Novena in Honor of Our Saviour's Passion

Novena in Honor of Our Saviour's Passion. For Lent. ¹

1. O JESUS, my Saviour, Who didst sweat blood in the garden at the sight of the sufferings which my sins and my ingratitude were to cause Thee: I adore Thee bathed in Thy blood; I give thanks to Thy Sacred Heart which suffered so much for me; I hate my sins which were the cause of Thy sufferings; and I am resolved to die rather than to afflict Thee again. Grant me grace to understand the great evil of sin; that I may resist even unto blood the temptations of the world, the devil, and the flesh; and that I may be conformed in all things to the will of Thy divine Father, however contrary to my own inclinations.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

2. O my Lord Jesus, Who wast so cruelly maltreated in the house of Annas and Caiphas; I thank Thee that Thou didst vouchsafe to suffer for love of me insults so atrocious, and contempt so shameful. Ah! how often have I insulted Thee in the person of my neighbor! I humbly ask Thy pardon, and resolve, with Thy holy aid, to suffer whatever may be done against me with patience and gentleness, and never to offend Thee again, either in word or work.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

3. O Jesus my King! Who wast so scorned by the Jews that they preferred to Thee a malefactor, a murderer; I pray Thee to grant me pardon for having often preferred to Thee some miserable creature, some base gratification. Grant that I may rather die than again offend against Thy infinite Majesty. Be Thou henceforward the King of my heart; and grant that by the help of Thy grace I may ever love and serve Thee, until I shall have the happiness to see and enjoy Thee in the kingdom of Thy glory.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

4. O most pure Jesus, most chaste among men! Whose innocent flesh was thus torn by the scourging in the house of Pilate, to purge away the wicked pleasures which we enjoy in ours; I confess that it was for me Thou didst suffer such cruel torments. I am confounded when I reflect on the blows I have caused Thee, and how often I have wounded Thee by my sensual gratifications. I entreat of Thee by all Thy sufferings to sanctify my body and my soul, to wash me and purify me by Thy precious blood from all my filthy stains. Ah! let not that flesh which was once cleansed in Thy blood, be again defiled with sin. May I serve Thee to the end of my life with a clean heart, and may all my actions be guided by the purest intentions.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

5. O Jesus, greatest of all sovereigns, Who wast crowned with thorns, and treated with cruel mockery; all derided and despised as Thou art, I acknowledge Thee for my King. And since there was no part of Thy sacred body which was not bruised for me, I will no longer delight in indulging mine, but live in the practice of constant mortification, that so I may have some resemblance to Thee, my only true and sovereign good.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

6. O adorable and divine blood, shed for my salvation, flow over me, to wash me, to purify me, to sanctify me: flow over sinners, that they may be reclaimed; over the heathen, that they may be enlightened; over the perfidious Jews, that they may be softened; over all, that all being united in the same faith, in the same hope, and in the same charity, we may reign with Thee and in Thee, in that charity which shall subsist for ever.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

7. O Jesus, my Redeemer, Who wast for my sake nailed upon the cross, and didst shed Thy blood to free me from the slavery of the devil; I thank Thee for the incomparable love which Thou hast borne me, and the pain which Thou hast suffered for me. I kiss with the deepest respect Thy feet and Thy hands; I adore Thy Sacred Heart, which was opened for love of me; and I resolve, from this time forth, rather to lay down my life than to crucify Thee again by any mortal sin. For love of Thee, I crucify myself anew on the cross of my vows, and resolve to imitate Thy example faithfully to the end of my life. O good Lord, my blessed Saviour! By that glorious triumph, which, in Thy death, Thou didst achieve over sin and hell, and by that throne of glory to which Thou wast exalted by Thy Eternal Father in heaven: grant that I also, in the hour of death, may triumph over all my enemies, and come at last with Thee to the joys of paradise. Yes, O my Jesus, grant me this grace by the merits of Thine agony and Thy death on the cross.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc.

PRAYER BEFORE A PICTURE OF CHRIST CRUCIFIED. ²

BEHOLD, O kind and sweetest Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fervent desire 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 my eyes that which the prophet David said of Thee, O good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones."