PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE TO THE SACRED HEART
This prayer is thought to be originally prayed by St. Gertrude and
adapted
by St. Alphonse Liguori; he is considered the author because of its
final formulation.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and life giving fountain of eternal
life,
infinite treasury of the Divinity, and glowing furnace of love, Thou
art
my refuge and my sanctuary. O adorable and glorious Savior,
consume my heart with that burning fire that ever inflames Thy
Heart.
Pour down on my souls those graces that flow from Thy love. Let my
heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine
may in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy will be the rule
of both my desires and my actions.
ACT OF LOVE TO THE SACRED HEART
How great, O my Jesus, is the extent of Thine excessive charity!
Thou hast prepared
for me, of Thy most precious Body and Blood, a divine banquet, where
Thou
givest me Thyself without reserve. What hath urged Thee to this
excess of love?
Nothing but Thine own most loving Heart.
O adorable Heart of my Jesus, furnace of Divine Love, receive my
soul into the wound
of Thy most Sacred Passion, that in this school of charity I may
learn to make
a return of love to that God Who hast given me such wonderful proofs
of His love.
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
judgment, 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 splendor, 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, splendor 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 a s 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.
OBLATION
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.
GUARDIAN ANGEL PRAYER
O MOST holy Angel of God, appointed by God to my Guardian, I give
thee thanks for all the
benefits which thou hast ever bestowed on me in body and soul. I
praise and glorify thee that thou
condescended to assist me with such patient fidelity, and to defend
me against all the
assaults of my enemy. Blessed be the hour in which thou were
assigned me for my Guardian,
my defender and my patron. In acknowledgment and return for all thy
loving ministries to me, I
offer thee the infinitely precious and noble Heart of Jesus, and
firmly purpose to obey thee
henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen.
SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT CHAPLET
Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would
release 1,000
Souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was later
extended to include
living sinners as well.
"ETERNAL FATHER, I OFFER THEE THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD
OF THY DIVINE SON, JESUS, IN UNION WITH THE MASSES SAID
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TODAY,
FOR ALL THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY,
for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church,
those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
[In one Rosary or chaplet this prayer is said 50 times!]
Say this chaplet using regular Rosary beads.
Begin with the Apostles' Creed, one Our Father, three Hail Marys
and a Glory Be to the Father just as with Our Lady's Rosary.
On the five decades, say the above Prayer for the Holy Souls on each
Hail Mary bead
and the Our Father on each separator bead between the decades.
PRAYER TO FREE 1000 SOULS FROM PURGATORY: PROMISE PRAYER
A Prayer Which Would Release 1,000 Souls From Purgatory
Each Time It Is Said:
Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would
release 1,000
Souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was later
extended to include
living sinners as well.
"ETERNAL FATHER, I OFFER THEE THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THY DIVINE
SON,
JESUS, IN UNION WITH THE MASSES SAID THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TODAY, FOR
ALL THE
HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the
universal Church,
those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
APPROVAL AND RECOMMENDATION: M. Cardinal Pahiarca at Lisbon,
Portugal, March 4, 1936
THE TWO FLOWER PRAYERS OF ST. GERTRUDE
HAIL, White Lily, of the ever-peaceful and glorious Trinity!
Hail, Vermilion Rose, the delight of Heaven, of whom the King
of Heaven was born and by whose milk He was nourished!
Do thou feed our souls with the effusions of your divine influences.
Hail! Vivifying Gem of Divine Nobility!
Hail, Most Loving Jesus, Unfading
Flower of Human Dignity!
Thou art my Sovereign and only Good.
A MOST TENDER AND EFFICACIOUS OFFERING TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
O Sweetest Jesus, I beseech Thee, by the love which caused Thee to
take
flesh in the bosom of this most pure Virgin, that Thou wouldst
supply for our
defects in the service and honor of this most benign Mother who is
ever ready
to assist us, with maternal tenderness, in all our necessities.
Offer to Thy
beloved Mother, O amiable Jesus, the superabundant beatitude of Thy
sweetest
Heart. Show her Thy Divine predilection which chose her from all
eternity,
above all creatures, to be Thy Mother, adorning her with every grace
and virtue.
Remind her of all the tenderness which Thou didst manifest to her on
earth,
when she carried Thee on her bosom and nourished Thee with her milk.
Recall to her Thy filial obedience to her in all things, and
especially Thy care
at the hour of Thy death, when Thou didst forget Thine own anguish
to solace
hers, and didst provide her with a faithful guardian. Remind her,
also, of the
joys and glory of her Assumption, when Thou didst exalt her above
all the choirs
of Angels and constitute her Queen of Heaven and earth. O good
Jesus, make
Thy Mother propitious to us, that she may be our advocate and
protectress
in life and in death. Amen.
THANKSGIVING FOR GRACES BESTOWED ON ST. GERTRUDE
To implore favors through her merits:
God revealed to St. Gertrude that those who should thank him for the
graces bestowed upon her
would participate in her merits, and would obtain their petition
provided it were for their eternal welfare.
O most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, I praise, extol and bless Thee, in
union with that
Heavenly praise which the Divine Persons of the Most Holy trinity
mutually render to
Each other, and which thence flows down upon Thy Sacred Humanity,
upon
the Blessed Virgin Mary and upon all the Angels and Saints. And I
give Thee
thanks for all the graces Thou didst lavish upon Thy beloved spouse,
St. Gertrude.
I thank Thee especially for that ineffable love wherewith Thou didst
pre-elect her
from all eternity, didst enrich her so highly, didst draw her so
sweetly to Thyself by the
strongest bonds of love, didst unite her so blissfully to Thyself,
dwell with such delight
in her heart, and crown her life with so blessed an end. I recall to
Thee now, O most
compassionate Jesus, the promise Thou didst make to Thy beloved
spouse, that
Thou wouldst most assuredly grant the prayers of all who come to
Thee through her
merits and intercession, in all matters concerning their salvation.
I beseech Thee, by
Thy most tender love, grant me the grace . . . [mention it] which I
confidently expect. Amen.
PRAYER BEFORE WORK
O Lord Jesus Christ, in union with Thy most perfect actions I
commend to Thee
this my work, to be directed according to Thy adorable will, for the
salvation
of all mankind. Amen.
ACTS OF PRAISE IN HONOR THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY
I venerate and glorify Thee, O Most Blessed Trinity, in union with
that ineffable glory
with which God the Father, in His omnipotence, honors the Son and
the Holy Spirit forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as
it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
I magnify and bless Thee, O Most Blessed Trinity, in union with that
most reverent glory with
which God the Son in His unsearchable wisdom, glorifies the Father
and the Holy Spirit forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as
it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
I adore and extol Thee, O Most Blessed Trinity in union with that
most adequate and
befitting glory with which the Holy Spirit, in His unsearchable
goodness, extols the
Father and the Son forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as
it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
OFFERING OF OUR SAVIOR'S LIFE TO THE ETERNAL FATHER
O most loving Father, in atonement and satisfaction for all my sins,
I offer Thee
the whole Passion of Thy most beloved Son, from the plaintive wail
He uttered when
laid upon the straw in the manger, through all the helplessness of
His infancy,
the privations of His boyhood, the adversities of His youth, the
sufferings of His manhood,
until that hour when He bowed His head upon the Cross and with a
loud cry gave up His Spirit.
And, in atonement and satisfaction for all my negligences, I offer
Thee, O most loving
Father, the most holy life and conversation of Thy Son, most perfect
in His every thought,
word, and action, from the hour when he came down from His lofty
throne to the
Virgin's womb, and thence came forth into our dreary wilderness, to
the hour when He
presented to Thy fatherly regard the glory of His conquering flesh.
Amen.
EFFICACIOUS PRAYER TO ST. GERTRUDE
I praise and greet thee, O most blessed virgin, Gertrude, through
the sweetest Heart of Jesus,
thy Spouse; and through this Heart I magnify the goodness and
condescension of the ever-adorable
Trinity for all the grace which has ever flowed forth from that
unfathomable abyss for thy salvation; beseeching
thee by that mutual love which united thy pure heart to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, that thou wouldst look
on me as commended to thy care in life and in death, and be my
faithful advocate with God. Amen.
SALUTATION OF THE WOUNDS OF JESUS
When St. Gertrude had recited this prayer 5,466 times, in honor of
all the Wounds of our Lord Jesus, He appeared to her in vision,
having on each Wound a rose flashing with a golden splendor, and
greeted her tenderly, saying: "Behold, I will appear to thee, in
this refulgent form at the hour of thy death, and I will cover all
thy sins, and adorn thee with a glory, like that with which thou
hast adorned My Wounds by thy salutations; and all who use this or
any similar devotion shall receive the like favor." In order to make
up this number, and become a partaker of this promise of Christ, you
may say the following prayer five times a day for three years,
adding the oblation, which our Lord directed to Saint Mechtilde to
repeat after each division of five.
Glory be to Thee, most gracious, sweetest, most benign, sovereign,
transcending, effulgent, and ever peaceful Trinity, for the roseate
Wounds of Jesus Christ, my chosen and only love.
OBLATION
(To be said alter each five repetitions.) O Lord Jesus Christ, Son
of the Living God, accept this prayer, with that surpassing love,
with which Thou didst endure all the Wounds of Thy most Holy Body.
Have mercy on me, and on all sinners, and on all the Faithful,
living and departed. Grant them grace and mercy, remission of sins
and everlasting life. Amen.
PRAYER TO JESUS
(Our Lord promised St. Gertrude, that if anyone should praise God
for her, and give Him thanks for the love wherewith He had chosen
her from eternity, He would assuredly grant him whatever he asked,
provided that it tended to his salvation.)
O most compassionate Jesus, Giver of all good and all grace, may all
that are in the round world, and the depth of the sea and the
compass of Heaven, give thanks to Thee, and praise Thee with that
infinite, everlasting, and unchanging praise, which floweth forth
from Thee, and floweth back unceasingly upon Thee! again, for the
exceeding love wherewith Thou didst shed into the heart and soul of
Thy beloved Spouse Gertrude, so great a flood of graces, and of
loving kindnesses, and didst reveal to the world the mysteries of
Thy tender compassion through her, Thine Own chosen and peculiar
instrument. Wherefore, from my inmost heart, I render Thee utmost
thanks; and I beseech Thee, on behalf of all in Heaven, on earth or
in Purgatory, through that ineffable Divine love, wherewith Thou
didst from all eternity, elect to special grace Thy loving and most
faithful servant, and didst in Thine own appointed time, draw her so
sweetly to Thee, and unite her so intimately to Thyself, and dwell
with such delight in her heart, and crown her life with an end so
blessed, that Thou wouldst condescend graciously to hear and answer
my petition. I recall to Thy mind now, O most Compassionate Jesus,
the promise Thou didst make to Thy beloved spouse, in Thy great and
superabounding goodness, that Thou wouldst most assuredly grant the
prayers; of all who come to Thee, through her merits and
intercession, in all matters concerning their salvation, binding
Thyself, moreover, if Thou didst not at once grant their petition,
to bestow on them threefold in Thine Own good time, from the
omnipotence, the wisdom, and the tender kindness, of the Adorable
Trinity. Calling thus to Thy mind, this, Thy faithful promise, I
beseech Thee, leave me not desolate, but bestow on me the salutary
effect of my petition. Amen.
Return to Praying with the Saints Page...
Return to Main Saints Page...
