Seven Prayers of St. Gregory on the Passion of the Lord

Holy Mother Church honors Pope St. Gregory the Great with a feast on March 12.  Well-educated and pious, St. Gregory worked tirelessly for the Church.  He was chosen Pope in 590 and reigned until 604.  During that time he fought against heresies, sent missionaries to convert pagans, including to England, and took care of the poor and sick.  He watched over the priests and the sacred traditions of the Church, and he is also well-known for his influence over the Church's music with Gregorian Chant. From the words from an antiphon in his office, he was called, "the Father of the City, the joy of the World."

The following prayer, penned by St. Gregory the Great, was a well-known medieval prayer often found in prayer books containing the Hours.  Pious tradition holds that one day while St. Gregory was celebrating Mass, Christ Himself appeared during the Consecration as a sign of His True Presence in the Eucharist. Thus, often accompanying the prayer in these prayer books was a picture of St. Gregory, genuflecting at the Consecration, with Christ appearing on the Crucifix in front of the Altar.

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 Seven Prayers of St. Gregory on the Passion of the Lord

I. O Lord Jesus, I adore Thee hanging on the Cross, wearing a crown of thorns upon Thy head. I beg Thee that Thy Cross may free me from the deceiving Angel. Amen. 
1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary. 

II.  O Lord Jesus, I adore Thee hanging wounded on the Cross, given vinegar and gall to drink. I beg Thee that Thy wounds may be the remedy of my soul. Amen. 

1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary.

III. O Lord Jesus, I ask by the bitterness of Thy Passion, which Thou didst undergo in the hour of Thy death, so much so when Thy most holy soul left Thy blessed body, have mercy upon my soul when it leaves my body, and lead it to eternal life. Amen. 

1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary.

 
IV. O Lord Jesus, I adore Thee placed in Thy tomb, anointed with myrrh and aromatic spices. I beg Thee that Thy death may be my life. Amen. 

1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary. 

V.  O Lord Jesus, I adore Thee descending into hell and freeing the captives from there. I beg Thee, that Thou mayest never permit me to enter there. Amen.  

1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary. 

VI. O Lord Jesus, I adore Thee rising from the dead, ascending into heaven, and sitting at the right hand of the Father. I beg Thee that I may be worthy to follow Thee and be with Thee. Amen. 

1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary. 

VII. O Lord Jesus, O good Shepherd, preserver of the just, justifier of sinners, have mercy upon all the faithful and be gracious to me, a wretched and unworthy sinner. Amen. 

1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary. 

Prayer:  I beseech Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, that Thy Passion may be a strength to me by which I may be strengthened, protected and defended. May Thy wounds be to me food and drink by which I may be nourished, inebriated, and delighted. May the sprinkling of Thy Blood be to me an ablution for all my sins. May Thy death be eternal glory to me. In these may my refreshment, joy, health, zeal, delight, and desire of my body and soul, now and forever. Amen. 

Prayer: O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, place Thy Passion, Cross, and Death between Thy judgment and my soul, now and in the hour of my death. Deign to grant me grace and mercy, pardon to the living, eternal rest to the dead, peace to Thy Church, and life and eternal glory to all sinners. Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen

--from the Paradisus Animae (1670)

God bless!

+JMJ+

For the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

 Holy Mother Church honors St. Mary Magdalene on July 22.  Pope St. Gregory the Great spoke of St. Mary Magdalene, saying,

“Thinking upon the repentance of Mary Magdalene, I am more ready to weep than to say anything. For what heart of stone would not be softened to a like repentance by the tears of this sinner? She considered what she had done, and would not be mod­erate in what she was then doing. She broke in upon the guests, she came uninvited, she brought her tears to the banquet. You may un­derstand with what sorrow she burns, in that she is not ashamed to weep even at a feast.
But this woman, whom Luke calls a woman who was a sinner, is named by John—it is Mary; and we believe she was that Mary from whom, as Mark bears witness, seven devils were cast forth. And what is typified by seven devils, if not all the vices? For since all time is counted by periods of seven days, by the number seven, completeness is rightly represented. Mary then had seven devils, be­cause she was full of all the vices.
But, behold, when she saw the stains of her foulness, she ran to wash herself at the fountain of mercy, and had no shame before the guests. Indeed, since she felt so much shame in herself, she counted it as nothing to be out­wardly disgraced...” (Pope St. Gregory the Great, Homily 33 on the Gospels).

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Known as the Penitent, St. Mary Magdalene was also present at Our Lord's Crucifixion and one of the first at the empty tomb.  Fourteen years after Jesus' death, St. Mary Magdalene, with Sts. Martha and Lazarus, Maximin, who baptized her, Sara, her maid, Sidonius, who was the man born blind, and the body of St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, were set adrift, eventually landing on the shores of southern France.  From that time, St. Mary Magdalene continued her life of penance, living in a cave as a contemplative and mystic.  Her only food was the Blessed Sacrament that she received daily from her angel.  After being transported miraculously to the chapel of St. Maximin, she received the last sacraments and died at the age of 72.  Like St. Mary Magdalene, we, too, should strive daily to do penance for our sins and grow in love of Our Lord, leaving no excuses for lives of mediocrity.

You can listen to they hymn at his link:

Maria Magdalene

(Music by Andrea Gabrieli)

Maria Magdalena et altera Maria Ibant diluculo ad monumentum Jesum, Jesum, quem quaeritis, non est hic, Surrexit, praecedet vos in Galilaeam, Ibi eum videbitis. Alleluia.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary Went forth at dawn to the tomb of Jesus; Jesus whom you seek, is not here; He has risen, and has gone before you into Galilee; There you will see Him. Alleluia.

Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Tears of St. Mary Magdalene with Promise

St. Mary Magdalene said to St. Mechtilde: "Whoever shall give God thanks for all the tears I shed upon the feet of Jesus, our most merciful God will grant him, through my intercession, remission of all his sins before his death, and a great increase of love of God."
O most merciful Jesus, I give Thee thanks for that work of piety which the blessed Mary Magdalene wrought on Thee, when she washed Thy feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed them and anointed them with fragrant ointment; whereby she obtained from Thee such signal grace that Thou didst pour into her heart and soul so great a love of Thee, that she could love nothing apart from Thee; beseeching Thee, that by her merits and intercessions Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give me tears of true repentance and pour into my heart Thy Divine love. Amen.

An Easter Prayer

                                 

  Blessed Easter!!!!  

Easter is upon us! May we rejoice this day and throughout the entire Easter season, which does not last just one day, but fifty days to Pentecost Sunday. With the joy of the Risen Lord fresh in our hearts and minds, may we remember to praise God, thanking Him for the great gift of our salvation. Like the Apostles, we should be filled with joy, for when Jesus conquered death, He opened the gates of heaven for us, so we might share Eternal Life with Him. 

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As St. John Chrysostom spoke, “O Death, where is thy sting? O Hell, where is thy victory? Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown! Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen! Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.”

Saint Gregory the Great's Easter Prayer

It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind, to praise You Father and Your Only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of loving-kindness toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son. Dear Jesus, You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father by Your Blood poured fourth in loving-kindness. You cleared away the darkness of sin by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection. You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror. You reconciled heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of eternal happiness before You redeemed us. Your Resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence and brought us joy. How inestimable is the tenderness of Your love!

God bless!  I pray you have a happy Easter season!

+JMJ