A number of years ago, while visiting the Augustinian Monastery of Malestroit in France, I was introduced to a prayer cherished by the incomparable Mère Yvonne–Aimée de Jésus:
O grande Passion!
O profondes plaies!
O effusion de Sang!
O suprême douleur!
O mort soufferte dans toutes les amertumes!
Donnez–nous la vie.
O great Passion!
O profound Wounds!
O outpouring of blood!
O highest Sorrow!
O Death suffered in every bitterness!
Be to us healing and eternal life.
Those who have prayed the prayer know that it is full of compunction and sweetness. I have discovered the prayer in several languages and with many variants. It has been variously attributed to Saint Bridget of Sweden, Saint Bernard, Saint Bonaventure, Blessed Angelo of Foligno, and Blessed Julian of Norwich, but I have never been able to confirm its origin.
I ask readers familiar with the prayer to share anything they may know about its authorship. Thank you.
Comments (7)
I always thought that the prayer was from an apparition of Our Lord to Saint Gertrude or someone but honestly I do not know for sure. A beautiful and powerful way of praying, though. I like your translation, Father Mark, O.Cist..
Posted by elena maria vidal | March 25, 2007 12:41 PM
Posted on March 25, 2007 12:41
Saint Gertrude! Of course. (I was ordained on her feastday, 16 November.) Sounds very likely to me. Let's see if other readers have any leads.
Posted by Don Marco, O.Cist. | March 25, 2007 12:57 PM
Posted on March 25, 2007 12:57
Prayers for the Release of the Souls in Purgatory
Prayer of St. Gerturde, the Great.
Dictated by Our Lord to Release 1000 Souls from Purgatory Each Time It Is Said
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.
Oh Immense Passion,
Oh Profound Wounds,
Oh Sweetness Above All Sweetness,
Oh Profusion of Blood
Oh Most Bitter Death,
Give the Souls in Purgatory
Especially .................................
Eternal Rest. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
May their souls, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Posted by Fr. Gregory | March 25, 2007 3:39 PM
Posted on March 25, 2007 15:39
I would love to find the exact reference in the works of Saint Gertrude. It is interesting that in French, somewhere along the way, douceur became douleur, at least in the text as I remember it. I wish I had the critical Sources Chrétiennes edition of Saint Gertrude here!
Posted by Anonymous | March 25, 2007 4:07 PM
Posted on March 25, 2007 16:07
Another version of the prayer:
A Very powerful Prayer To Obtain A Favor
O great passion! O deep Wounds! O Blood shed in abundance! O meekness! O God of meekness, O cruel death, have mercy on me and grant my request if it be for my salvation.
Prayer is from the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 745 St. John's Place, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11216
Posted by Anonymous | March 26, 2007 2:43 AM
Posted on March 26, 2007 02:43
You don't happen to have a Spanish translation, do you? Or Latin and Italian?
I love languages...I speak Spanish (badly from lack of use) and want to learn Latin and Italian...
I can't think of a better way to learn languages than through profound prayers.
Posted by Julie | March 28, 2007 3:26 AM
Posted on March 28, 2007 03:26
+Dear Father,
I was very interested in your comments here, since this prayer is familiar to us but we do not know its origins. In our Franciscan version we do have "O Sweetest Sweetness" and not "O Highest Sorrow", as in Father Gregory's post. Very interesting!
Posted by MVT | April 5, 2007 9:08 PM
Posted on April 5, 2007 21:08