The Office of the Passion of the Lord

The Office of the Passion of the Lord

Marian Antiphon

Holy Virgin Mary, among the women born into the world,  there is no one like you. Daughter and servant of the most high and supreme King and of the Father in heaven, Mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us with Saint Michael the Archangel, all the powers of heaven and all the saints, at the side of your most holy beloved Son, our Lord and Teacher.

Psalm VII: Vespers

All you nations clap your hands*

shout to God with a voice of gladness.

For the Lord, the Most High*

the Awesome, is the Great King over all the earth.

For the Most Holy Father of heaven, our King before all ages*

sent His Beloved Son from on high+

and has brought salvation in the midst of the earth.

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult*

let the sea and all that is in it be moved+

let the fields and all that is in them be glad.

Sing a new song to Him*

Sing to the Lord all the earth.

Because the Lord is great and highly to be praised*

awesome beyond all gods.

Give to the Lord, you families of nations,+

Give to the Lord glory and honour*

Give to the Lord the glory due His name.

Take up your bodies and carry His holy cross*

and follow His most holy commands even to the end.

Let the whole earth tremble before His face*

tell among the nations that the Lord has ruled from a tree.

He ascended into heaven+

and is seated at the right hand of the most holy Father in heaven*

O God, be exalted above the heavens+

and above all the earth be your glory.

We know that He is coming*

that He will come to judge justice. 

Psalm XV: Vespers of the Lord's Birth

Exult in God our help!*

Shout to the Lord God living and true with cries of gladness!

Because the Lord, the Most High,*

the Awesome, is the Great King over all the earth.

Because the Most Holy Father of heaven, our King before all ages,+

sent His Beloved Son from on high*

and He was born of the Blessed Virgin Holy Mary.

He called to me: You are my Father*

and I will place Him, my firstborn, as the Highest,+

above all the kings of the earth.

On that day the Lord sent His mercy*

and at night His song.

This is the day the Lord has made*

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

For the Most Holy Child has been given to us+

and has been born for us on the way*

and placed in a manger

because he did not have a place in the inn.

Glory to the Lord God in the highest*

and peace on earth to those of good will.

Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult,+

let the sea and its fullness resound,*

let the fields and all that is in them be joyful.

Sing a new song to the Lord,*

sing to the Lord all the earth.

Because the Lord is great and worthy of praise*

He is awesome beyond all gods.

Give to the Lord. you families of nations,+

give to the Lord glory and praise*

give to the Lord the glory due His name.

Take up your bodies and carry His holy cross*

And follow His most holy commands even to the end.

Prayer to the Trinity

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,

give us miserable ones

the grace to do for You alone

what we know You want us to do

and always to desire what pleases You.

Inwardly cleansed,

interiorly enlightened

and inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit,

may we be able to follow

in the footprints of Your beloved Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ,

and, by Your grace alone,

may we make our way to you,

Most High,

Who live and rule

in perfect Trinity and simple Unity,

and are glorified

God almighty,

Forever and ever. Amen.  

Let us bless the Lord God living and true!

Let us always render Him

praise, glory, honour, blessing and every good.

Amen. Amen, So be it. So be it.

(From  the Office of the Passion)

Fear and honour,

praise and bless,

give thanks and adore

the Lord God Almighty in Trinity and in Unity,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

the Creator of all.

(From the Rnb XXI, 2)

The invitation to restore all goods to the Lord

Let us refer all good

to the Lord, God Almighty and Most High,

acknowledge that every good is His,

and thank Him,

“from Whom all good comes,

for everything.

May He,

The Almighty and Most High,

The only true God,

Have, be given, and receive

All honour and respect,

All praise and blessing,

All thanks and glory,

To Whom all good belongs,

He Who alone is good. 

Prayer and Thanksgiving

All-powerful, most holy, Almighty and supreme God, Holy and just Father, Lord King of heaven and earth we thank You for Yourself for through Your holy will and through Your only Son with the Holy Spirit You have created everything spiritual and corporal and, after making us in Your own image and likeness, You placed us in paradise. Through our own fault we fell.

We thank You for as through Your Son You created us, so through Your holy love with which You loved us You brought about His birth as true God and true man by the glorious, ever-virgin, most blessed, holy Mary and You willed to redeem us captives through His cross and blood and death.

We thank You for Your Son Himself will come again in the glory of His majesty to send into the eternal fire the wicked ones who have not done penance and have not known You and to say to all those who have known You, adored You and served You in penance: "Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world."

Because all of us, wretches and sinners, are not worthy to pronounce Your name, we humbly ask our Lord Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, in Whom You were well pleased, together with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, to give You thanks, for everything as it pleases You and Him, Who always satisfies You in everything, through Whom You have done so much for us. Alleluia!

Because of Your love, we humbly beg the glorious Mother, the most blessed, ever-virgin Mary, Blessed Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, all the choirs of the blessed seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations, principalities, powers, virtues, angels, archangels, Blessed John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, Peter, Paul, the blessed patriarchs and prophets, the innocents, apostles, evangelists, disciples, the martyrs, confessors and virgins, the blessed Elijah and Henoch, all the saints who were, who will be, and who are to give You thanks for these things, as it pleases You, God true and supreme, eternal and living, with Your most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, world without end. Amen. Alleluia!

All of us lesser brothers, useless servants, humbly ask and beg those who wish to serve the Lord God within the holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and all the following orders: priests, deacons, sub deacons, acolytes, exorcists, lectors, porters, and all clerics, all religious men and women, all penitents and youths, the poor and the needy, kings and princes, workers and farmers, servants and masters, all virgins, continent and married women, all lay people, men and women, all children, adolescents, young and old, the healthy and the sick, all the small and the great, all peoples, races, tribes, and tongues, all nations and all peoples everywhere on earth, who are and who will be to persevere in the true faith and in penance for otherwise no one will be saved.

With our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind, with our whole strength and fortitude with our whole understanding with all our powers with every effort, every affection, every feeling, every desire and wish let us all love the Lord God Who has given and gives to each one of us our whole body, our whole soul and our whole life, Who has created, redeemed and will save us by His mercy alone, Who did and does everything good for us, miserable and wretched, rotten and foul, ungrateful and evil ones.

Therefore, let us desire nothing else, let us want nothing else, let nothing else please us and cause us delight except our Creator, Redeemer and Saviour, the only true God, Who is the fullness of good, all good, every good, the true and supreme good, Who alone is good, merciful, gentle, delightful, and sweet, Who alone is holy, just, true, holy, and upright, Who alone is kind, innocent, clean, from Whom, through Whom and in Whom is all pardon, all grace, all glory of all penitents and just ones, of all the blessed rejoicing together in heaven.

Therefore, let nothing hinder us, nothing separate us, nothing come between us.

Wherever we are, in every place, at every hour, at every time of the day, every day and continually, let all of us truly and humbly believe, hold in our heart and love, honour, adore, serve, praise and bless, glorify and exalt, magnify and give thanks to the Most High and Supreme Eternal God Trinity and Unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Creator of all, Saviour of all Who believe and hope in Him, and love Him, Who, without beginning and end, is unchangeable, invisible, indescribable, ineffable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, blessed, praiseworthy, glorious, exalted, sublime, most high, gentle, lovable, delightful, and totally desirable above all else for ever. Amen 

Blessed is he who loves the Lord

(The First Version of the Letter to the Faithful, Chapter I)

In the Name of the Lord! All those who love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with their whole strength and love their neighbours as themselves, who hate their bodies with their vices and sins, who receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who produce worthy fruits of penance. O how happy and blessed are these men and women while they do such things and persevere in doing them, because the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon them and make Its home and dwelling place among them, and they are children of the heavenly Father Whose works they do, and they are spouses, brothers, and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are spouses when the faithful soul is joined by the Holy Spirit to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are brothers to Him when we do the will of the Father who is in heaven. We are mothers when we carry Him in our heart and body through a divine love and a pure and sincere conscience and give birth to Him through a holy activity which must shine as an example before others.

O how glorious it is to have a holy and great Father in heaven! O how holy, consoling to have such a beautiful and wonderful Spouse! O how holy and how loving, gratifying, humbling, peace-giving, sweet, worthy of love, and, above all things, desirable: to have such a Brother and such a Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who laid down His life for His sheep and prayed to His Father, saying:

Holy Father, in your name, save those whom you have given me in the world; they were yours and you gave them to me. The words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and have believed in truth that I have come from you and they have known that you have sent me.

I pray for them and not for the world. Bless and sanctify them; I sanctify myself for them. I pray not only for them, but for those who will believe in me through their word 'that they might be sanctified in being one as we are.

I wish, Father, that where I am, they also may be with me that they may see my glory in your kingdom. Amen. 

Blessing to Brother Leo

May the Lord bless you and keep you. 

May He show His face to you and be merciful to you. 

May He turn His countenance to you and give you peace. 

(Blessing to Brother Leo)

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons