ST GERTRUDE THE GREAT
ST GERTRUDE THE GREAT
Jesus revealed to St Gertrude that if any one of the following short prayers is repeated five times in honour 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, has 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.
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 favour.”
You can say the above salutation 5466 times by praying in five times a day for three years.
St Gertrude was accustomed to kiss the Five Holy Wounds in expiation for her sins.
When she kiss the wound on the Left Foot, she obtained the full remission of all her sins in thoughts and words.
Through the wound on the Right Foot, Jesus supplied all her omission in holy thoughts and words.
Through the wound on the Left Hand, He granted her the remission of all sinful deeds.
Through the wound on the Right Hand, He supplied all her omissions in good works.
Through the wound on the Sacred Side, she was cleansed from every sin by those Precious drops of Blood and Water which were shed from the opening made by the lance.
Through the Precious Blood shed from the Five Wounds, she was adorned with every virtue.
DEVOUT AFFECTIONS ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
It was revealed to St Gertrude that reading and meditating on the Passion are far more useful and efficacious than all other spiritual exercises. As those who handle flour cannot avoid contracting some of the flour’s powdery substance, so no one, however imperfect his devotion may be, can occupy his mind with the Passion of Our Lord without receiving some benefit therefrom. And, however cold and lukewarm our devotion, Our Lord will look upon us with greater long-suffering and mercy if we never omit the memory of His Passion.
FIRST PRAYER
O Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal sweetness and jubilee of those who love Thee, remember all the presentiment of grief Thou didst endure from the moment of Thy conception, and especially at Thy entrance into Thy Passion, when Thou didst say: My soul is sorrowful even unto death; and when, by reason of Thy overwhelming dread and anguish and grief, Thou didst sweat, as it were, drops of Blood trickling down upon the ground. Remember all the bitterness of Thy sorrow when Thou wast seized upon by the Jews, accused by false witnesses, condemned by three judges, buffeted and smitten, spit upon, scourged, and crowned with thorns. O sweetest Jesus, I implore Thee, by all the sorrows and insults Thou didst endure, have mercy on me, a sinner.
SECOND PRAYER
O Jesus, paradise of the delights of God, remember now all the dread and sorrow Thou didst endure when Pilate pronounced on Thee sentence of death; when the godless soldiers laid the heavy Cross on Thy shoulders, and fastened Thee thereon with rude and blunted nails, cruelly stretching Thy sacred limbs so that all Thy bones could be numbered: I beseech Thee, vouchsafe to pronounce a merciful sentence on me in the day of judgement, and deliver me from all punishment. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER
O Jesus, Heavenly Physician, remember now the languor and the pain Thou didst endure when lifted upon the Cross, when all Thy bones were out of joint, so that no sorrow was like to Thy sorrow, because, from the sole of Thy foot to the top of Thy head, there was no soundness in Thee; when, notwithstanding, Thou didst put away the feeling of all Thine own griefs, and pray to Thy Father for Thine enemies, saying: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. By this, Thy charity and Thy mercy, grant that the dignity and worth of Thy Passion may be the entire remission of all my sins. Amen.
FOURTH PRAYER
O Jesus, mirror of the eternal splendour, remember now that sadness which filled Thy Heart when Thou didst behold in the mirror of Thy Divinity the reprobation of the wicked and the multitude of the lost; and by the depth of the compassion Thou didst show to the robber on the cross, saying: This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise, I beseech Thee, O compassionate Jesus, show me Thy mercy in the hour of my death. Amen.
FIFTH PRAYER
O Jesus, King most beloved, remember now the mournful desolation of Thy Heart, when Thou, forsaken by all, wert mocked as Thou didst hang on the Cross; when Thou didst find none to comfort Thee but Thy beloved Mother, who stood by Thy Cross to the last, and whom Thou didst commend to Thy disciple, saying: Woman, behold thy son, and to the disciple: Behold thy Mother. I beseech Thee, O compassionate Jesus, by that sword of anguish which then pierced her Heart, do Thou condole with me and console me in all my tribulations. Amen.
SIXTH PRAYER
O Jesus, inexhaustible fountain of pity, remember now that bitterness which Thou didst endure when, Thy strength being exhausted and Thy sacred Body dried up, Thou didst feel that burning thirst, and hadst not one drop of water to cool Thy parched tongue, but only vinegar upon hyssop; I beseech Thee that Thou wouldst extinguish in me the thirst of carnal concupiscence and worldly delights. Amen.
SEVENTH PRAYER
O Jesus, mighty King, remember now that when Thou wast plunged into the bitter waters of Thy Passion until they closed over Thy head, Thou wast forsaken not only by men, but by Thy Father also, and didst cry out with a loud voice, saying: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? By this Thine anguish and dereliction, I beseech Thee, forsake me not in my last agony. Amen.
EIGHTH PRAYER
O Jesus, strong Lion of the tribe of Juda, remember now the sorrow and the woe Thou didst endure, when all the forces of Thy Heart and of Thy Flesh failed Thee utterly, and Thou didst bow Thy Head and cry: It is consummated. By this Thine anguish and Thy woe, have mercy on me at the end of my life, when my soul shall be troubled, and my spirit disquieted within me. Amen.
NINTH PRAYER
O Jesus, splendour of the Father’s glory and figure of His substance, remember now that earnest commendation with which Thou didst commend Thy Spirit to the Father, saying: Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit! and when, Thy most sacred Body being torn and Thy Heart broken, and all the bowels of Thy compassion laid bare for our Redemption, Thou didst give up Thy Spirit: I beseech Thee, by all that love which moved Thee, the Life of all that live, to submit to death, that Thou wouldst mortify and kill in my soul whatever is displeasing to Thee. Amen.
TENTH PRAYER
O Jesus, true and fruitful Vine, remember now the lavish, the excessive profusion wherewith Thou didst shed Thy Precious Blood, when on the Cross Thou didst tread the winepress alone, and wast crushed as a cluster of ripe grapes; when Thou didst give us water and Blood from Thy pierced Side, so that not one drop remained in Thy Heart. Then wast Thou hung up as a bundle of myrrh, and Thy tender Flesh grew pale, and Thy moisture was all dried up within Thee, and the marrow of Thy bones consumed. By this Thy most bitter Passion, and by the shedding of Thy most Precious Blood, I beseech Thee, O most loving Jesus, wash my soul at the hour of my death with the water which flowed from Thy Sacred Side, and adorn it with comeliness in the Precious Blood of Thy sweetest heart, and render it acceptable in Thy sight in the fragrant odor of Thy Divine love. Amen.
FINAL PRAYER
Accept, O compassionate Jesus, this my prayer with that exceeding love wherewith Thou didst endure a bitter Death, and didst offer it, together with all the fruit of Thy most sacred Humanity, to God the Father on the day of Thine Ascension; and by the depth of those Wounds which scarred Thy Flesh and pierced Thy hands and feet and Heart, I beseech Thee, raise me up, who am steeped and sunk in sin, and render me well-pleasing to Thee in all things. Amen.