Meditations on the Passion of Christ
(Also known as the St. Bridget Prayers)
First Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus Christ! Eternal Sweetness to those who
love Thee, joy surpassing all joy and all desire, Salvation and Hope of
all sinners, Who hast proved that Thou hast no greater desire than to be
among men, even assuming human nature at the fullness of time for the love
of men, recall all the sufferings Thou hast endured from the instant of
Thy conception, and especially during Thy Passion, as it was decreed and
ordained from all eternity in the Divine plan.
Remember, O Lord, that during the Last Supper
with Thy disciples, having washed their feet, Thou gavest them Thy Most
Precious Body and Blood, and while at the same time Thou didst sweetly
console them, Thou didst foretell them Thy coming Passion.
Remember the sadness and bitterness which Thou
didst experience in Thy Soul as Thou Thyself bore witness saying: "My Soul
is sorrowful even unto death."
Remember all the fear, anguish and pain that Thou
didst suffer in Thy delicate Body before the torment of the crucifixion,
when, after having prayed three times, bathed in a sweat of blood, Thou
wast betrayed by Judas, Thy disciple, arrested by the people of a nation
Thou hadst chosen and elevated, accused by false witnesses, unjustly judged
by three judges during the flower of Thy youth and during the solemn Paschal
season.
Remember that Thou wast despoiled of Thy garments
and clothed in those of derision; that Thy Face and Eyes were veiled, that
Thou wast buffeted, crowned with thorns, a reed placed in Thy Hands, that
Thou was crushed with blows and overwhelmed with affronts and outrages.
In memory of all these pains and sufferings which
Thou didst endure before Thy Passion on the Cross, grant me before my death
true contrition, a sincere and entire confession, worthy satisfaction and
the remission of all my sins. Amen.
Second Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! True liberty of angels, Paradise of
delights, remember the horror and sadness which Thou didst endure when
Thy enemies, like furious lions, surrounded Thee, and by thousands of insults,
spits, blows, lacerations and other unheard-of-cruelties, tormented Thee
at will. In consideration of these torments and insulting words, I beseech
Thee, O my Savior, to deliver me from all my enemies, visible and invisible,
and to bring me, under Thy protection, to the perfection of eternal salvation.
Amen.
Third Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Creator of Heaven and earth whom nothing
can encompass or limit, Thou Who dost enfold and hold all under Thy Loving
power, remember the very bitter pain Thou didst suffer when the Jews nailed
Thy Sacred Hands and Feet to the Cross by blow after blow with big blunt
nails, and not finding Thee in a pitiable enough state to satisfy their
rage, they enlarged Thy Wounds, and added pain to pain, and with indescribable
cruelty stretched Thy Body on the Cross, pulled Thee from all sides, thus
dislocating Thy Limbs.
I beg of Thee, O Jesus, by the memory of this
most Loving suffering of the Cross, to grant me the grace to fear Thee
and to Love Thee. Amen.
Fourth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Heavenly Physician, raised aloft on
the Cross to heal our wounds with Thine, remember the bruises which Thou
didst suffer and the weakness of all Thy Members which were distended to
such a degree that never was there pain like unto Thine. From the crown
of Thy Head to the Soles of Thy Feet there was not one spot on Thy Body
that was not in torment, and yet, forgetting all Thy sufferings, Thou didst
not cease to pray to Thy Heavenly Father for Thy enemies, saying: "Father
forgive them for they know not what they do."
Through this great Mercy, and in memory of this
suffering, grant that the remembrance of Thy Most Bitter Passion may effect
in us a perfect contrition and the remission of all our sins. Amen.
Fifth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Mirror of eternal splendor, remember
the sadness which Thou experienced, when contemplating in the light of
Thy Divinity the predestination of those who would be saved by the merits
of Thy Sacred Passion, Thou didst see at the same time, the great multitude
of reprobates who would be damned for their sins, and Thou didst complain
bitterly of those hopeless lost and unfortunate sinners.
Through the abyss of compassion and pity, and
especially through the goodness which Thou displayed to the good thief
when Thou saidst to him: "This day, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise."
I beg of Thee, O Sweet Jesus, that at the hour of my death, Thou wilt show
me mercy. Amen.
Sixth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Beloved and most desirable King, remember
the grief Thou didst suffer, when naked and like a common criminal, Thou
was fastened and raised on the Cross, when all Thy relatives and friends
abandoned Thee, except Thy Beloved Mother, who remained close to Thee during
Thy agony and whom Thou didst entrust to Thy faithful disciple when Thou
saidst to Mary: "Woman, behold thy son!" and to Saint John: "Son, behold
thy Mother!"
I beg of Thee O my Savior, by the sword of sorrow
which pierced the soul of Thy holy Mother, to have compassion on me in
all my affliction and tribulations, both corporal and spiritual, and to
assist me in all my trials, and especially at the hour of my death. Amen.
Seventh Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Inexhaustible Fountain of compassion,
Who by a profound gesture of Love, said from the Cross: "I thirst!" suffered
from the thirst for the salvation of the human race. I beg of Thee O my
Savior, to inflame in our hearts the desire to tend toward perfection in
all our acts; and to extinguish in us the concupiscence of the flesh and
the ardor of worldly desires. Amen.
Eighth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Sweetness of hearts, delight of the
spirit, by the bitterness of the vinegar and gall which Thou didst taste
on the Cross for Love of us, grant us the grace to receive worthily Thy
Precious Body and Blood during our life and at the hour of our death, that
they may serve as a remedy and consolation for our souls. Amen.
Ninth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Royal virtue, joy of the mind, recall
the pain Thou didst endure when plunged in an ocean of bitterness at the
approach of death, insulted, outraged by the Jews, Thou didst cry out in
a loud voice that Thou was abandoned by Thy Father, saying: "My God, My
God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"
Through this anguish, I beg of Thee, O my Savior,
not to abandon me in the terrors and pains of my death. Amen.
Tenth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Who art the beginning and end of all
things, life and virtue, remember that for our sakes Thou was plunged in
an abyss of suffering from the soles of Thy Feet to the crown of Thy Head.
In consideration of the enormity of Thy Wounds, teach me to keep, through
pure love, Thy Commandments, whose way is wide and easy for those who love
Thee. Amen.
Eleventh Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Deep abyss of mercy, I beg of Thee,
in memory of Thy Wounds which penetrated to the very marrow of Thy Bones
and to the depth of Thy bing, to draw me, a miserable sinner, overwhelmed
by my offenses, away from sin and to hide me from Thy Face justly irritated
against me, hide me in Thy Wounds, until Thy anger and just indignation
shall have passed away. Amen.
Twelfth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Mirror of Truth, symbol of unity, link
of Charity, remember the multitude of wounds with which Thou was covered
from head to foot, torn and reddened by the spilling of Thy adorable Blood.
O Great and Universal Pain which Thou didst suffer in Thy virginal Flesh
for Love of us! Sweetest Jesus! What is there that Thou couldst have done
for us which Thou hast not done! May the fruit of Thy sufferings be renewed
in my soul by the faithful remembrance of Thy Passion, and may Thy Love
increase in my heart each day, until I see Thee in eternity, Thou Who art
the treasury of every real good and every joy, which I beg Thee to grant
me, O Sweetest Jesus, in Heaven. Amen.
Thirteenth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Strong Lion, Immortal and Invincible
King, remember the pain which Thou didst endure when all Thy strength,
both moral and physical, was entirely exhausted, Thou didst bow Thy Head,
saying: "It is consummated!"
Through this anguish and grief, I beg of Thee
Lord Jesus, to have mercy on me at the hour of my death when my mind will
be greatly troubled and my soul will be in anguish. Amen.
Fourteenth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! Only Son of the Father, Splendor and
figure of His Substance, remember the simple and humble recommendation
Thou didst make of Thy Soul to Thy Eternal Father, saying: "Father, into
Thy Hands I commend My Spirit!" And with Thy Body all torn, and Thy Heart
Broken, and the bowels of Thy Mercy open to redeem us, Thou didst Expire.
By this Precious Death, I beg of Thee O King of Saints, comfort me and
help me to resist the devil, the flesh and the world, so that being dead
to the world I may live for Thee alone. I beg of Thee at the hour of my
death to receive me, a pilgrim and an exile returning to Thee. Amen.
Fifteenth Prayer
Our Father - Hail Mary
O Jesus! True and fruitful Vine! Remember the
abundant outpouring of Blood which Thou didst so generously shed from Thy
Sacred Body as juice from grapes in a wine press.
From Thy Side, pierced with a lance by a soldier,
blood and water issued forth until there was not left in Thy Body a single
drop, and finally, like a bundle of myrrh lifted to the top of the Cross
Thy delicate Flesh was destroyed, the very Substance of Thy Body withered,
and the Marrow of Thy Bones dried up.
Through this bitter Passion and through the outpouring
of Thy Precious Blood, I beg of Thee, O Sweet Jesus, to receive my soul
when I am in my death agony. Amen.
Conclusion
O Sweet Jesus! Pierce my heart so that my tears of
penitence and love will be my bread day and night; may I be converted entirely
to Thee, may my heart be Thy perpetual habitation, may my conversation
be pleasing to Thee, and may the end of my life be so praiseworthy that
I may merit Heaven and there with Thy saints, praise Thee forever. Amen.