The Litany of the Passion

For Private Devotion Only.

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,
Have mercy on us.

God, the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, brought before Annas and Caiphas,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, struck in the face by a servant,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, accused by false witnesses,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, declared guilty of death,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, spat upon,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, blindfolded,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, smitten on the cheek,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, thrice denied by Peter,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, delivered up to Pilate,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, despised and mocked by Herod,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, clothed in a white garment,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, rejected for Barabbas,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, torn with scourges,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, bruised for our sin,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, esteemed a leper,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, covered with a purple robe,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, crowned with thorns,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, struck with a reed upon the head,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, demanded for crucifixion by the Jews,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, condemned to an ignominious death,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, given up to the will of Thine enemies,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, loaded with the heavy weight of the Cross,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, led like a sheep to the slaughter,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, stripped of Thy garments,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, fastened with nails to the cross,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, reviled by the malefactors,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, promising Paradise to the penitent thief,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, commending St. John to Thy Mother as her son,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, declaring Thyself forsaken by Thy Father,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, in Thy thirst given gall and vinegar to drink,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, testifying that all things written concerning Thee were accomplished,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, commending Thy Spirit into the hand of Thy Father,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, obedient even to the death of the Cross,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, pierced with a lance,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, made a propitiation for us,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, taken down from the Cross,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, laid in the sepulcher,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, rising gloriously from the dead,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, ascending into Heaven,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, our advocate with the Father,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, sending down on Thy disciples the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, exalting Thy Mother above the choirs of Angels,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Who shalt come to judge the living and the dead,
Have mercy on us.

Be merciful,
Spare us, O Lord.

Be merciful,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.

From all evil, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

From all sin, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

From anger, hatred, and every evil will, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

From war, famine, and pestilence, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

From all dangers of mind and body, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

From everlasting death, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy most pure Conception, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy miraculous Nativity, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy humble Circumcision, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy Baptism and holy fasting, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy labors and watchings, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy cruel scourging and crowning, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy thirst, and tears, and nakedness, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy precious death and Cross, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension,Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

Through Thy sending forth the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

In the day of judgment, Lord Jesus,
Deliver us.

We sinners beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would spare us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would pardon us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe to bring us to true penance,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe mercifully to pour into our hearts the grace of the Holy Spirit,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe to defend and propagate Thy holy Church,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe to preserve and increase all societies assembled in Thy Holy Name,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe to bestow upon us true peace,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe to give us perseverance in grace and in Thy holy service,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe to deliver us from unclean thoughts, the temptations of the devil, and everlasting damnation,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe to unite us to the company of Thy Saints,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

That Thou would vouchsafe graciously to hear us,
We beseech Thee, hear us.

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

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Christ, hear us;
Christ, graciously hear us.

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee:
R . Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Let Us Pray.

Almighty and eternal God, Who hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son the Savior of the world, and hast willed to be appeased with 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. Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

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Poll Results

Yesterday I ended the poll for my blog, which has lasted two weeks. I asked what you would like to see daily and on this blog and here are the results:


Liturgical reading/ reflections on it
8%
3 votes

Daily Mother Teresa Quotations
14%
5 votes

Daily Quotation by John Paul ll
19%
7 votes

The Stational Church devotion
3%
1 vote

Prayers & Novenas
19%
7 votes

Recent pro-life news
19%
7 votes

ALL OF THEM
17%
6 votes

So, I will plan on posting a daily quotation by John Paul ll along with pro-life news and prayers and novenas. I will also finish up the Stational Church devotion since it's already so close to its end.

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Catholic Carnival: 2006 Holy Week Edition

The new Catholic Carnival is up here.

Image Source: Used with Permission

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Prayer for the Grace of the Passion

O Lord, for the redemption of the world, you willed to be born among human beings, subjected to the rite of circumcision, rejected by the people, betrayed by Judas with a kiss, bound with cords, led like an innocent lamb to slaughter, shamelessly exposed to the gaze of Annas as well as Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod, accused by false witnesses, tormented by scourges and insults, spat upon and crowned with thorns, struck with blows of hand and reed, blindfolded and stripped of your garments, affixed to the wood and lifted high on the Cross, numbered among thieves, given gall and vinegar to drink, and pierced by a lance.

Lord, by these most holy sufferings which we, your unworthy servants, devoutly call to mind, and by your holy Cross and death, deliver us from the pains of hell, and be pleased to take us where you took the penitent thief who was crucified with you. You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

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The Gospel of Judas?

Updates below.

With the Gospel of Judas being published in English, I wanted to post on it at my own blog.

The Gospel of Judas dates back to c. 130 - 170 AD and is anything but worthy of our respect. It was discovered around the 1950s written in Coptic, and it just recently translated in English and a handful of other languages. As Jimmy Akin wrote, this Gospel is Gnostic. St. Irenaeus attacked the heresy of Gnosticism in his work Against Heresies. Gnosticism basically taught that salvation is achieved through special knowledge. Simply, if you were not part of the special club, then you could not be saved. It also denied the Incarnation of the Son of God thus claiming that Jesus Christ is not God. In doing so, they also stated that His death on the Cross served no purpose for our salvation. This is entirely wrong, and as such, I will not even be reading this "gospel"!

The Gospel of Judas also portrays Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Our Lord, in a new light. It claims that he was actually Jesus's closest disciple who betrayed Him to help Jesus!

"The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed: it were better for him, if that man had not been born" (Matthew 26:24)

At Mass today, I realized that the Gospel reading also directly contradicts the ridiculous claim that Judas betrayed Our Lord all for the benefit of Jesus:

When Jesus had said these things, he was troubled in spirit; and he testified, and said: Amen, amen I say to you, one of you shall betray me. The disciples therefore looked one upon another, doubting of whom he spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him: Who is it of whom he speaketh? He therefore, leaning on the breast of Jesus, saith to him: Lord, who is it?

Jesus answered: He it is to whom I shall reach bread dipped. And when he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the morsel, Satan entered into him. And Jesus said to him: That which thou dost, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew to what purpose he said this unto him. For some thought, because Judas had the purse, that Jesus had said to him: Buy those things which we have need of for the festival day: or that he should give something to the poor. He therefore having received the morsel, went out immediately. And it was night. John 13:21-30

It is clear that Judas did this for his own benefit. He sold our Lord for thirty pieces of silver. While it is true that if Judas did not betray Jesus then the following events would have been different, it is also true that our salvation would have still came about. Jesus would have only had to shed one drop of blood for our salvation, but instead He gave up every drop of His blood to show us His love for us. The Gospel of Judas is making Judas out to be a hero for our salvation - Judas betrayed Our Lord; he is no hero!

Some ask "What's the difference between Judas and Peter? Didn't they both betray the Lord." Judas betrayed Our Lord and caused Him to suffer. St. Peter denied Him, but what is important is that St. Peter wept and repented for His sins. Judas did not repent and ask for forgiveness.

My recommendation: Take out your Bible and read the real Gospels. Leave the "Gospel" of Judas in the trash where it belongs.

Read more on Gnosticism from the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.

Happy Catholic also has a good amount of information on this "gospel". Also, see the Catholic Community Forum for some quotations by the Fathers of the Church. Faith of the Fathers also has a wonderfully written and thought-provoking article.

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Stational Church for April 11, 2006

Today's Stational Church is at the Church of St. Prisca. Please join me in prayer.

The last Lenten Station is that of Saint Prisca on the Aventine Hill. It is only a short way from the church of Saint Sabina, from which the procession left forty days ago to visit the tombs of the Martyrs. It is significant that the point of departure and the final arrival of the Lenten stations are on the Aventine Hill, for it was considered particularly sacred by the early Christians. It was in fact here that St. Peter and St. Paul lived for some time in the house of Saints Aquila and Priscilla, which was located on the spot where the church now stands.

St. Prisca, the faithful co-worker of St. Paul in the apostolate of "Christ Crucified," leads us into the Sacred Triduum. We recommend to her our prayers and intentions. May this woman of faith, who was privileged to hear from the Doctor of the Gentiles of the power and triumph of the Cross, watch over us and assist us" that we may celebrate the mysteries of Our Lord's Passion in such a manner as to deserve to obtain God's pardon."

Let us pray: (Pause in silent prayer, reflecting on your Lenten observances.). Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Source: St. John Cantius Parish

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Tom Reagan's Reflection on the Centurion

Tom Reagan from TomReagan.com has a wonderful Lenten meditation up. It looks at the role of the Centurion that stood beneath the Cross and said, "Truly, this was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).

I highly recommend this for today's meditation in Holy Week! It is available at this link (.pdf)

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Stational Church for April 10, 2006

Today's Station is at the Church of St. Praxedes

The spirit of this second day of the holiest of all weeks may be summed up in four words: Jesus, a supper, a penitent and an impenitent.

Jesus—Holy Savior, You are the center of our thoughts and love. Accept our thanks for all that You have done for our salvation.

The Last Supper—A supper for Jesus! In a few days, Jesus will make a supper for us, a "sacred banquet in which Christ is eaten," "symbol of that One Body of which He is the Head and to which He willed that we should be united as members by the closest bonds of faith, hope and charity, so that we should all speak the same thing and that there should be no divisions among us," as the Council of Trent so beautifully said.

A Penitent—Mary, "took a pound of ointment of costly nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair."An impenitent-traitor—An apostle of Christ is changed into a traitor because he loved not Christ, but thirty pieces of silver. "It were better, if this man had not been born."

We entrust ourselves today to St. Praxedes, the virgin who loved Jesus with her beautiful soul, who so often in her home prepared the table for the celebration of the Eucharistic Supper, and who anointed the "feet of Christ," that is, the "lowest members" of the Mystical Body, the poor, by gladly giving to them all she possessed.

Let us pray: Help us, holy virgin, to spend this second day of Holy Week in thy spirit. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Source: St. John Cantius Parish

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Monday in Holy Week: Year B

Reading 1

Here is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one with whom I am pleased,Upon whom I have put my Spirit;he shall bring forth justice to the nations,Not crying out, not shouting,not making his voice heard in the street.A bruised reed he shall not break,and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,Until he establishes justice on the earth;the coastlands will wait for his teaching.Thus says God, the LORD,who created the heavens and stretched them out,who spreads out the earth with its crops,Who gives breath to its peopleand spirit to those who walk on it:I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,I have grasped you by the hand;I formed you, and set youas a covenant of the people,a light for the nations,To open the eyes of the blind,to bring out prisoners from confinement,and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. Is 42:1-7

Gospel

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oilmade from genuine aromatic nardand anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,and the one who would betray him, said,“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wagesand given to the poor?”He said this not because he cared about the poorbut because he was a thief and held the money bagand used to steal the contributions.So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.Let her keep this for the day of my burial.You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,whom he had raised from the dead.And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,because many of the Jews were turning awayand believing in Jesus because of him. Jn 12:1-11

Prayer for Monday in Holy Week:

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who fail through weakness in so many difficulties, may be relieved through the Passion of Thine only-begotten Son: Who with Thee liveth and reigneth.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Missal

Today meditate on the first Sorrowful mystery - Jesus' agony in the Garden. We remember his pain and anxiety as he awaited Judas to betray Him and bring about all of His suffering and His death.

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Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim

The Great Lenten Prayer of St Ephraim

O Lord and Master of my life, cast from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust for power and idle talk. (Prostration)

But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. (Prostration)

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters. For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.(Prostration)

O God, cleanse Thou me a sinner (12 times, with as many bows, and then again the whole prayer from the beginning throughout, and after that one great prostration)

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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