THE HOLY WOUNDS OF CHRIST
http://home.nyc.rr.com/mysticalrose/wounds.html
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)
+ + + + +
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.
+ + + + +
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
+ + + + +
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.
+ + + + +
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 grievous 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 tore Thy flesh and
laid bare Thy 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
At each word that you pronounce of the Chaplet of
the Holy Wounds, I allow a drop of My Blood to fall upon the soul of a sinner.
Each time that you offer to My Father the merits
of My divine Wounds, you win an immense fortune.
Souls that will have contemplated and honored My
crown of thorns on earth, will be My crown of glory in Heaven!
I will grant all that is asked of Me through the
invocation of My Holy Wounds. You will obtain
everything, because it is through the merit of My
Blood, which is of infinite price. With My Wounds
and My Divine Heart, everything can be obtained.
From My Wounds proceed fruits of sanctity. As
gold purified in the crucible becomes more
beautiful, so you must put your soul and those of
your companions into My sacred Wounds; there they
will become perfected as gold in the furnace. You
can always purify yourself in My Wounds.
My Wounds will repair yours. My Wounds will cover
all your faults. Those who honor them will have a
true knowledge of Jesus Christ. In meditation on
them, you will always find a new love. My wounds will cover all your sins.
Plunge your actions into My Wounds and they will
be of value. All your actions, even the least,
soaked in My Blood, will acquire by this alone an
infinite merit and will please My Heart.
In offering My Wounds for the conversion of
sinners, even though the sinners are not
converted, you will have the same merit before God as if they were.
When you have some trouble, something to suffer,
quickly place it in My Wounds, and the pain will be alleviated.
This aspiration must often be repeated near the
sick: "My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the
merits of Your Holy Wounds!" This prayer will solace soul and body.
A sinner who will say the following prayer will
obtain conversion: "Eternal Father, I offer You
the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls."
There will be no death for the soul that expires
in My Holy Wounds; they give true life.
This chaplet is a counterpoise to My justice; it restrains My vengeance.
Those who pray with humility and who meditate on
My Passion, will one day participate in the glory of My divine Wounds.
The more you will have contemplated My painful
Wounds on this earth, the higher will be your
contemplation of them glorious in Heaven.
The soul who during life has honored the Wounds
of our Lord Jesus Christ and has offered them to
the Eternal Father for the Souls in Purgatory,
will be accompanied at the moment of death by the
Holy Virgin and the angels; and Our Lord on the
Cross, all brillant in glory, will receive her and crown her.
The invocations of the Holy Wounds will obtain an
incessant victory for the Church.7
(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.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Please note that I do not send or open attachments sent to this list.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Catholics on Fire" group.
To post to this group, send email to Catholics-on-Fire@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
catholics-on-fire-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/Catholics-on-Fire
May the blessing of Jesus and our Blessed Mother be with you
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
