Offering of the Precious Blood of Jesus
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that this prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory every time it is said.
Some of the Prayers of St. Gertrude
"I desire your writings to be an indisputable evidence of My Divine goodness in these latter times, in which I propose to do good to many."
–Words of Christ to Saint Gertrude
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First Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal sweetness and jubilee of those who love Thee, remember all the presentiment of grief Thou didst endure from the moment of Thy conception, and especially at Thy entrance into Thy Passion, when Thou didst say: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death"; and when, by reason of Thy overwhelming dread and anguish and grief, Thou didst sweat, as it were, drops of Blood trickling down upon the ground. Remember all the bitterness of Thy sorrow when Thou wast seized upon by the Jews, accused by false witnesses, condemned by Thy three judges, buffeted and smitten, spit upon, scourged, and crowned with thorns. O sweetest Jesus, I implore Thee, by all the sorrows and insults Thou didst endure, have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen.
Second Prayer
O Jesus, paradise of the delights of God, remember now all the dread and sorrow Thou didst endure when Pilate pronounced on Thee sentence of death; when the godless soldiers laid the heavy Cross on Thy Shoulders, and fastened Thee thereon with rude and blunted nails, cruelly stretching Thy sacred Limbs so that all Thy Bones could be numbered; I beseech Thee, vouchsafe to pronounce a merciful sentence on me in the day of judgment, and deliver me from all punishment. Amen.
Third Prayer
O Jesus, Heavenly Physician, remember now the languor and the pain Thou didst endure when lifted upon the Cross, when all Thy Bones were out of joint, so that no sorrow was like to Thy sorrow, because, from the sole of Thy Foot to the top of Thy Head, there was no soundness in Thee; when, notwithstanding, Thou didst put away the feeling of all Thine own griefs, and pray to Thy Father for Thine enemies, saying: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." By this, Thy charity and Thy mercy, grant that the dignity and worth of Thy Passion may be the entire remission of all my sins. Amen.
Fourth Prayer
O Jesus, mirror of the eternal splendor, remember now that sadness which filled Thy Heart when Thou didst behold in the mirror of Thy Divinity the reprobation of the wicked and the multitude of the lost; and by the depth of the compassion Thou didst show to the robber on the cross, saying: "This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise," I beseech Thee, O compassionate Jesus, show me Thy mercy in the hour of my death. Amen.
Fifth Prayer
O Jesus, King most beloved, remember now the mournful desolation of Thy Heart, when Thou, forsaken by all, wert mocked as Thou didst hang on the Cross; when Thou didst find none to comfort Thee but Thy beloved Mother, who stood by Thy Cross to the last, and whom Thou didst commend to Thy disciple, saying: "Woman, behold thy son," and to the disciple: "Behold thy Mother." I beseech Thee, O compassionate Jesus, by that sword of anguish which then pierced her heart, do Thou condole with me and console me in all my tribulations. Amen.
Sixth Prayer
O Jesus, inexhaustible fountain of pity, remember now that bitterness which Thou didst endure when, Thy strength being exhausted and Thy sacred Body dried up, Thou didst feel that burning thirst, and hadst not one drop of water to cool Thy parched Tongue, but only vinegar upon hyssop; I beseech Thee that Thou wouldst extinguish in me the thirst of carnal concupiscence and worldy delights. Amen.
Seventh Prayer
O Jesus, mighty King, remember now that when Thou wast plunged into the bitter waters of Thy Passion until they closed over Thy Head, Thou wast forsaken and didst cry out with a loud voice, saying: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" By this Thine anguish and dereliction, I beseech Thee, forsake me not in my last agony. Amen.
Eighth Prayer
O Jesus, strong Lion of the tribe of Juda, remember now the sorrow and the woe Thou didst endure, when all the forces of Thy Heart and of Thy Flesh failed Thee utterly, and Thou didst bow Thy Head and cry: "It is consummated." By this Thine anguish and Thy woe, have mercy on me at the end of my life, when my soul shall be troubled, and my spirit disquieted within me. Amen.
Ninth Prayer
O Jesus, splendor of the Father's glory and figure of His substance, remember now that earnest commendation with which Thou didst commend Thy Spirit to the Father, saying: "Father, into Thy Hands I commend My Spirit!" and when, Thy most sacred Body being torn and Thy Heart broken, and all the bowels of Thy compassion laid bare for our Redemption, Thou didst give up Thy Spirit; I beseech Thee, the Life of all that live, to submit to death, that Thou wouldst mortify and kill in my soul whatever is displeasing to Thee. Amen.
Tenth Prayer
O Jesus, true and fruitful Vine, remember now the lavish, the excessive profusion wherewith Thou didst shed Thy Precious Blood, when on the Cross Thou didst tread the winepress alone, and wast crushed as a cluster of ripe grapes; when Thou didst give us water and Blood from Thy pierced Side, so that not one drop remained in Thy Heart. Then wast Thou hung up as a bundle of myrrh, and Thy tender Flesh grew pale, and Thy moisture was all dried up within Thee, and the marrow of Thy bones consumed. By this Thy most bitter Passion, and by the shedding of Thy most Precious Blood, I beseech Thee, O most loving Jesus, wash my soul at the hour of my death with the water which flowed from Thy Sacred Side, and adorn it with comeliness in the Precious Blood of Thy sweetest Heart, and render it acceptable in Thy Sight in the fragrant odor of Thy Divine Love. Amen.
Oblation
Accept, O compassionate Jesus, this my prayer with that exceeding love wherewith Thou didst endure a bitter Death, and didst offer it, together with all the fruit of Thy most sacred Humanity, to God the Father on the day of Thine ascension; and by the depth of those Wounds which scarred Thy flesh and pierced Thy Hands and Feet and Heart, I beseech Thee, raise me up, who am steeped and sunk in sin, and render me well-pleasing to Thee in all things. Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady, taught to St. Gertrude
O most chaste Virgin Mary, I beseech thee by that unspotted purity wherewith thou didst prepare for the Son of God a dwelling of delight in thy virginal womb, that by thine intercession I may be cleansed by every stain of sin.
O most humble Virgin Mary, I beseech thee by that most profound humility whereby thou didst merit to be raised high above all the choirs of the angels and the saints, that by thine intercession all my negligence may be expiated.
O most loving Virgin Mary, I beseech thee by that ineffable love which united thee so closely and so inseparably to God, that by thine intercession I may obtain an abundance of all merits. Amen.
St. Gertrude
St. Gertrude the Great, a Cistercian nun, is one of the most lovable German saints from medieval times, and through her writings she will remain for all ages a guide to the interior life. She was born in 1256 at Eisleben and at the age of five taken to the convent at Rossdorf, where Gertrude of Hackeborn was abbess. In spite of much ill-health, Gertrude used her exceptional natural talents well, knew Latin fluently. When she was twenty-five years old (1281), Christ began to appear to her and to disclose to her the secrets of mystical union. Obeying a divine wish, she put into writing the favors of grace bestowed upon her. St. Gertrude died in 1302, more consumed by the fire of God's love than by fever.
Prayer to St. Gertrude the Great:
Model of total fidelity to the Heavenly Bridegroom and to your Cistercian Rule, the Lord was pleased to make available wonderful private revelations through you. Help religious to realize that where there is total generosity, trials are usually not lacking, but there is also God's infinite love. Make all religious generous like you. Amen.
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St. Margaret of Scotland
She was born in Hungary (1046), where her father was living in exile, and likewise spent her childhood there as an unusually devout and pious girl. In the course of time she went to England, when her father was called to high office in his fatherland by his uncle, King St. Edward III. Fortune, however, soon reversed itself again (Margaret's father died suddenly in 1057), and upon leaving England a mighty storm – or better, divine Providence – brought her to the shores of Scotland.
Upon instructions from her mother, Margaret married Malcolm III, king of Scotland, in 1069. The country was blessed by her holy life and by her deeds of charity for the next thirty years. Her eight children she zealously trained in the practice of Christian virtues.
In the midst of royal splendor Margaret chastised her flesh by mortification and vigils and passed the greater part of the night in devout prayer. Her most remarkable virtue was love of neighbor, particularly love toward the poor. Her alms supported countless unfortunates; daily she provided food for three hundred and shared in the work of serving them personally, washing their feet and kissing their wounds.
Under Queen Margaret's leadership Church councils promoted Easter communion and, much to joy of the working-class, abstinence from servile work on a Sunday. Margaret founded churches, monasteries and pilgrimage hostels and established the Royal Mausoleum at Dunfermline Abbey with monks from Canterbury. She was especially fond of Scottish saints and instigated the Queen's Ferry over the Forth so that pilgrims could more easily reach the Shrine of St. Andrew.
Mass was changed from the many dialects of Gaelic spoken throughout Scotland to the unifying Latin. By adopting Latin to celebrate the Mass she believed that all Scots could worship together in unity, along with the other Christians of Western Europe. Many people believe that in doing this, it was not only Queen Margaret's goals to unite the Scots, but also Scotland and England in an attempt to end the bloody warfare between the two countries.
In setting the agenda for the church in Scotland Queen Margaret also ensured the dominance of the Roman Church over the native Celtic Church in the north of the country.
