Pope Benedict XVI: PRAYER IN SACRED SCRIPTURE; Jacob

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I would like to reflect with you upon a text from the Book of Genesis that narrates a rather particular episode in the history of the Patriarch Jacob. It is not an easily interpreted passage, but it is an important one for our life of faith and prayer; it recounts the story of his wrestling with God at the ford of the Jabbok, from which we have just heard a passage.

As you will remember, Jacob had taken away his twin brother Esau's birthright in exchange for a dish of lentils and then, through deception, had stolen the blessing of his father Isaac who was already quite advanced in years, by taking advantage of his blindness. Having escaped Esau's fury, he had taken refuge with a relative, Laban; he married and had grown rich and now was returning to the land of his birth, ready to face his brother after having put several prudent measures in place. But when he is all ready for this encounter -- after having made those who were with him cross the ford of the stream marking Esau's territory -- Jacob, now left alone, is suddenly attacked by an unknown figure who wrestles with him for the whole of the night. It is this hand to hand battle which we find in Chapter 32 of the Book of Genesis that becomes for him a singular experience of God.

Night is the favorable time for acting in secret, the best time, therefore, for Jacob to enter his brother's territory without being seen, and perhaps with the illusion of taking Esau unawares. But instead, it is he who is surprised by an unexpected attack for which he was not prepared. He had used his cunning to try to save himself from a dangerous situation, he thought he had succeeded in having everything under control, and instead he now finds himself facing a mysterious battle that overtakes him in solitude without giving him the possibility of organizing an adequate defense. Defenseless -- in the night -- the Patriarch Jacob fights with someone. The text does not specify the aggressor's identity; it uses a Hebraic term that generically indicates "a man," "one, someone;" it therefore has a vague, undetermined definition that intentionally keeps the assailant in mystery. It is dark. Jacob is unsuccessful in seeing his opponent distinctly, and also for the reader he remains unknown. Someone is setting himself against the patriarch; this is the only sure fact furnished by the narrator. Only at the end, once the battle has ended and that "someone" has disappeared, only then will Jacob name him and be able to say that he has wrestled with God.

The episode unfolds, therefore, in obscurity and it is difficult to perceive not only the identity of Jacob's assailant, but also the battle's progress. Reading the passage, it is hard to establish which of the two contenders succeeds in having the upper hand. The verbs used often lack an explicit subject, and the actions progress in an almost contradictory way, so that when one thinks that either of the two has prevailed, the next action immediately contradicts it and presents the other as the winner. At the beginning, in fact, Jacob seems to be the strongest, and the adversary -- the text states -- "did not prevail against him" (verse 26 [25]); yet he strikes the hollow of his thigh, dislocating it. One would then be led to think that Jacob has to surrender, but instead it's the other who asks him to let him go; and the patriarch refuses, laying down a condition: "I will not let you go, unless you bless me" (verse 27). He who by deception had defrauded his brother of the firstborn's blessing, now demands it from the stranger in whom perhaps he begins to see divine characteristics, but still without being able to truly recognize him.

The rival, who seemed to be held and therefore defeated by Jacob, instead of submitting to his request, asks his name: "What is your name?" And the patriarch responds: "Jacob" (verse 28). Here the battle undergoes an important development. To know someone's name, in fact, implies a kind of power over the person, since the name, in biblical thinking, contains the most profound reality of the individual; it unveils his secret and his destiny. Knowing someone's name therefore means knowing the truth of the other, and this allows one to be able to dominate him. When, therefore, at the stranger's request, Jacob reveals his own name, he is handing himself over to his opponent; it is a form of surrender, of the total giving over of himself to the other.

But in this act of surrender, Jacob paradoxically also emerges as a winner, because he receives a new name, together with an acknowledgement of victory on the part of his adversary, who says to him: "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed" (verse 29 [28]). "Jacob" was a name that recalled the patriarch's problematic beginnings; in Hebrew, in fact, it calls to mind the word "heel," and takes the reader back to the moment of Jacob's birth when, coming from the maternal womb, his hand took hold of his twin brother's heel (cf. Gen. 25:26), as though prefiguring the overtaking of his brother's rights in his adult life; but the name Jacob also calls to mind the verb "to deceive, to supplant." Now, in the battle, the patriarch reveals to his opponent, through an act of entrustment and surrender, his own reality as a deceiver, a supplanter; but the other, who is God, transforms this negative reality into something positive: Jacob the deceiver becomes Israel; he is given a new name that signifies a new identity. But also here, the account maintains its intended duplicity, since the most probable meaning of the name Israel is "God is mighty, God triumphs."

Jacob therefore prevailed, he triumphed -- it is the adversary himself who affirms it – but his new identity, received by the same adversary, affirms and testifies to God's triumph. When in turn Jacob will ask his contender's name, he will refuse to pronounce it, but he will reveal himself in an unequivocal gesture, by giving him his blessing. That blessing which the patriarch had asked at the beginning of the battle is now granted him. And it is not the blessing grasped by deception, but that given freely by God, which Jacob is able to receive because now he is alone, without protection, without cunning and deception. He gives himself over unarmed; he accepts surrendering himself and confessing the truth about himself. And so, at the end of the battle, having received the blessing, the patriarch is able finally to recognize the other, the God of the blessing: "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved" (verse 31 [30]), and now he can cross the ford, the bearer of a new name but "conquered" by God and marked forever, limping from the wound he received.

The explanations that biblical exegesis can give regarding this passage are numerous; in particular, the learned recognize in it intentions and literary components of various kinds, as well as references to a few popular stories. But when these elements are taken up by the sacred authors and included in the biblical account, they change in meaning and the text opens itself up to broader dimensions. The episode of the wrestling at the Jabbok is offered to the believer as a paradigmatic text in which the people of Israel speak of their own origins and trace out the features of a particular relationship between God and man. For this reason, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church also affirms: "the spiritual tradition of the Church has retained the symbol of prayer as a battle of faith and as the triumph of perseverance" (No. 2573).

The biblical text speaks to us of the long night of the search for God, of the battle to know his name and to see his face; it is the night of prayer that, with tenacity and perseverance, asks a blessing and a new name from God, a new reality as the fruit of conversion and of forgiveness.

In this way, Jacob's night at the ford of the Jabbok becomes for the believer a point of reference for understanding his relationship with God, which in prayer finds its ultimate expression. Prayer requires trust, closeness, in a symbolic "hand to hand" not with a God who is an adversary and enemy, but with a blessing Lord who remains always mysterious, who appears unattainable. For this reason the sacred author uses the symbol of battle, which implies strength of soul, perseverance, tenacity in reaching what we desire. And if the object of one's desire is a relationship with God, his blessing and his love, then the battle cannot but culminate in the gift of oneself to God, in the recognition of one's own weakness, which triumphs precisely when we reach the point of surrendering ourselves into the merciful hands of God.

Dear brothers and sisters, our whole life is like this long night of battle and prayer that is meant to end in the desire and request for God's blessing, which cannot be grasped or won by counting on our own strength, but must be received from him with humility, as a gratuitous gift that allows us, in the end, to recognize the face of the Lord. And when this happens, our whole reality changes; we receive a new name and the blessing of God. But even more: Jacob, who receives a new name, who becomes Israel, also gives a new name to the place where he wrestled with God; he prayed there and renamed it Peniel, which means "the Face of God." With this name, he recognized that place as filled with God's presence; he renders the land sacred by imprinting upon it the memory of that mysterious encounter with God. He who allows himself to be blessed by God, who abandons himself to him, who allows himself to be transformed by him, renders the world blessed. May the Lord help us to fight the good fight of faith (cf. Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7) and to ask his blessing in our prayer, so that he may renew in us the anticipation of seeing his face. Thank you.

Text from (http://www.zenit.org/article-32676?l=english)

Pope Benedict XVI: PRAYER IN SACRED SCRIPTURE; Abraham

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the last two Catecheses we have reflected on prayer as a universal phenomenon which — although in different forms — is present in the cultures of all times. 

Today instead I would like to start out on a biblical path on this topic which will guide us to deepening the dialogue of the Covenant between God and man, which enlivened the history of salvation to its culmination, to the definitive Word that is Jesus Christ. 

This path will lead us to reflect on certain important texts and paradigmatic figures of the Old and New Testaments. It will be Abraham the great Patriarch, the father of all believers (cf. Rom 4:11-12, 16-17), to offer us a first example of prayer in the episode of intercession for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

And I would also like to ask you to benefit from the journey we shall be making in the forthcoming catecheses to become more familiar with the Bible, which I hope you have in your homes and, during the week, to pause to read it and to meditate upon it in prayer, in order to know the marvellous history of the relationship between God and man, between God who communicates with us and man who responds, who prays.

The first text on which we shall reflect is in chapter 18 of the Book of Genesis. It is recounted that the evil of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah had reached the height of depravity so as to require an intervention of God, an act of justice, that would prevent the evil from destroying those cities. 

It is here that Abraham comes in, with his prayer of intercession. God decides to reveal to him what is about to happen and acquaints him with the gravity of the evil and its terrible consequences, because Abraham is his chosen one, chosen to become a great people and to bring the divine blessing to the whole world. His is a mission of salvation which must counter the sin that has invaded human reality; the Lord wishes to bring humanity back to faith, obedience and justice through Abraham. And now this friend of God seeing the reality and neediness of the world, prays for those who are about to be punished and begs that they be saved.

Abraham immediately postulates the problem in all its gravity and says to the Lord: “Will you indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen 18: 23-25). 

Speaking these words with great courage, Abraham confronts God with the need to avoid a perfunctory form of justice: if the city is guilty it is right to condemn its crime and to inflict punishment, but — the great Patriarch affirms — it would be unjust to punish all the inhabitants indiscriminately. If there are innocent people in the city, they must not be treated as the guilty. God, who is a just judge, cannot act in this way, Abraham says rightly to God.

However, if we read the text more attentively we realize that Abraham's request is even more pressing and more profound because he does not stop at asking for salvation for the innocent. Abraham asks forgiveness for the whole city and does so by appealing to God’s justice; indeed, he says to the Lord: “Will you then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?” (v. 24b).

In this way he brings a new idea of justice into play: not the one that is limited to punishing the guilty, as men do, but a different, divine justice that seeks goodness and creates it through forgiveness that transforms the sinner, converts and saves him. With his prayer, therefore, Abraham does not invoke a merely compensatory form of justice but rather an intervention of salvation which, taking into account the innocent, also frees the wicked from guilt by forgiving them. 

Abraham’s thought, which seems almost paradoxical, could be summed up like this: obviously it is not possible to treat the innocent as guilty, this would be unjust; it would be necessary instead to treat the guilty as innocent, putting into practice a “superior” form of justice, offering them a possibility of salvation because, if evildoers accept God’s pardon and confess their sin, letting themselves be saved, they will no longer continue to do wicked deeds, they too will become righteous and will no longer deserve punishment.

It is this request for justice that Abraham expresses in his intercession, a request based on the certainty that the Lord is merciful. Abraham does not ask God for something contrary to his essence, he knocks at the door of God’s heart knowing what he truly desires.

Sodom, of course, is a large city, 50 upright people seem few, but are not the justice and forgiveness of God perhaps proof of the power of goodness, even if it seems smaller and weaker than evil? The destruction of Sodom must halt the evil present in the city, but Abraham knows that God has other ways and means to stem the spread of evil. It is forgiveness that interrupts the spiral of sin and Abraham, in his dialogue with God, appeals for exactly this. And when the Lord agrees to forgive the city if 50 upright people may be found in it, his prayer of intercession begins to reach the abysses of divine mercy.

Abraham — as we remember — gradually decreases the number of innocent people necessary for salvation: if 50 would not be enough, 45 might suffice, and so on down to 10, continuing his entreaty, which became almost bold in its insistence: “suppose 40... 30... 20... are found there” (cf. vv. 29, 30, 31, 32). The smaller the number becomes, the greater God’s mercy is shown to be. He patiently listens to the prayer, he hears it and repeats at each supplication: “I will spare... I will not destroy... I will not do it” (cf. vv. 26,28, 29, 30, 31, 32). 

Thus, through Abraham’s intercession, Sodom can be saved if there are even only 10 innocent people in it. This is the power of prayer. For through intercession, the prayer to God for the salvation of others, the desire for salvation which God nourishes for sinful man is demonstrated and expressed. Evil, in fact, cannot be accepted, it must be identified and destroyed through punishment: The destruction of Sodom had exactly this function.

Yet the Lord does not want the wicked to die, but rather that they convert and live (cf. Ez 18:23; 33:11); his desire is always to forgive, to save, to give life, to transform evil into good. Well, it is this divine desire itself which becomes in prayer the desire of the human being and is expressed through the words of intercession.

With his entreaty, Abraham is lending his voice and also his heart, to the divine will. God’s desire is for mercy and love as well as his wish to save; and this desire of God found in Abraham and in his prayer the possibility of being revealed concretely in human history, in order to be present wherever there is a need for grace. By voicing this prayer, Abraham was giving a voice to what God wanted, which was not to destroy Sodom but to save it, to give life to the converted sinner.

This is what the Lord desires and his dialogue with Abraham is a prolonged and unequivocal demonstration of his merciful love. The need to find enough righteous people in the city decreases and in the end 10 were to be enough to save the entire population. 

The reason why Abraham stops at 10 is not given in the text. Perhaps it is a figure that indicates a minimum community nucleus (still today, 10 people are the necessary quorum for public Jewish prayer). However, this is a small number, a tiny particle of goodness with which to start in order to save the rest from a great evil. 

However, not even 10 just people were to be found in Sodom and Gomorrah so the cities were destroyed; a destruction paradoxically deemed necessary by the prayer of Abraham’s intercession itself. Because that very prayer revealed the saving will of God: the Lord was prepared to forgive, he wanted to forgive but the cities were locked into a totalizing and paralyzing evil, without even a few innocents from whom to start in order to turn evil into good.

This the very path to salvation that Abraham too was asking for: being saved does not mean merely escaping punishment but being delivered from the evil that dwells within us. It is not punishment that must be eliminated but sin, the rejection of God and of love which already bears the punishment in itself. 

The Prophet Jeremiah was to say to the rebellious people: “Your wickedness will chasten you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God” (Jer 2:19).

It is from this sorrow and bitterness that the Lord wishes to save man, liberating him from sin. Therefore, however, a transformation from within is necessary, some foothold of of goodness, a beginning from which to start out in order to change evil into good, hatred into love, revenge into forgiveness.

For this reason there must be righteous people in the city and Abraham continuously repeats: “suppose there are...”. “There”: it is within the sick reality that there must be that seed of goodness which can heal and restore life. It is a word that is also addressed to us: so that in our cities the seed of goodness may be found; that we may do our utmost to ensure that there are not only 10 upright people, to make our cities truly live and survive and to save ourselves from the inner bitterness which is the absence of God. And in the unhealthy situation of Sodom and Gomorrah that seed of goodness was not to be found.

Yet God’s mercy in the history of his people extends further. If in order to save Sodom 10 righteous people were necessary, the Prophet Jeremiah was to say, on behalf of the Almighty, that only one upright person was necessary to save Jerusalem: “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth; that I may pardon her” (5:1). 

The number dwindled further, God’s goodness proved even greater. Nonetheless this did not yet suffice, the superabundant mercy of God did not find the response of goodness that he sought, and under the  siege of the enemy Jerusalem fell. 

It was to be necessary for God himself to become that one righteous person. And this is the mystery of the Incarnation: to guarantee a just person he himself becomes man. There will always be one righteous person because it is he. However, God himself must become that just man. The infinite and surprising divine love was to be fully manifest when the Son of God was to become man, the definitive Righteous One, the perfect Innocent who would bring salvation to the whole world by dying on the Cross, forgiving and interceding for those who “know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). Therefore the prayer of each one will find its answer, therefore our every intercession will be fully heard.

Dear brothers and sisters, the prayer of intercession of Abraham, our father in the faith, teaches us to open our hearts ever wider to God’s superabundant mercy so that in daily prayer we may know how to desire the salvation of humanity and ask for it with perseverance and with trust in the Lord who is great in love. Many thanks.

© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

MAY DEVOTION: Introduction

THE return of May, when nature, awakened from her winter sleep, is clad in all her vernal beauty, reminds us that all should be fair and bright within us also, that our hearts ought to be adorned with fair virtues, so as to be pleasing to Jesus and Mary. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, frequent meditation on her life and contemplation of her example, earnest endeavor to imitate her virtues — these are all excellent means of sanctifying the soul and of advancing in the love of God. And since the May devotions are intended to attain this laudable end, since they are commended to us by holy Church and enriched with indulgences, it especially behooves us, who are the adopted children of Mary and her devoted clients, to perform these exercises with a willing heart and in the spirit of piety. The following suggestions will serve as your guide.

1. If possible, receive the sacraments at the beginning of the month of May, in order that the meditations and devotions may bear more abundant fruit in your soul.

2. The chapters in the fore part and at the end of this book will furnish you with suitable matter for meditation and spiritual reading; to this you may add the Litany of Loreto and other prayers to the Blessed Virgin.

3. As your principal object propose to yourself to combat and thoroughly master some fault or bad habit, and to acquire the opposite virtue.

4. Every morning offer up your actions to Jesus and Mary, and endeavor earnestly to model your whole conduct by the example of the Blessed Virgin.

5. If you can manage to hear Mass daily, see that you do so; and if the May devotions are not held in public, perform them by yourself, either in church before the shrine of Our Lady, or at home before your own little altar of the Blessed Virgin.

6. Recite the Rosary frequently.

7. Finally, do your best to promote devotion to our blessed Lady amongst those with whom you come into contact.

THE HOUR OF GREAT MERCY

Our Lord said to Saint Faustina:

At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion. (Diary 1320).

As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners, for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice.

Try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament. My Heart, which is full of mercy: and should you be unable to step into chapel. immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. (Diary 1572)

 THE THREE O'CLOCK PRAYER

You died Jesus, but the source of life flowed out for souls and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.

O Fountain of Life, immeasurable Divine Mercy, cover the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

O Blood and Water which flowed out from the heart of Jesus as a Fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and the whole world.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and the whole world.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and the whole world.

AMEN.

 Jesus, King of Mercy, we trust in You!

PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX

BEHOLD, O good and sweetest Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fervent de sire of my soul I pray and beseech  Thee to impress upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a most firm desire of amendment: whilst with deep affection and grief of soul I consider within myself and mentally contemplate Thy five most precious Wounds, having before mine eyes that which David, the prophet, long ago spoke in Thine own person concerning Thee, my Jesus: They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones [Psalm 21, 17, 18].

Say Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be for the Catholic Church and the intentions of the Holy Father. A plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, may be gained by those who shall say this prayer with devotion before an image of our crucified Redeemer. An partial indulgence may also be gained for each devout recitation.

PRAYER TO THE SORROWFUL MOTHER

Most holy Mother of Sorrows, by that soul-piercing martyrdom thou didst undergo at the foot of the Cross during the three hours' agony of Jesus, deign to assist me also, who am the child of thy Sorrows, in my agony, so that by thine intercession I may be found worthy to pass from my deathbed to thy blessed society in Paradise.

V. From a sudden and unprovided death,

R. Deliver me, O Lord.

V. From the snares of the devil,

R. Deliver me, O Lord.

V. From everlasting death,

R. Deliver me, O Lord.

Let us pray.

O God, Who for the salvation of mankind hast made for us in the most bitter death of Thy Son both an example and a refuge; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be found worthy to obtain the fruit of His great love in our final peril at the hour of death, and to be made partakers of our Redeemer's glory.  Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

LITANY OF THE PASSION

         
          Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
          Lord, have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.*

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, *

God the Holy Spirit,

Holy Trinity, One God,

Jesus, the Eternal Wisdom, Have mercy on us.*

Jesus, sold for thirty pieces of silver, *

Jesus, prostrate on the ground in prayer,

Jesus, strengthened by an angel,

Jesus, in Thine agony bathed in a bloody sweat,

Jesus, betrayed by Judas with a kiss,

Jesus, bound by the soldiers,

Jesus, forsaken by Thy disciples,

Jesus, brought before Annas and Caiphas,

Jesus, struck in the face by a servant,

Jesus, accused by false witnesses,

Jesus, declared guilty of death,

Jesus, spat upon,

Jesus, blindfolded,

Jesus, smitten on the cheek,

Jesus, thrice denied by Peter,

Jesus, despised and mocked by Herod,

Jesus, clothed in a white garment,

Jesus, rejected for Barabbas,

Jesus, torn with scourges,

Jesus, bruised for our sins,

Jesus, esteemed a leper,

Jesus, covered with a purple robe,

Jesus, crowned with thorns,

Jesus, struck with a reed upon the Head,

Jesus, demanded for crucifixion by the Jews,

Jesus, condemned to an ignominious death,

Jesus, given up to the will of Thine enemies,

Jesus, loaded with the heavy weight of the Cross,

Jesus, led like a sheep to the slaughter,

Jesus, stripped of Thy garments,

Jesus, reviled by the malefactors,

Jesus, promising Paradise to the penitent thief,

Jesus, commending St. John to Thy Mother as her son,

Jesus, declaring Thyself forsaken by Thy Father, Jesus, in Thy thirst given gall and vinegar to drink,

Jesus, testifying that all things written concerning Thee were accomplished,

Jesus, commending Thy spirit into the hands of Thy Father,

Jesus, obedient even to the death of the cross,

Jesus, pierced with a lance,

Jesus, made a propitiation for us,

Jesus, taken down from the cross,

Jesus, laid in the sepulcher,

Jesus, rising gloriously from the dead,

Jesus, ascending into Heaven,

Jesus, our Advocate with the Father,

Jesus, sending down on Thy disciples the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,

Jesus, exalting Thy Mother above the choirs of angels,

Jesus, Who shall come to judge the living and the dead,

Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.

Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.

From all evil, Lord Jesus, deliver us. *

From all sin, *

From anger, hatred, and every evil will,

From war, famine, and pestilence,

From all dangers of mind and body,

From everlasting death,

Through Thy most pure Conception,

Through Thy miraculous Nativity,

Through Thy humble Circumcision,

Through Thy baptism and holy fasting,

Through Thy labors and watchings,

Through Thy cruel scourging and crowning,

Through Thy thirst, and tears, and nakedness,

Through Thy precious death and Cross,

Through Thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension,

Through Thy sending forth the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,

In the Day of Judgement,

We sinners, beseech Thee, hear us.*

That Thou wilt spare us, *

That Thou wilt pardon us,

That Thou wilt bring us to true penance,

That Thou wilt mercifully pour into our hearts the grace of the Holy Spirit,

That Thou wilt defend and propagate Thy Holy Church,

That Thou wilt preserve and increase all societies assembled in Thy Holy Name,

That Thou wilt bestow upon us true peace,

That Thou wilt give us perseverance in grace and in Thy holy service,

That Thou wilt deliver us from unclean thoughts, from the temptations of the devil, and from everlasting damnation, That Thou wilt unite us to the company of Thy saints,

That Thou wilt graciously hear us,

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. Christ, hear us.

R. Christ, graciously hear us.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee,

R. Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Let us Pray Almighty and eternal God, Who didst appoint Thine only-begotten Son the Saviour of the world and willed to be appeased by His blood, grant that we may so venerate this Price of our Salvation, and by its might be so defended upon earth from the evils of this present life, that in Heaven we may rejoice in its everlasting fruit. Through Christ Our Lord Who lives and reigns with Thee in unity of the the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

Saint Cyprian on PRAYER

"Dear brothers, the commands of the Gospel are nothing else than God’s lessons, the foundations on which to build up hope, the supports for strengthening faith, the food that nourishes the heart. They are the rudder for keeping us on the right course, the protection that keeps our salvation secure. As they instruct the receptive minds of believers on earth, they lead safely to the kingdom of heaven.

God willed that many things should be said by the prophets, his servants, and listened to by his people. How much greater are the things spoken by the Son. These are now witnessed to by the very word of God who spoke through the prophets. The Word of God does not now command us to prepare the way for his coming: he comes in person and opens up the way for us and directs us toward it. Before, we wandered in the darkness of death, aimlessly and blindly. Now we are enlightened by the light of grace, and are to keep to the highway of life, with the Lord to precede and direct us.

The Lord has given us many counsels and commandments to help us toward salvation. He has even given us a pattern of prayer, instructing us on how we are to pray. He has given us life, and with his accustomed generosity, he has also taught us how to pray. He has made it easy for us to be heard as we pray to the Father in the words taught us by the Son.

He has already foretold that the hour was coming when true worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth. He fulfilled what he had promised before, so that we who have received the spirit and the truth through the holiness he has give us may worship in truth and in the spirit through the prayer he has taught.

What prayer could be more a prayer in the spirit than the one given us by Christ, by whom the Holy Spirit was sent upon us? What prayer could be more a prayer in the truth than the one spoken by the lips of the Son, who is truth himself? It follows that to pray in any other way than the Son has taught us is not only the result of ignorance but of sin. He himself has commanded it, and has said: You reject the command of God, to set up your own tradition.

So, my brothers, let us pray as God our master has taught us. To ask the Father in words his Son has given us, to let him hear the prayer of Christ ringing in his ears, is to make our prayer one of friendship, a family prayer. Let the Father recognize the words of his Son. Let the son who lives in our hearts be also on our lips. We have him as an advocate for sinners before the Father; when we ask for forgiveness for ours sins, let us use the words given by our advocate. He tells us: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. What more effective prayer could we then make in the name of Christ than in the words of his own prayer?"

PASSIO DOMINI: Accompanying Jesus in His Passion

Every week accompany Jesus in the Passio Domini (Passion of the Lord).


Some prayer suggestions you may choose according to your time and possibilities:

THURSDAY EVENING (e.g. 9 p.m. to 12 m.n.)


Follow His invitation in the Garden of Olives, to pray and keep watch with Him:


+ Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament (Holy Hour)
+ Meditation on the Holy Scripture , passages referring to the agony of Jesus
+ Holy Rosary
+ Prayer for Priests (I use the booklet Chalice of Strength given to me by Opus Angelorum)

+ Divine Mercy Chaplet
+ other appropriate prayers (e.g. Litany to the Precious Blood)
+ Prayers of Adoration and Reparation

FRIDAY AFTERNOON (in the time between 12 n.n. to 3 p.m.)

Accompany Jesus in His Passion, hanging on the Cross.

+ Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament
+ Meditation on the Passion and Death of Our Lord
+ Stations of the Cross
+ Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)
+ Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
+ Litany of the Sacred Heart
+ other prayers or devotional exercises in honor of Our Lord's Passion

If your time schedule doesn't allow you to pray much during this time, because of school, house or work duties, accompany Jesus in your mind with some short prayers - important is your good will and love to be with Jesus, console Him and save souls with Him.

From The Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels (Opus Angelorum) Formation Booklet.

My Soul is sorrowful even unto death. stay here and watch (St. Mark XIV-34).

The Redemption accomplished through Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection lies at the center of our Catholic faith. This mystery is commemorated every Thursday and Friday in the Work of the Holy Angels in the celebration of the Passio Domini (“Passion of Our Lord”), where we watch and compassionate our Lord in His redeeming suffering. An angel was sent to Jesus in His agony to strengthen Him as He bore the weight of the world’s sins, while the three Apostles slept. Jesus asked them sadly, “Could you not watch one hour with Me?” Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), commenting on the carelessness of the three Apostles, said that these words of Jesus are…a reproach of concern to every disciple of Christ. In one way the Church still hears these same words: the reproach addressed to the three Apostles is accepted by the Church as if it were addressed to herself, and she tries to fill the gap left by that lost hour when Jesus remained completely alone in Gethsemane. …And now the Church still seeks to recover that hour in Gethsemane—the hour lost by Peter, James and John—so as to compensate for the Master’s lack of companionship which increased His soul’s suffering. (Sign of Contradiction, p. 151). Jesus was strengthened not only by the angel, but also by all those generous souls foreseen by Him who, moved by His sorrowful complaint, have kept and continue to keep Him company in the Garden of Olives, watching and sharing His bitterness and mortal anguish. Pope Pius XI wrote in his encyclical letter, Miserentissimus Redemptor: If, because of our sins also which were as yet in the future, but were foreseen, the soul of Christ became sorrowful unto death, it cannot be doubted that then, too, already He derived somewhat of a solace from our reparation, which was likewise foreseen, when “there appeared to Him an angel from heaven” (Lk. 22:43), in order that His Heart, oppressed with weariness and anguish, might find consolation. And so even now, in a wondrous yet true manner, we can and ought to console that Most Sacred Heart which is continually wounded by the sins of thankless men, since - as we also read in the sacred liturgy - Christ Himself, by the mouth of the Psalmist complains that He is forsaken by His friends: “My Heart hath expected reproach and misery, and I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none” (Psalm 118:21). (Miserentissimus Redemptor, 13) St. Padre Pio, meditating on our Lord’s agony, also prayed: O Jesus, how many generous souls wounded by this complaint have kept You company in the Garden, sharing Your bitterness and Your mortal anguish.... How many hearts in the course of the centuries have responded generously to Your invitation ... May this multitude of souls, then, in this supreme hour be a comfort to You, who, better than the disciples, share with You the distress of Your Heart, and cooperate with You for their own salvation and that of others. And grant that I also may be of their number, that I also may offer You some relief. (The Agony of Jesus, p. 22) Encouraged by these words of both Popes and Saints, let us also lovingly share in Our Lord’s Passion through prayer, compassion and sacrifice, thus offering Him some relief and cooperating with Him towards our own salvation and the salvation of others. This devotion is especially timely given the current situation in the Church, our country and the world. There is a great need to support our priests and bishops, so that they have the courage and strength to speak out and bear witness to basic Christian morals in our degenerating culture. We wish to give them spiritual support so that they may bear the burden of leading both the Church and the world in the ways of God, building up the culture of life as good shepherds after the Heart of Christ.  We therefore would like to invite you to this communal celebration of the Passio Domini every Thursday. The hours of the Passion are times of special grace and intercessory power. If you cannot make it every week, you might strive for once a month or every first Thursday of the month. The Holy Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament are the most efficacious means we have of obtaining graces both for ourselves and for others.  We want to share this essential dimension of Opus Angelorum spirituality with all who wish to dedicate themselves to consoling the Heart of Christ in a special way, and to making reparation for our own sins and the sins of others. The Passion of Christ is at the center of every spirituality. Though this devotion demands sacrifice, it is one of the most important things we can do for our Church and country in these times. Jesus needs generous souls, who by God’s grace can accomplish great things through the little way of prayer and sacrifice. Please come and join us as often as possible and spread the word! May God bless you and may His holy angels lead you to the Heart of Christ and His holy Mother.

Fr. Wolfgang Seitz, ORC

MARCH: Seven Sorrows and Joys of Saint Joseph

Among the many exercises of piety practiced in honor of St. Joseph, there is one generally known, namely, that of meditating on his Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys. This devotion owes its origin to a celebrated event, never omitted by any historian of the Saint.

It is as follows:

Two Fathers of the Franciscan order were sailing along the coast of Flanders, when a terrible tempest arose, which sank the vessel, with its three hundred passengers. The two Fathers had sufficient presence of mind to seize hold of a plank, upon which they were tossed to and fro upon the waves, for three days and nights. In their danger and affliction, their whole recourse was to St. Joseph, begging his assistance in their sad condition. The Saint, thus invoked, appeared in the habit of a young man of beautiful features, encouraged them to confide in his assistance, and, as their pilot, conducted them into a safe harbor. They, desirous to know who their benefactor was asked his name, that they might gratefully acknowledge so great a blessing and favor. He told them he was St. Joseph, and advised them daily to recite the Our Father and Hail Mary seven times, in memory of his seven dolors or griefs, and of his seven joys, and then disappeared.

The Seven Sorrows and Joys of Saint Joseph

Recite one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be after each number.

1. St. JOSEPH, Chaste Spouse of the Holy Mother of God, by the SORROW with which thy heart was pierced at the thought of a cruel separation from Mary, and by the deep JOY that thou didst feel when the angel revealed to thee the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, obtain for us from Jesus and Mary, the grace of surmounting all anxiety. Win for us from the Adorable Heart of Jesus the unspeakable peace of which He is the Eternal Source.

2. St. JOSEPH, Foster-Father of Jesus, by the bitter SORROW which thy heart experienced in seeing the Child Jesus lying in a manger, and by the JOY which thou didst feel in seeing the Wise men recognize and adore Him as their God, obtain by thy prayers that our heart, purified by thy protection, may become a living crib, where the Savior of the world may receive and bless our homage.

3. St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW with which thy heart was pierced at the sight of the Blood which flowed from the Infant Jesus in the Circumcision, and by the JOY that inundated thy soul at thy privilege of imposing the sacred and mysterious Name of Jesus, obtain for us that the merits of this Precious Blood may be applied to our souls, and that the Divine Name of Jesus may be engraved forever in our hearts.

4. St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW when the Lord declared that the soul of Mary would be pierced with a sword of sorrow, and by thy JOY when holy Simeon added that the Divine Infant was to be the resurrection of many, obtain for us the grace to have compassion on the sorrows of Mary, and share in the salvation which Jesus brought to the earth.

5. St. JOSEPH, by thy SORROW when told to fly into Egypt, and by thy JOY in seeing the idols overthrown at the arrival of the living God, grant that no idol of earthly affection may any longer occupy our hearts, but being like thee entirely devoted to the service of Jesus and Mary, we may live and happily die for them alone.

6. St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW of thy heart caused by the fear of the tyrant Archelaus and by the JOY in sharing the company of Jesus and Mary at Nazareth, obtain for us, that disengaged from all fear, we may enjoy the peace of a good conscience and may live in security, in union with Jesus and Mary, experiencing the effect of thy salutary assistance at the hour of our death.

7. St. JOSEPH, by the bitter SORROW with which the loss of the Child Jesus crushed thy heart, and by the holy JOY which inundated thy soul in recovering thy Treasure on entering the Temple, we supplicate thee not to permit us to lose our Saviour Jesus by sin. Yet, should this misfortune befall us, grant that we may share thy eagerness in seeking Him, and obtain for us the grace to find Him again, ready to show us His great mercy, especially at the hour of death; so that we may pass from this life to enjoy His presence in heaven, there to sing with thee His divine mercies forever.

The Litany of Saint Joseph may be inserted here.

LET US PRAY

O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence has vouchsafed to choose Blessed Joseph to be the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may deserve to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our holy protector: Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

http://www.pwhs-mfi.org/newsletter/news15/sorrows_and_joys.htm