The Cross is my sure salvation. The Cross I ever adore. The Cross of my Lord is with me. The Cross is my refuge.

Between the porch and the altar, the priests, the Lord's ministers, shall "weep, and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare Thy people; and shut not the mouths of them that sing to thee, O Lord."

Let us change our garments for ashes and sack-cloth: let us fast and lament before the Lord: for God is plenteous in mercy to forgive our sins.

Attend, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against Thee. Help us, O God, our Savior and for the honor of Thy Name, O Lord, deliver us.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in Thee. He hath sent from heaven, and delivered me; He hath made them a reproach that trod upon me.

Help us, O God our Saviour; and for the glory of Thy Name, O Lord, deliver us: and forgive us our sins for Thy Name's sake.

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine! (3 times)

V. Let us every moment praise the Most Holy Sacrament.
R. May our God, present in the Sacrament, be now and ever praised.

Eternal Father, I unite myself with the intentions and affections of our Lady of Sorrows on Calvary, and I offer Thee the sacrifice which Thy beloved Son Jesus made of Himself on the Cross, and now renews on the altar: First, to adore Thee and give Thee the honor which is due to Thee, confessing Thy supreme dominion over all things, and the absolute dependence of everything upon Thee, Thou Who art our one and last end. Second, to thank Thee for innumerable benefits received. Third, to appease Thy justice, irritated against us by so many sins, and to make satisfaction for them. Fourth, to implore grace and mercy for myself, for . . . , for all afflicted and sorrowing, for poor sinners, for all the world, and for the holy souls in Purgatory.

As I kneel before Thee on the Cross, most loving Saviour of my soul, my conscience tells me it was I who nailed Thee to the Cross with these hands of mine, as often as I have fallen into mortal sin, wearying Thee with my monstrous ingratitude. My God, my chief and most perfect Good, worthy of all my love, seeing Thou hast ever loaded me with blessings, I cannot now undo my misdeeds, as I would most willingly, but I can and will loathe them, grieving greatly for having offended Thee Who art infinite Goodness. Amen.

I a poor, sinful man, renounce the evil enemy, all his suggestions, works and temptations. I believe in God the Father, in God the Son, and in God the Holy Ghost. I also fully believe everything that the universal Christian Church teaches me to believe. In this faith I confess to God the Almighty, to Mary, Christ's most blessed Mother, and to all the saints, that from the days of my childhood to this very hour, I have sinned often and much in thought, word, and deed, and in the omission of good works, and all this either publicly or secretly, voluntarily or involuntarily, against the ten Commandments, by the seven deadly sins, the five senses of my body, against God, against my neighbor, against the salvation of my own poor soul. For these and all my sins I am sorry from my heart. Therefore I humbly beseech Thee, Eternal, Merciful God, to grant me Thy divine grace, to prolong my life until I have confessed and done penance for my sins and obtained Thy divine mercy, receiving after this miserable life eternal joy and happiness. I strike my sinful breast and say with the publican: O Lord, have mercy on me, a poor sinner. Amen.

Almighty and Eternal God, Lord and Heavenly Father! Look with eyes of boundless mercy on our misery, distress and necessity. Have mercy upon all faithful Christians, for whom Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, willingly gave Himself up into the hands of sinners and shed His precious blood on the tree of the cross. For the sake of this Jesus, O most gracious Father, avert well deserved punishment, present and future dangers, rebellions, famines, diseases and afflictions. Enlighten and strengthen in all good our spiritual and civil rulers and superiors, that from henceforth all things may redound to Thy divine honor, to our salvation, and to the universal peace and welfare of Christianity.

Grant us, O God of peace, a strong union in faith without discord or separation. Turn our hearts to true penance and amendment of life; inflame us with the fire of Thy love; give us an ardent zeal for all justice, that we may become acceptable to Thee, as obedient children, in life and death.

We beseech Thee also, O God, as Thou dost desire we should, for all our friends and enemies, for the well and the sick, for all afflicted and distressed Christians, for the living and the dead. To Thee, O Lord, we commend all our actions and all our omissions, our employment, our life and death. Let us enjoy Thy grace here, and afterwards receive with the elect eternal joy and happiness, praising and honoring Thee.

This grant us, O Lord, our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord and Saviour, who lives and reigns with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God forever. Amen.

O my Jesus, by that humility which Thou didst practice in washing the feet of Thy disciples, I pray Thee to bestow upon me the grace of true humility, that I may humble myself to all, especially to such as treat me with contempt.

My Jesus, by that sorrow which Thou didst suffer in the Garden, sufficient, as it was, to cause Thy death, I pray Thee to deliver me from the pains of hell, and from living for evermore at a distance from Thee, without the power of ever loving Thee again.

My Jesus, by that horror which Thou hadst of my sins, which were then present to Thy sight, give me a true sorrow for all the offenses which I have committed against Thee.

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst experience in seeing Thyself betrayed by Judas with a kiss, give me the grace to be ever faithful unto Thee, and never more to betray Thee, as I have done in times past.

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst feel at seeing Thyself bound like a culprit to be taken before Thy judges, I pray Thee to bind me to Thyself by the sweet chains of holy love, so that I may never more see myself separated from Thee, my only Good.

My Jesus, by all those insults, buffetings, and spittings which Thou didst on that night suffer in the house of Caiphas, give me the strength to suffer in peace, for love of Thee, all the affronts which I shall meet with from men.

My Jesus, by that ridicule which Thou didst receive from Herod in being treated as a fool, give me the grace to endure with patience all that men shall say of me, treating me as base, senseless, or wicked.

My Jesus, by that outrage which Thou didst receive from the Jews in seeing Thyself placed after Barabbas, give me the grace to suffer with patience the dishonor of seeing myself placed after others.

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in Thy most holy body when Thou wast so cruelly scourged, give me the grace to suffer with patience all the pains of sickness, and especially those of my death.

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in Thy most sacred head when it was pierced with the thorns, give me the grace never to consent to thoughts displeasing unto Thee.

My Jesus, by that act of Thine by which Thou didst accept the death of the Cross, to which Pilate condemned Thee, give me the grace to accept my death with resignation, together with all the pains which accompany it.

My Jesus, by the pain which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy Cross to Calvary, give me the grace to suffer with patience all the crosses of this life.

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in having the nails driven through Thy hands and feet, I pray Thee to nail my will to Thy feet, that so I may will nothing save that which Thou dost will.

My Jesus, by the affliction which Thou didst suffer in having gall given Thee to drink, give me the grace not to offend Thee by intemperance in eating and drinking.

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst experience in taking leave of Thy holy mother upon the Cross, deliver me from an inordinate love of my relatives, or of any other creature, that so my heart may be wholly and always Thine.

My Jesus, by that desolation which Thou didst suffer in Thy death in seeing Thyself abandoned by Thine Eternal Father, give me the grace to suffer all my desolation with patience, without ever losing confidence in Thy goodness.

My Jesus, by those three hours of affliction and agony which Thou didst suffer when dying upon the Cross, give me the grace to suffer with resignation, for love of Thee, the pains of my agony at the hour of death.

My Jesus, by that great pain which Thou didst feel when Thy most holy soul, on Thy expiring, separated itself from Thy most sacred body, give me the grace to breathe forth my soul in the hour of my death, offering to Thee my pains, with an act of perfect love, so that I may go to love Thee in heaven, face to face, with all my strength, and for all eternity.

Most holy Virgin, and my Mother Mary, by that sword which pierced thy heart when thou didst behold thy Son bow down His Head and expire, I pray thee to assist me in the hour of my death, so that I may come to praise thee and to thank thee in Paradise for all the graces which thou hast obtained for me from God. Amen.

O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love for us hast willed to be crucified and to shed Thy most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us here gathered together in remembrance of Thy most sorrowful Passion and Death, fully trusting in Thy mercy; cleanse us from sin by Thy grace, sanctify our toil, give unto us and unto all those who are dear to us our daily bread, sweeten our sufferings, bless our families, and to the nations so sorely afflicted, grant Thy peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Thy commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven. Amen.

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who in our many troubles fail because of our weakness, may with the Passion of Thine only-begotten Son pleading for us, take heart anew.

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world. We adore Thy cross, O Lord, we commemorate Thy glorious Passion. Have mercy on us, O Lord, who didst suffer for us. O blessed cross, none other was worthy to carry the Lord and King of heaven.

Invocations

O good Jesus, within Thy wounds hide me.

(Indulgence of 300 days)


By the sign of the holy Cross, deliver us from our enemies, O our God.

(Indulgence of 3 years)

(Indulgence of 300 days)


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Ever glorious and blessed Virgin, Queen of virgins, Mother of mercy, hope and comfort of dejected souls, through that sword of sorrow which pierced thy tender heart, whilst thine only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, suffered death and ignominy on the cross; through that filial tenderness and pure love He had for thee, grieving in thy grief, whilst from His cross He recommended thee to the care and protection of His beloved disciple, St. John; take pity, we beseech thee, on our poverty and necessities; have compassion on our anxieties; assist and comfort us in all our infirmities and miseries. Thou art the Mother of mercies, the sweet comforter and refuge of the desolate and afflicted: look, therefore, with pity on us, miserable children of Eve, and hear our prayer: for since, in just punishment of our sins, we are encompassed by evils, whither can we fly for more secure shelter than to thy maternal protection? Attend, therefore, with an ear of pity, we beseech thee, to our humble and earnest request.

We ask it through the mercy of Jesus Christ, thy Son, the Redeemer of the world. We ask it through the anguish of mind wherewith thy beloved Son, our dear Saviour, was overwhelmed on Mount Olivet, when He besought His eternal Father to remove from Him, if possible, the bitter chalice of His future Passion. We ask it through the threefold repetition of His prayer in the garden, from whence afterwards, with mournful tears, thou didst accompany Him to the doleful Stations of His sufferings and death. We ask it through the welts and sores of His virginal flesh, occasioned by the cords and whips wherewith He was bound and scourged when stripped of His seamless garment, for which His executioners afterwards cast lots. We ask it through the scoffs and ignominies by which He was insulted, the false accusations and unjust sentence by which He was condemned to death, and which He bore with heavenly patience. We ask it through His bitter tears and sweat of blood, His silence and resignation, His sadness and grief of heart. We ask it through the blood which trickled from His royal and sacred head, when struck with the scepter of reed and pierced with His crown of thorns. We ask it through the torments He endured, when His hands and feet were cruelly fastened to the tree of the cross. We ask it through His vehement thirst and bitter potion of vinegar and gall. We ask it through His dereliction on the cross, when He exclaimed: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" We ask it through His mercy extended to the good thief, and through His recommending His precious soul into the hands of His eternal Father before He expired, saying: "All is consummated." We ask it through the blood mixed with water which issued from His sacred side when pierced with a lance, and whence a flood of grace and mercy hath flowed upon us. We ask it through His immaculate life, bitter Passion. and ignominious death upon the cross, at which nature itself was thrown into convulsions, by the bursting of rocks, rending of the veil of the Temple, the earthquake, and darkness of the sun and moon. We ask it through His descent into hell, where He comforted the saints of the Old Law, and led captivity captive. We ask it through His glorious victory over death, His triumphant ascension into heaven, and through the grace of the Holy Ghost, infused into the hearts of the disciples when He descended on them in the form of fiery tongues. We ask it through His awful appearance on the Last Day, when He shall come to judge the living and the dead. We ask it through the compassion He bore thee, and the ineffable joy thou didst feel at thine assumption into heaven, where thou art absorbed in the sweet contemplation of His divine perfections. O glorious and ever blessed Virgin, comfort the hearts of thy supplicants, by obtaining for us:

And as we are persuaded that our divine Saviour honors thee as His beloved Mother, to whom He can refuse nothing, so let us experience the efficacy of thy powerful intercession, according to the tenderness of thy maternal affection, and the charity of His amiable Heart, which mercifully granteth the requests, and complieth with the desires of those who love and fear Him. O most Blessed Virgin! besides the object of our present petition, and whatever else we may stand in need of, obtain for us of thy dear Son, our Lord and our God, lively faith, firm hope, perfect charity, true contrition, a horror of sin, love of God and our neighbor, contempt of the world, and patience and resignation under the trials and difficulties of this life. Obtain for us, O sacred Mother of God! the gift of final perseverance, and the grace to receive the last sacraments worthily at the hour of death. Lastly, obtain, we beseech thee, for our parents, our relatives, and our benefactors, whether living or dead, life everlasting. Amen.