|
Here
are fifteen prayers written by St. Bridget of Sweden, whose feast is today.
St. Bridget was born in Sweden is 1303, and died in Rome in 1373. She was a
wife, a mother of eight children, a foundress of an order of nuns and a model
of great virtue to all. St. Bridget, pray for us.
First Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus Christ! Eternal Sweetness to those who love Thee, joy surpassing all
joy and all desire, Salvation and 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, and especially during Thy
Passion, as it was decreed and ordained from 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 and Blood, and while
at the same time Thou didst sweetly console them, Thou didst fortell them Thy
coming Passion.
Remember the sadness and 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 and
elevated, accused by false witnesses, unjustly judged by three judges during
the flower of Thy youth and 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 wast 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 all my sins.
Amen.
Second Prayer
Say one Our Father and one 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 Savior, to deliver me from
all my enemies, visible and invisible, and to bring me, under Thy protection,
to the perfection of eternal salvation. Amen.
Third Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus! Creator of Heaven and earth Whom nothing can encompass or limit,
Thou Who dost enfold and hold all under Thy loving power, remember the very
bitter pain Thou didst suffer when the Jews nailed Thy Sacred Hands and Feet
to the Cross by blow after blow with big blunt nails, and not finding Thee in
a pitiable enough state to satisfy their rage, they enlarged thy Wounds, and
added pain to pain, and with indescribable cruelty stretched Thy Body on the
Cross, pulling 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 and to Love Thee. Amen.
Fourth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one 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.
Fifth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one 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.
Sixth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus! Beloved and most desirable King, remember the grief Thou didst
suffer, when naked and like a common criminal, Thou wast 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 Savior, by the sword of sorrow which pierced the soul of
Thy holy Mother, to have compassion on me in all my afflictions and
tribulations, both corporal and spiritual, and to assist me in all my trials,
and especially at the hour of my death. Amen.
Seventh Prayer
Say one Our Father and one 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 Savior, 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.
Eighth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus! Sweetness of hearts, delight of the spirit, by the bitterness of the
gall and vinegar 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.
Ninth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one 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 wast
abandoned by Thy Father, saying: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken
Me?"
Through this anguish, I beg of Thee, O my Savior, not to abandon me in the
terrors and pains of my death. Amen.
Tenth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus! Who art the beginning and the end of all things, life and virtue,
remember that for our sakes Thou wast 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.
Eleventh Prayer
Say one Our Father and one 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.
Twelfth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus! Mirror of truth, symbol of unity, link of charity, remember the
multitude of wounds with which Thou wast 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 the fruit of Thy sufferings be renewed in my soul by the 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.
Thirteenth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus! Strong lion, immortal and invincible King, remember the pain 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.
Fourteenth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one 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, to 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.
Fifteenth Prayer
Say one Our Father and one Hail Mary
O Jesus! True and 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 and water issued
forth until there was not left in Thy Body a single drop, and 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, and 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.
Concluding 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.
|
