2. The visitation. 3. The Nativity. 4. The Presentation. 5. The Finding in the Temple. THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES 1. The Agony in the Garden. 2. The Scourging. 3. The Crowning with Thorns. 4. The Carrying of the Cross. 5. The Crucifixion. THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES 1. The Resurrection. 2. The Ascension. 3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit. 4. The Assumption. 5. The Coronation. 30 STATIONS OF THE CROSS (At each station, contemplate the scene described and pray a brief, heartfelt prayer.) 1. Pilate condemns Jesus to death. (Psalm 102:2-8, 10) 2. Jesus carries the cross. (Hosea 14:6-8) 3. Jesus falls. (Lamentations 1:12-14) 4. Jesus meets his mother. (Song of Songs 3:1-4) 5. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross of Jesus. (Jeremiah 14:8-9) 6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. (Judith 9:5, 11-12) 7. Jesus falls the second time. (Lamentations 3:16-24) 8. The women lament Jesus. (Lamentations 3:43-51) 9. Jesus falls the third time. (Isaiah 51:17, 21-23) 10. Jesus is stripped of his clothing. (Job 1:21; 6:11-13) 11. Jesus is nailed to the cross. (Psalm 14:1, 3-6) 12. Jesus dies on the cross. (Psalm 31:2-3, 6) 13. Jesus is taken down from the cross. (Psalm 24:7-10) 14. Jesus is laid in the tomb. (Ezekiel 37:1-2, 4-5, 7, 10-11, 12) 31 EVENING PRAYER O God of all love, when will we truly believe that you love us beyond our understanding? Each day tells it to the other as each offers us Your precious gifts. Each night would speak it anew to us as You give us rest and renewal. But the greatest witness to Your love we hear constantly from Your Word. There You tell us that Your Son shed His blood for us that we might be cleansed from all our sin. Now we can call you "Father." Now we can stand before You in the purity of Christ's righteousness and in the certainty of being Your children. Let Your love in Christ be the power of our lives and the joys of all our days. We thank You that we can lie down in peace and entrust ourselves to Your never-failing love. We rest in Jesus' name. Amen. 32 AN ACT OF CONTRITION O My God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins because of your just punishments, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. My Jesus, mercy! O My God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe that your Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because you have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. O My God, relying on your almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of your grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. O My God, I love you and above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for love of you. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all I have injured. 36 CHRISTOPHER PRAYER Father, grant that I might be a bearer of Christ Jesus, your Son. Allow me to warm the often cold, impersonal scene of modern life with your burning love. Strengthen me by your Holy Spirit to carry out my MISSION of changing the world, or some definite part of it for the better. Despite my lamentable failures, bring home to me that my advantages are your blessings to be shared with others. Make me more energetic in setting right what I find wrong with the world, instead of complaining about it. Nourish in me a practical desire to build up, rather than to tear down, to reconcile instead of polarize, to go out on a limb rather than crave security. Never let me forget that IT IS FAR BETTER TO LIGHT ONE CANDLE THAN TO CURSE THE DARKNESS, and to join my light, one day, with yours. Amen. 37 THE 'VENI, CREATOR' Come, Holy Spirit, creator blest, And in our hearts take up your rest. Come with your grace and heavenly aid To fill the hearts which you have made. O Great Paraclete, to you we cry; O highest gift of God most high! O fount of life, O fire of love, And sweet anointing from above! You in your sevenfold gifts are known. You, the finger of God's right hand we own. You are the promise of the Father Who endow the tongue with speech. Kindle our senses from above, And make our hearts overflow with love; With patience firm and virtue high, Far from us drive the foe we dread, O may your grace on us bestow, The Father and the Son to know. ORTHODOX PRAYERS 38 PRAYER OF CLEANSING O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth who art everywhere and fillest all things. Treasury of Blessings, and Giver of Life: Come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One. 39 PRAYER OF CLEANSING O most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us, O Lord, cleanse us from our sins, O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy names sake. JEWISH PRAYERS 40 FROM THE MORNING SERVICE Deuteronomy 6.4-9 SH'MA YIS-RO-EL, A-DO-NOY E-LO-HAY-NU Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One Blessed be His Name and glorious sovereignty for ever and ever. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart. Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be for |