Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153) inquired of Jesus about His Wounds
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| "I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound which was more painful than the others." |
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked Our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering, and He answered: "I had on My Shoulder while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound which was more painful than the others, and which is not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with thy devotion, and I will grant thee whatsoever thou does ask through its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins, and will no longer remember their mortal sins."
Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Christ
"Most loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I, a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross which so tore Thy flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of Thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee, and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross. Amen." (Imprimatur: +Thomas D. Beven, Bishop of Springfield.) THE HOLY WOUNDS OF CHRIST
Saints Gertrude the Great and Saint Mechtilde also saw Jesus
Jesus revealed to St. Gertrude (1256-1302) that if any one of the following short prayers is repeated five times in honor 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, hast 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 favor."
You can say the above salutation 5466 times by praying it five times a day for three years. You may also add the following oblation which Jesus asked St. Mechtilde (1240–1298) to pray after each division of five:
"Let us pray. 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" THE HOLY WOUNDS OF CHRIST
Sister Mary Martha Chambon
Mary Martha Chambon (1841-1907) was a lay Sister of the Monastery of the Visitation Order in Chambery, France. During her life, Jesus Himself is said to have revealed to her the following two invocations, giving her the double mission to adore and invoke the Sacred Wounds unceasingly and to revive this devotion in the hearts of creatures. She died in the odor of sanctity on 21 March 1907, and the cause for her beatification was introduced in 1937.
"Eternal Father I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of our souls.
"My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Sacred Wounds."
Here are some statements Jesus is said to have made to Sr. Mary Martha about this devotion:
"Come to My Wounds with hearts burning with love, and make the aspirations with great fervor that you may obtain the graces and favors you desire.
"Come to this wound in My Side; it is the Wound of Love from which issue flames of fire." (As He said these words, Sr. Mary Martha saw five luminous rays of glory issue from the Wounds of Christ, and envelop the globe.)
"My Holy Wounds sanctify souls and insure their spiritual advancement...Offer Me your actions united to My Sacred Wounds, and even the smallest will have an incomprehensible value.
"Offer them often to Me for sinners because I thirst for souls. At each word of the invocation that you utter, I will let a drop of My Blood fall upon the soul of a sinner.
"When you offer My Holy Wounds for sinners, you must not forget to do so for the souls in Purgatory, as there are but few who think of their relief. The Holy Wounds are the treasure of treasures for the souls in Purgatory." (Nihil obstat: John A. Schulien, Censor Librorum; Milwaukee, WI, 2 May 1956. Imprimatur: +Albertus G. Meyer, Archbishop of Milwaukee, 1 May 1956.)
Chaplet of the Holy Wounds
To be said on the Crucifix and the first three beads of an ordinary Rosary:
"O Jesus, Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world. Amen.
"Strong God, holy God, immortal God, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
"Grace and mercy, O my Jesus, during present dangers; cover us with Your Precious Blood. Amen.
"Eternal Father, grant us mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Your only Son; grant us mercy, we beseech You. Amen, Amen, Amen.
The following prayers, composed by Our Lord, are to be said using the Rosary beads.
On the large beads:
"Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ. To heal the wounds of our souls."
On the small beads:
"My Jesus, pardon and mercy, through the merits of Your Holy Wounds."
Promises of Our Lord for those who are Devoted to His Wounds
1. At each word that you pronounce of the Chaplet of the Holy Wounds, I allow a drop of My Blood to fall upon the soul of a sinner.
2. Each time that you offer to My Father the merits of My divine Wounds, you win an immense fortune.
3. Souls that will have contemplated and honored My crown of thorns on earth, will be My crown of glory in Heaven!
4. I will grant all that is asked of Me through the invocation of My Holy Wounds. You will obtain everything, because it is through the merit of My Blood, which is of infinite price. With My Wounds and My Divine Heart, everything can be obtained.
5. From My Wounds proceed fruits of sanctity. As gold purified in the crucible becomes more beautiful, so you must put your soul and those of your companions into My sacred Wounds; there they will become perfected as gold in the furnace. You can always purify yourself in My Wounds.
6. My Wounds will repair yours. My Wounds will cover all your faults. Those who honor them will have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ. In meditation on them, you will always find a new love. My wounds will cover all your sins.
7. Plunge your actions into My Wounds and they will be of value. All your actions, even the least, soaked in My Blood, will acquire by this alone an infinite merit and will please My Heart.
8. In offering My Wounds for the conversion of sinners, even though the sinners are not converted, you will have the same merit before God as if they were.
9. When you have some trouble, something to suffer, quickly place it in My Wounds, and the pain will be alleviated.
10. This aspiration must often be repeated near the sick: "My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Your Holy Wounds!" This prayer will solace soul and body.
11. A sinner who will say the following prayer will obtain conversion: "Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to heal those of our souls."
12. There will be no death for the soul that expires in My Holy Wounds; they give true life.
13. This chaplet is a counterpoise to My justice; it restrains My vengeance.
14. Those who pray with humility and who meditate on My Passion, will one day participate in the glory of My divine Wounds.
15. The more you will have contemplated My painful Wounds on this earth, the higher will be your contemplation of them glorious in Heaven.
16. The soul who during life has honored the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ and has offered them to the Eternal Father for the Souls in Purgatory, will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the angels; and Our Lord on the Cross, all brilliant in glory, will receive her and crown her.
17. The invocations of the Holy Wounds will obtain an incessant victory for the Church.
(Nihil obstat: Rev. Terry Tekippe, Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: + Most Rev. Francis B. Shulte, Archbishop of New Orleans, 29 December 1989.) THE HOLY WOUNDS OF CHRIST
Prayer to Obtain a Favor
"O great Passion! O deep Wounds! O Blood shed in abundance! O meekness! O God of meekness, O cruel death, have mercy on me and grant my request if it be for my salvation." THE HOLY WOUNDS OF CHRIST
Love, Jeanne