The 15 Prayers - Full Text

First Prayer

The Circumcision

O Lord Jesus Christ, eternal sweetness of those who love You, joy surpassing every joy and every desire, salvation and love of those who repent, You who said: "My delights are with the children of men," and who became man for their salvation, remember the motives that moved You to take human flesh and all the sufferings You endured from the beginning of Your incarnation until the time of Your holy Passion, as had been decreed and ordained from eternity in the divine thought.

Remember the sorrow that, as You Yourself declared, Your soul endured when You said: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death"; and when at the Last Supper with Your disciples, after washing their feet, You gave them Your sacred Body and Your precious Blood, and, consoling them with gentleness, foretold Your imminent Passion.

Remember the trembling, the anguish, and the pain that You suffered in Your most holy Body before going to the scaffold of the Cross when, after praying three times to the Father, covered with a sweat of blood, You were betrayed by one of Your disciples, seized by Your chosen people, accused by false witnesses, unjustly condemned to death by three judges in the most solemn season of Passover, mocked, stripped of Your garments, blindfolded and struck, bound to the column, scourged, and crowned with thorns.

For the memory I keep of these pains, I beg You, sweetest Jesus, to grant me before my death true contrition, a sincere confession, and the remission of all my sins. Amen.

Second Prayer

The Scourges and the Thorns

O Jesus, true joy of Angels and Paradise of delight, remember the horrible torments You endured when Your enemies, like ferocious lions, surrounded You with blows, spittings, scratches, and other unheard-of cruelties and tore You apart; and through the insulting words, the harsh blows, and the bitter torments with which Your enemies afflicted You, I beseech You to free me from my enemies, visible and invisible, and grant that under the shadow of Your wings I may find the protection of eternal salvation. Amen.

Third Prayer

The Nails

O Incarnate Word, almighty Creator of the world, You who are immense and incomprehensible and can contain the universe within the span of a hand, remember the most bitter pain You suffered when Your most holy hands and feet were pierced with sharp nails upon the wood of the Cross. Oh, what pain You endured, O Jesus, when those who crucified You tore Your limbs, loosened the joints of Your bones, and stretched Your Body in every direction according to their will.

I beseech You, by the memory of these pains endured by You upon the Cross, to grant that I may love and fear You as is fitting. Amen.

Fourth Prayer

The Raising of the Cross

O Lord Jesus Christ, heavenly Physician, remember the sufferings and pains You felt in Your already torn limbs while the Cross was raised on high. From feet to head You were one mass of pain; yet You forgot such torment and lovingly prayed to the Father for Your enemies, saying: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

By this immeasurable charity and mercy, and by the memory of these pains, grant that the remembrance of Your most beloved Passion may avail me for the full remission of all my sins. Amen.

Fifth Prayer

The Good Thief

Remember, O Lord Jesus Christ, mirror of eternal brightness, the affliction You felt when, seeing the predestination of those elect who, through Your Passion, were to be saved, You also foresaw that many would not profit from it.

Therefore I ask You, by the depth of the mercy You showed not only in grieving for the lost and despairing but also in showing it to the thief when You said to him, "Today you shall be with Me in Paradise," that You, merciful Jesus, would show it to me at the hour of my death. Amen.

Sixth Prayer

The Sorrowful Mother

O lovable King Jesus, remember the pain You suffered when, naked and despised, You hung upon the Cross without anyone among the many friends and acquaintances around You to comfort You except Your beloved Mother, to whom You entrusted Your beloved disciple, saying: "Woman, behold your son"; and to the disciple: "Behold your Mother."

Confidently I pray You, most compassionate Jesus, by the sword of sorrow that then pierced her soul, that You would have compassion on me in all my afflictions and tribulations, of body as well as spirit, and console me, granting me help and joy in every trial and adversity. Amen.

Seventh Prayer

The Thirst of Jesus

O Lord Jesus Christ, inexhaustible fountain of sweetness, who moved by an inward affection of love said upon the Cross: "I thirst," that is, I greatly desire the salvation of the human race, kindle in us, we beseech You, the desire to act perfectly, extinguishing entirely the thirst of sinful desires and the fever of worldly pleasures. Amen.

Eighth Prayer

The Vinegar and the Gall

O Lord Jesus Christ, sweetness of hearts and supreme delight of minds, grant to us miserable sinners, through the bitterness of the vinegar and the gall that You tasted for us at the hour of Your death, that at all times, especially at the hour of our death, we may worthily receive Your Body and Blood as remedy and consolation for our souls. Amen.

Ninth Prayer

The Abandonment

O Lord Jesus Christ, joy of the mind, remember the anguish and pain You suffered when, through the bitterness of death and the insults of the Jews, You cried out to Your Father: "Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabactani?" that is: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

For this I ask You that in the hour of my death You do not forsake me. My Lord and my God. Amen.

Tenth Prayer

The Deep Wounds

O Lord Jesus Christ, beginning and final end of our love, who from the sole of Your feet to the crown of Your head plunged Yourself into the sea of suffering, I beg You, by Your broad and most deep wounds, to teach me to live perfectly in charity according to Your law and commandments. Amen.

Eleventh Prayer

The Hidden Wounds

O Lord Jesus Christ, deep abyss of pity and mercy, I ask You, by the depth of the wounds that pierced not only Your flesh and the marrow of Your bones, but also Your inmost being, that it may please You to raise me, submerged in sin, and hide me within the openings of Your wounds. Amen.

Twelfth Prayer

The Precious Blood

O Lord Jesus Christ, mirror of truth, sign of unity and of charity, remember the countless wounds with which Your Body was covered, torn by wicked men and reddened with Your own most precious Blood.

Write, I beg You, with that same Blood, Your wounds upon my heart, so that in meditating on Your sorrow and Your love, the sorrow of Your Passion may be renewed in me each day, love may increase, and I may persevere in giving You thanks until the end of my life, that is, until I come to You filled with all the good things and merits that You deigned to give me from the treasure of Your Passion. Amen.

Thirteenth Prayer

It Is Accomplished

O Lord Jesus Christ, invincible and immortal King, remember the sorrow You felt when all the strength of Your Body and Heart had failed, and bowing Your head You said: "It is accomplished."

Therefore I beg You by such anguish and pain to have mercy on me in the final hour of my life, when my soul will be troubled by the anxiety of agony. Amen.

Fourteenth Prayer

Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, only-begotten of the Most High Father, splendor and image of His substance, remember the humble prayer by which You commended Your spirit, saying: "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit." And after bowing Your head and opening the depths of Your mercy for our redemption, with a cry You breathed forth Your last breath.

By this most precious death I beseech You, King of Saints, make me strong to resist the devil, the world, and the flesh, so that, dead to the world, I may live for You alone, and that in the final hour of my life You may receive my spirit, which after a long exile and pilgrimage desires to return to its homeland. Amen.

Fifteenth Prayer

The Wound in the Side

O Lord Jesus Christ, true and fruitful life, remember the abundant outpouring of Your Blood when, as You bowed Your head upon the Cross, the soldier Longinus opened Your side and from it there flowed the last drops of Blood and Water.

By this most bitter Passion, wound, I beg You, sweetest Jesus, my heart, so that day and night I may pour forth tears of penance and of love. Convert me wholly to Yourself, so that my heart may be Your perpetual dwelling place and my conversion may please You and be acceptable to You, and may the end of my life be praiseworthy, that I may praise You together with all the Saints forever. Amen.