HOLY WEEK A.D. 2014 Maundy Thursday April 17th, A.D. 2014 The Mandatum: Jesus washes the feet of the Apostles Verse: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another. Let there abide in you faith, hope, and charity, these three ; but the greatest is charity. Where charity and love are, there is God. The love of God hath gathered us in one. Let us be glad and rejoice in him. Let us fear and love the living god. And love one another in sincerity of heart. Verse: When therefore we are gathered together in one, take heed that we be not divided in mind. R: O Christ hear us. Verse: Let malicious quarrels, let contentions cease ; and let Christ our God be in the midst of us. R: O Christ hear us.
2. Prayer: O God, who hast prepared for those that love thee, such good things as pass man's understanding : pour into our hearts such love towards thee, that we, loving thee above all things, may attain thy promises which exceed all that we can desire ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer: O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth ; send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace, and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son, Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. The First Mass in the Upper Room Jerusalem. Verse: O Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given unto mankind. V: Thou gavest them Bread from Heaven. R: Containing in itself all sweetness. Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, who when thou wast able to institute thy Holy Sacrament at the Last Supper, didst wash the feet of the Apostles, teaching us thereby the grace of humility : cleanse us, we beseech thee, from all stain of sin, that we may be worthy partakers of thy Holy Mysteries ; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, God forever and ever. Amen. Prayer: O Christ, thou King of all ages and Master of all, among those good things thou hast bestowed on us, we thank thee that thou dost give us to participate in thy Holy Sacrament. Keep us, O gracious One in thy protection ; grant that throughout our lives we may receive thy Holy Gifts unto forgiveness of sins and increasing sanctification. For thou art the Bread of Life and the Well of Holiness, the Giver of all Good Gifts, to Whom we give thee praise together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and for ever. Amen.
3. A helpful Map of the where the events in our Lord's Passion took place. GOOD FRIDAY April 18th, A.D. 2014 Verse: O my people, what have I done unto thee, or wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me. Because I brought thee forth from the land of Egypt, thou hast prepared a cross for thy Saviour. R: Holy God, Holy and Immortal, have mercy upon us. Verse: Because I led thee through the desert forty years, and fed thee with manna, and brought thee into a land exceeding good, thou hast prepared a Cross for thy Saviour. R: Holy God, Holy and Immortal, have mercy upon us. Verse: I indeed did plant thee, O my vineyard, with exceeding fair fruit, and thou art become very bitter unto me : for vinegar mingled with gall, thou gavest me when thirsty, and thou hast pierced with a spear, the side of thy Saviour. R: Holy God, Holy and Immortal have mercy upon us.
4. Ecce Homo!... Behold the Man! Antonio Ciseri, Italy 1871 Consider how Jesus having been scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the Cross. Prayer: My Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was my sins that condemned Thee to die. I beg You, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to assist my soul in its journey toward eternity. I love Thee, my beloved Jesus ; I love Thee more than myself ; I repent with my whole heart for ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou wilt. - From The Way of The Cross by St. Alphonsus Ligouri Prayer: O Christ, we implore thee by the memory of thy most bitter anguish make us fear thee, make us love thee O Lord as we kneel at the foot of thy Cross give us patience, faith, and hope make us hold fast to it Teach us by that same Cross that however ill the world may go the Father so loved us that He spared thee not. Amen.
5. Prayer: Most gracious Jesus, our Lord and our God, who didst bear our sins in thine own Body on the Tree, that we being dead unto sin might live unto righteousness ; have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, now, and at the hour of our death ; and grant unto us thy humble servants, with all other Christian people, who have this thy blessed Passion in remembrance, a godly and a peaceful life in this world, and through thy grace, eternal glory in the life to come ; where with the Father and the Holy Ghost thou livest and reignest, God, world without end. Amen.
6. What our Lord Saw from the Cross Prayer: Lord Jesus, who on this holy day of thy Passion didst stretch out thine arms on the hard wood of the Cross, that all men might be brought within their saving embrace ; draw us unto thyself with the bands of thy love, that we may be found of thee and find thee, and grant that, evermore being bound unto thee as faithful servants, we may take up our cross daily and follow thee, and at last may attain to thine eternal joy ; who livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen.
7. Consumatus est... It is finished. Carl Bloch, Denmark, 19th cent. Consider how your Jesus, after enduring three hours' Agony on the Cross, consumed at length with anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head, and dies.
8. Prayer: O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the Cross on which You died for love of me. I have merited by my sins to die a miserable death ; but Your death is my hope. By the merits of Your death, give me grace to die, embracing Your feet, and burning with love for Thee. I yield my soul into Thy hands. I love you with all my heart ; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou wilt. - from The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Ligouri V: We adore Thee O Christ, and we bless Thee. R: Because by thy holy Cross thou hast redeemed the world. Jesus is laid in the sepulcher Carl Bloch, Denmark, 19th cent. Consider how the disciples carried the body of Jesus to bury it, accompanied by His holy Mother, who arranged it in the sepulcher with her own hands. They then closed the tomb, and all withdrew.
9. Prayer: O my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses Thee. But You rose again on the third day. I beg Thee by Thy resurrection, make me rise glorious with Thee on the last day, to be always united with Thee in heaven, to praise Thee and to love Thee forever. I love Thee, and I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt. - From The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Ligouri Prayer: Heavenly Father, You delivered Thy Son to the Death of the Cross to save us from evil. Grant us the grace of the Resurrection. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. TIME TABLE OF CHRISTS' PASSION A timetable of the Passion of our Blessed Lord, from The Last Supper to the Laying of Christ's body in the sepulchre; to assist those who wish to keep watch with our Lord and to walk with Him spiritually each hour of His most Sacred Passion.
10. HOLY SATURDAY April 19th, A.D. 2014 Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell ; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. - Ps. 16, Vs 10 Verse: May Almighty God Bless us, and of His mercy vouchsafe to defend us from all wickedness. R: Amen. Verse: And may he, who willed to enlighten this most holy night by the Resurrection of our Redeemer, cleanse our minds from the darkness of our sins, and make them to glisten with abundant virtues. R: Amen. Verse: To the end that, striving to imitate the innocence of the newly-baptized, we may be enabled like the Wise Virgins, to enter with the shining lights of good works into the chamber of the Bride-groom whose Resurrection we are about to celebrate. R: Amen. Prayer: O God, whose loving-kindness is infinite, mercifully hear our prayers : that as in this life we are united in the Mystical Body of thy church, and in death are laid in holy ground with the sure hope of resurrection, so that at the last day, we may rise again with all thy blessed saints ; through Him that died and rose again, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer: O God, who art strength unchangeable and light eternal : look down in mercy on the wondrous mystery of the whole Church, and by the perpetual working of thy good providence peaceably accomplish the work of man's salvation ; and let the whole world perceive and know that things cast down are being raised up, things grown old are made new, and all things are returning to their perfection, through him from whom they had their beginning, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen..................................... To Our Dear Subscribers How many times in past years have we desired to be with our Lord in Church or some quiet and meditative place on these three days of His Passion ( The Sacred Triduum ), but our personal circumstances would not allow for it? ( work, illness, or other obligations). These days, in most cases, the pace and order of our lives makes it difficult to be able to completely join ourselves with Jesus in the way we would wish at this most solemn time. It is our hope that this offering will be useful to you during this time in Holy Week. Please feel free to copy it, share it, or use it in whatever way will be the most helpful to you; whether you be at work, at home, or anywhere that you can take a few moments from your day to meditate and pray and unite yourself with our Blessed Lord and His Holy Church in the re-enactment of His Passion and Death. An event of unfathomable Love that God offered His Son for the salvation of the whole world. - Father Prior and all at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Priory PAX CHRISTI