The Voice of Christ
The Catholic Online Magazine
Palm Sunday Opening Prayer
Almighty, ever-living God, you have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior as a model of humility. He fulfilled your will by becoming man and giving his life on the cross. Help us to bear witness to you by following his example of suffering, and make us worthy to share in his resurrection. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Opening Prayer for Monday of Holy Week
All-powerful God, by the suffering and death of your Son, strengthen and protect us in our weakness. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Opening Prayer for Tuesday of Holy Week
Father, may we receive your forgiveness and mercy as we celebrate the passion and death of the Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Opening Prayer for Wednesday of Holy Week
Father, in your plan of salvation your Son Jesus Christ accepted the cross and freed us from the power of the enemy. May we come to share the glory of his resurrection, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Opening Prayer of Chrism Mass
Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit you anointed your only Son Messiah and Lord of creation; you have given us a share in his consecration to priestly service in your Church. Help us to be faithful witnesses in the world to the salvation Christ won for all mankind. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Opening Prayer for Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord's Supper
God our Father, we are gathered here to share in the supper which your only Son left to his Church to reveal his love. He gave it to us when he was about ot die and commanded us to celebrate it as the new and eternal sacrifice. We pray that in this eucharist we may find the fullness of love and life. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Opening Prayer for Good Friday: Celebration of the Lord's Passion
Lord, by shedding his blood for us, your Son, Jesus Christ, established the paschal mystery. In your goodness, make us holy and watch over us always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Opening Prayer for Easter Sunday
God our Father, creator of all, today is the day of Easter joy. This is the morning on which the Lord appeared ot men who had begun to lose their hope and opened their eyes to what the scriptures foretold: that first he must die, and then he would rise and ascend into his Father's glorious presence. May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of bread, and follow him in his risen life. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Easter Prayer
Father in heaven, author of all truth, a people once in darkness has listened to your Word and followed your Son as he rose from the tomb. Hear the prayer of this newborn people and strengthen your Church to answer your call. May we rise and come forth into the light of day to stand in your presence until eternity dawns. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Crucified
O my crucified Lord Jesus, I kneel at your feet. Do not cast me out, although I come to you as a sinner. I have offended you much in the past, but I resolve to no longer do so in the future.
O my God, I place all my sins before you; I have considered them and know they do not deserve pardon. But I beg you to be mindful of your sufferings which show the value of the Precious Blood that flows from your veins.
Close your eyes to my lack of merit and open them to the abundance of your infinite merit. As you deigned to die for my sins, graciously grant me forgiveness of all of them, so that I may no longer feel their burden which oppresses me beyond measure.
Help me, dear Lord, for I desire to become good at any cost. Uproot, take away, and destroy in me everything that is contrary to your will. Enlighten me that I may be enabled to walk in your holy light all the days of my life. Amen.
Devotion to the Five Sacred Wounds
This devotion is best said before a crucifix or, preferably, an image of the Shroud of Turin so that the wounds may each be kissed in turn.
Act of Contrition
As I kneel before Thee on the cross, most loving Saviour of my soul, my conscience reproaches me with having nailed Thee to that cross with these hands of mine, as often as I have fallen into mortal sin, wearying Thee with my base ingratitude. My God, my chief and perfect good, worthy of all my love, because Thou hast loaded me with blessings; I cannot now undo my misdeeds, as I would most willingly; but I loathe them, grieving sincerely for having offended Thee, Who art infinite goodness. And now, kneeling at Thy feet, I try, at least, to compassionate Thee, to give Thee thanks, to ask Thee pardon and contrition; wherefore with my 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 Jesus, for the most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for the love whereby Thou laboured to overtake me on the 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 holy humanity, in atonement for my sins, all of which I detest with sincere and bitter contrition.
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
TO THE WOUND OF THE RIGHT FOOT
Holy wound of the right foot of my Jesus, I adore Thee; I compassionate Thee, O Jesus, for the most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for that 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 unbridled passions. I offer the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, and I pray Thee for grace to weep over my sins with hot tears, and to enable me to persevere in the good which I have begun, without ever swerving again from my obedience to the divine commands.
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory be...
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
TO THE WOUND OF THE LEFT HAND
Holy wound of the left hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee; I compassionate Thee, O Jesus, for the 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 They most holy humanity: and I pray Thee to teach me how to turn to good account my span of life, and bring forth in it worthy fruits of penance, and to disarm the justice of God, which I have provoked.
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory be...
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
TO THE WOUND OF THE RIGHT HAND
Holy wound of the right hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee; I compassionate Thee, O Jesus, for the most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for Thy graces lavished on me with such love, in spite of all my most perverse obstinacy. I offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity; and I pray Thee to change my heart and its affections, and make me do all my actions in accordance with the will of God.
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory be...
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
TO THE WOUND OF THE SACRED SIDE
Holy wound in the side of my Jesus, I adore Thee; I compassionate Thee, O 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, so that the last drops of blood and water might issue forth, making my redemption to overflow. I offer to the Eternal Father this outrage, and the love of Thy most holy humanity, that my soul may enter once for all into that most loving Heart, eager and ready to receive the greatest sinners, and never more depart.
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory be...
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
TO THE MOST HOLY VIRGIN, MOTHER OF SORROWS
Mary, Virgin Mother of God, martyr of love and sorrow, because Thou didst witness the pains and torments of Jesus: truly didst Thou concur in the great work of my redemption, first, by Thy innumerable afflictions, and then by the offering Thou didst make to the Eternal Father of His and Thy Only Begotten, for a holocaust and victim to appease His wrath for my sins. I compassionate Thee for the bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank Thee for that love, well nigh infinite, through which Thou didst bereave Thyself of the fruit of Thy womb, very God and very Man, to save me, a sinner; let Thy intercession which is never in vain, be ever with the Father and the Son for me, that I may steadily amend my evil ways, and never, by further faults, crucify anew my loving Saviour; that so, persevering in His grace until death, I may obtain eternal life: through the merits of His sad passion and death upon the cross.
Three Hail Marys.
Let us pray,
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, at the sixth hour of the day, didst, for the redemption of the world, mount the gibbet of the cross, and shed Thy precious blood for the remission of sins; we humbly beseech Thee to grant us, after our death, a joyful entrance into the gates of Paradise.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that now, and at the hour of our death, blesshd Mary, ever Virgin, Thy Mother, may intercede for us, through whose most holy soul a sword passed in the hour of Thy passion; through Thee, Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
Nadine Mansour
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