelations to various saints and mystics. They are not part of the infallible teachings of the Church (who is also the final judge of their validity). The promises attached to them must not be viewed in a superstitious manner: "If I just say this the right way I will surely get what I want!". Rather, the promises reflect the generosity of God, and the prayers should inspire us to be more fervent in our love for the Holy Wounds of Christ, regardless of any possible rewards God might sovereignly choose to bestow on us.
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Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked Our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering, and He answered: "I had on My Shoulder while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grevious Wound which was more painful than the others, and which is not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with thy devotion, and I will grant thee whatsoever thou does ask through its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins, and will no longer remember their mortal sins"
Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Christ:
Most loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I, a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross which so toreThy flesh and laid bareThy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of Thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee, and give The thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross. Amen.3
(Imprimatur: +Thomas D. Beven, Bishop of Springfield.)
Saints Gertrude the Great and Mechtilde
Jesus revealed to St. Gertrude that if any one of the following short prayers is repeated five times in honor of the Five Holy Wounds of the Lord, while spiritually kissing the Wounds devoutly and adding some prayers or good works, and offering them through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they will be as acceptable to God as the most arduous devotion:
Jesus, Savior of the World, have mercy on me. You to Whom nothing is impossible, bestow mercy to the wretched.
O Christ, Who by Your Cross, hast redeemed the world, hear us.
The Lord is my strength and my glory; He is my salvation.
Hail Jesus, my loving Spouse. I salute You in the ineffable joys of Your Divinity; I embrace You with the affection of all creatures, and I kiss the Sacred Wound of Your love.4
One day, before the Feast of the Ascension, St. Gertrude repeated the following salutation five thousand, four hundred and sixty-six times:
Glory be to Thee, sweetest, most gentle, most benign, sovereign, transcendent, effulgent, and ever-peaceful Trinity, for the roseate wounds of Jesus Christ, my only Love!
After completing these salutations, Our Lord Jesus appeared to her, more beautiful than the angels, bearing golden flowers on each Wound. With a serene countenance and tender charity, He said, "Behold in what glory I now appear to you. I will appear in the same form to you at the hour of your death, and will cover all the stains of your sins, and adorn you with a glory like that with which you have adorned My Wounds by your salutations. All of those also who salute my Wounds with the same devotion shall receive the like favor."
You can say the above salutation 5466 times by praying in five times a day for three years. You may also add the following oblation which Jesus asked St. Mechtilde to pray after each division of five:
Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, accept this prayer, with that surpassing love, with which Thou didst endure all the Wounds of Thy most Holy Body. Have mercy on me, and on all sinners, and on all the Faithful, living and departed. Grant them grace and mercy, remission of sins, and everlasting life. Amen.5
Sister Mary Martha Chambon
Mary Martha Chambon (1841-1907) was a lay Sister of the Monastery of the Visitation Order in Chambery, France. During her life, Jesus Himself is said to have revealed to her the following two invocations, giving her the double mission to adore and invoke the Sacred Wounds unceasingly and to revive this devotion in the hearts of creatures. She died in the odor of sanctity on 21 March 1907, and the cause for her beatification was introduced in 1937.
Eternal Father I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of our souls.
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Sacred Wounds.
Here are some statements Jesus is said to have made to Sr. Mary Martha about this devotion:
"Come to My Wounds with hearts burning with love, and make the aspirations with great fervor that you may obtain the graces and favors you desire. Come to this wound in My Side; it is the Wound of Love from which issue flames of fire"
"You must pray that the knowledge of My Sacred Wounds may spread in the world". (As He said these words, Sr. Mary Martha saw five luminous rays of glory issue from the Wounds of Christ, and envelop the globe.)
"My Holy Wounds sanctify souls and insure their spiritual advancement...Offer Me your actions united to My Sacred Wounds, and even the smallest will have an incomprehensible value"
Offer them often to Me for sinners because I thirst for souls. At each word of the invocation that you utter, I will let a drop of My Blood fall upon the soul of a sinner."
"When you offer My Holy Wounds for sinners, you must not forget to do so for the souls in Purgatory, as there are but few who think of their relief. The Holy Wounds are the treasure of treasures for the souls in Purgatory."6
(Nihil obstat: John A. Schulien, Censor Librorum; Milwaukee, WI, 2 May 1956. Imprimatur: +Albertus G. Meyer, Archbishop of Milwaukee, 1 May 1956.)
Chaplet of the Holy Wounds
To be said on the Crucifix and the first three beads of an ordinary Rosary:
O Jesus, Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world. Amen.
Strong God, holy God, immortal God, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen.
Grace and mercy, O my Jesus, during present dangers; cover us with Your Precious Blood. Amen.
Eternal Father, grant us mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Your only Son; grant us mercy, we beseech You. Amen, Amen, Amen.
The following prayers, composed by Our Lord, are to be said using the Rosary beads.
On the large beads:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ. To heal the wounds of our souls.
On the small beads:
My Jesus, pardon and mercy, through the merits of Your Holy Wounds.
Promises of Our Lord for those who are Devoted to His Wounds
(Nihil obstat: Rev. Terry Tekippe, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: + Most Rev. Francis B. Shulte, Archbishop of New Orleans, 29 December 1989.)
Prayer to Obtain a Favor
O great Passion! O deep Wounds! O Blood shed in abundance! O meekness! O God of meekness, O cruel death, have mercy on me and grant my request if it be for my salvation.8
Sources:
1"Prayer to the Five Wounds," The Little Treasury of Leaflets, vol.IV (Dublin: Gill, 1914) 893-894.
2From "Holy Hour of Reparation" booklet, pages 21-24. Copyright © 1945 Soul Assurance Plan(TM), Chicago, IL.
3Pieta Prayer Book, (Hickory Corners, MI: MLOR Corporation, 1995) 45-46. © MLOR Corporation 1995. ("Pictures or prayers may be reproduced for personal use, not for commercial purposes")
4Joan Carrol Cruz, Prayers and Heavenly Promises: Compiled from Approved Sources, (Rockford IL:TAN Books, 1990) 49. Copyright © by Joan Carrol Cruz.
5The Precious Blood and Mother A Compilation of Prayers from Approved Sources by the Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood, Edmonton, Canada. (Manchester, NH: Monastery of the Precious Blood) 107-108.
6"Invocations in honor of the Holy Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ"; tract by the Marist Missionary Sisters League of Prayer.
7Joan Carrol Cruz, Prayers and Heavenly Promises, opt. cit. 50-52.
8"Powerful Prayer to Obtain a Favor" tract, printed by Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
(Image of our Lord Crucified from Jesus Christ: Images, Art and Photographs.)
Padre Pio's Secret: His Shoulder Wound
by Frank M. Rega
Published in "The Voice of Padre Pio," March-April 2008, pp. 23-23.
Shortly after World War II was over, a young Polish priest who was studying in Rome, Fr. Karol Wojtyla, visited Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo. This encounter took place around 1947 or 1948. At that time in post-war Italy, it was possible to have access to Padre Pio, since travel was difficult and great crowds were not besieging the Friary. The young priest spent almost a week in San Giovanni Rotondo during his visit, and was able to attend Padre Pio’s Mass and make his confession to the saint. Apparently, this was not just a casual encounter, and the two spoke together at length during Fr. Wojtyla’s stay. Their conversations gave rise to rumors in later years, after the Polish prelate had been elevated to the Papacy, that Padre Pio had told him he would become Pope. The story persists to the present day, even though on two or three occasions "Papa Wojtyla" denied it.
Recently, new information about this visit has come to light, according to a new book in Italian published by Padre Pio's Friary, Il Papa e Il Frate, written by Stefano Campanella (1). As reported in this book, the future Pope and future Saint had a very interesting conversation. During this exchange, Fr. Wojtyla asked Padre Pio which of his wounds caused the greatest suffering. From this kind of personal question, we can see that they must have already talked together for some time and had become at ease with each other. The priest expected Padre Pio to say it was his chest wound, but instead the Padre replied, "It is my shoulder wound, which no one knows about and has never been cured or treated." This is extremely significant, not only because it reveals that Padre Pio bore this wound, but because, as far as is known, the future pope is the only one to whom Padre Pio ever revealed existence of this secret wound.
Centuries earlier, Our Lord himself had revealed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux in a vision, that his shoulder wound from carrying the heavy wooden cross caused him his greatest suffering, and that the cross tore into his flesh right up to the shoulder bone.
At one time, Padre had confided to his paisano from Pietrelcina, Brother Modestino Fucci, that his greatest pains occurred when he changed his undershirt. (Brother Modestino is currently the doorkeeper at Padre Pio’s friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.) Modestino, like Fr. Wojtyla, thought Padre Pio was referring to pains from the chest wound. Then, on February 4, 1971 Modestino was assigned the task of taking an inventory of all the items in the deceased Padre’s cell in the friary, and also his belongings in the archives. That day he discovered that one of Padre Pio’s undershirts bore a circle of bloodstains in the area of the right shoulder.
This reminded Brother Modestino that he had once read about a devotion to the shoulder wound of Jesus, caused by his bearing of the heavy cross beam, the patibulum, to Calvary. The beam could weigh up to 100 pounds. Part of this devotion to the shoulder wound of Christ is to pray daily three Our Father’s, Hail Mary’s and Glory Be’s, to honor the severe pains and lacerations Our Lord suffered from the weight of the patibulum.
On that very evening of February 4, 1971, Brother Modestino asked Padre Pio in prayer to enlighten him about the meaning of the bloodstained undershirt. He asked Padre to give him a sign if he truly bore Christ’s shoulder wound. Then he went to sleep, awakening at 1:00 AM with a terrible, excruciating pain in his shoulder, as if he had been sliced with a knife up to the shoulder bone. He felt that he would die from the pain if it continued, but it lasted only a short time. Then the room became filled with the aroma of a heavenly perfume of flowers – the sign of Padre Pio’s spiritual presence – and he heard a voice saying "Cosi ho sofferto io!" – "This is what I had to suffer!" Modestino remarked that he had a strange sensation after the pain subsided: that being deprived of this pain was also a suffering. His body had suffered from it, but his soul had desired it. He said, "It was painful and sweet at the same time."
What is the mystical and spiritual significance of the shoulder wound of St. Padre Pio? The book by journalist Saverio Gaeta, Sulla Soglia del Paradiso (2), reports that Padre Pio said this of his spiritual children: "When the Lord entrusts a soul to me, I place it on my shoulder and never let it go." From this statement, it can reasonably be inferred that the saint offered up the suffering and the extreme pain of his shoulder wound for his spiritual children.
Cleonice Morcaldi once said in the presence of Gaeta, "On the shoulders of Padre Pio rests the whole world and the Church." This expression seemed an exaggeration to the writer. But on the very same day that Gaeta had heard this, he later joined Padre Pio and some others in conversation. Padre Pio was telling the story of St. Christopher, and how he had carried the child Jesus on his shoulders across a river. Then, turning his gaze to look directly at Saverio Gaeta, Padre Pio pointedly said to the writer, "On my shoulders is the whole world."
References:
1. Campanella, Stefano, Il Papa e Il Frate, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, Edizioni Padre Pio da Pietrelcina, 2005.
2. Gaeta, Saverio, Sulla Soglia del Paradiso, Edizione speciale per Famiglia Christiana, San Paolo Edizioni, 2002.
Based on the author’s earlier article in the December 2007 Newsletter of the Padre Pio Foundation, Cromwell, CT., USA www.padrepio.com
Wow.
Interesting.
With God, anything is possible and not everything in this world has a “scientific” explanation. Scientists don’t know it all.
Here is the Trisagion again - just as in the Divine Mercy Chaplet. This is the same prayer we chant 3 times in Aramaic, at each Divine Liturgy.
It must be very pleasing to our Lord for Him to request that it be included in our prayer life.
Thank YOU!
Both of these articles are outstanding.
May we offer up our own suffering as Christ offered his suffering for us.
that’s pretty freaky stuff
Interesting, today happens to be the feast day of St. Bernard, in both the current calendar and the traditional calendar.
Popular Italian Catholic saint exhumed 40 years on (Padre Pio's body in fair condition)
Letter 33 - Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, 16 November 1914.
Padre Pio and the Mother Co-redemptrix(CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
Saint Padre Pio letters #29Correspondence with Raffaelina Cerase
Message, St. Padre Pio During Mass
Padre Pio and the Guardian Angel
Spiritual Counsels from Saint Padre Pio
What Does It Means To Be Canonized.(Padre Pio example)
Feast of St. Pio this FRIDAY! (Padre Pio - Pray for Texas!)
Padre Pio's Love for the Blessed Mother
Padre Pio's Shrine, as the Architect Sees It - Renzo Piano Talks about Church, San Giovanni Rotondo
Padre Pio Aid Says Saint Accepted New Mass
Padre Pio: on Spirituality, Vatican II and the Novus Ordo Missae
Remarkable Transformation: Padre Pio
Cardinal Schotte (Head of the Synod of Bishops) and his view on Dallas; Rose petals for Padre Pio
Saint Padre Pio's Body Not Found in His Tomb?
Padre Pio Now A Saint - Wrestled With Devil, Predicted Future
Padre Pio Wrestled with Devil, Predicted Future
Pope Bestows Sainthood on Padre Pio
Padre Pio to be Canonized This June
Read the book by Ruffin about Padre Pio. The story of this saint’s life is so amazing.
The book is well worth the money. (Or maybe your church library has a copy — ours does!)
;-) (not a coincidence)
... or very comforting, depending on your prayer life. Our lives are often filled with people or situations that result in worry and concern. After teaching His disciples the Lord's prayer, he said: Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? He also told them: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, 16 and I will give you rest.
Those saintly people who have gone before us, have left a legacy of beautiful prayers that are pleasing to our Lord. We should embrace these prayers and make them our own, knowing how appreciated they are by our Lord.
**(not a coincidence) **
Smile.......
Thank you for posting these inspiring materials.
Thanks to you and a few others here, a Catholic has the opportunity to greatly increase his understanding and knowledge of the faith. It’s a wonderful thing.
“Qadeeshat Aloho - Qadeeshat Hyeltono - Qadeeshat Lomoyouto
Itraham Alein”
Is there a pronunciation key?
I'll do my best.
Qadeeshat Aloho
Ka-dee-shot a (like at)-lo-ho (Aloho is the Aramaic word for God)
Qadeeshat Hyeltono
Ka-dee-shat (like at) Hi-el-tone-o
Qadeeshat Lomoyouto
Ka-dee-shat (like at) Loe-moe-you-toe
Itraham Alein
It-tra-ham (like hammock) Ah-line (some pronouce it Ah-lane) Our organist is German - he goes with Ah-line ;-
Thanks a million.
Thanks for posting!!
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