Keeping a Holy Hour

Prayers and Hymns

Compiled from approved sources

 

First Quarter of an hour

(Start the rosary – Apostle Creed – Our Father – (3) Hail Mary’s)

(Pray the rosary – typically, on Fridays, Sorrowful Mysteries; on Saturdays, Glorious Mysteries)

An Act of Faith in the Presence of God

O my God! I firmly believe Thou art here present, and plainly seest me: that Thou observest all my actions, all my thoughts, and the most secret motions of my heart. I acknowledge that I am not worthy to come into Thy presence, nor to lift up my eyes to Thee, because I have so often sinned against Thee.  But Thy goodness and mercy invite me to come unto Thee; assist me, I beseech Thee, with Thy holy grace, and teach me to pray to Thee as I ought.

 

Universal Prayer of Clement XI – For all things necessary to salvation

Oh my God, I believe in Thee, but do Thou strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee, do Thou s cure them. I love Thee with my whole heart, teach me to love Thee daily more and more. I am sorry for having offended Thee, do Thou increase my sorrow.

I adore Thee as my first beginning, I aspire after Thee as my last end. I give Thee thanks as my constant benefactor; I call upon Thee as my sovereign protector. Vouchsafe, O my God, to conduct me by Thy wisdom, to restrain me by Thy justice, to comfort me by Thy mercy, to defend me by Thy power.

To Thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings; that henceforward I may think of Thee, speak of Thee, and willingly refer all my actions to Thy greater glory: and suffer willingly whatever Thou shalt appoint.  Lord, I desire that in all things Thy will may be done, because it is Thy will, and in the manner that Thou willest.  I beg of Thee to enlighten my understanding, to inflame my will, to purify my body, and to sanctify my soul.  Give me strength, O my God, to expiate my offenses, to overcome my temptations, to subdue my passions, and to acquire the virtues proper for my state.

Fill my heart with tender affection for Thy goodness, a hatred for my faults, a love for my neighbor, and a contempt of the world.  Let me always remember to be submissive to my superiors, charitable to my inferiors, faithful to my friends, and indulgent towards my enemies.  Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, avarice by almsgiving, anger by meekness, and tepidity by devotion. O my God, make me prudent in my undertakings, courageous in dangers, patient in afflictions, and humble in prosperity.  Grant, that I may be ever attentive in my prayers, temperate at my meals, diligent in my employments, and constant in my resolutions.  Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my exterior modest, my conversation edifying, and my comportment regular.

Assist me, that I may continually labor to overcome nature, by corresponding to Thy grace, to keep Thy commandments, and to work out my salvation.  Discover to me, O my God, the nothingness of this world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, and the length of eternity.  Grant, that I may prepare for the death, that I may fear Thy judgments, that I may escape hell, and in the end obtain heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Second Quarter of an hour  

Ejaculatory Prayers

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved in every place. (Pius IX, Rescript in his own hand, Sept. 20, 1860; S.P. Ap., March 10, 1933)

Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, set our hearts on fire with love of Thee. (Roman Breviary)

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thy altar.  We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but, to be more surely united with Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy most Sacred Heart.  Many indeed have never known Thee; many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee.  Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.  Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.  Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism, and refuse not to draw them all into the light and kingdom of God.  Turn Thine eyes of mercy towards the children of that race, once Thy chosen people: of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Saviour; may It now descend upon them a laver of redemption and of life.  Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise be to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to It be glory and honour for ever.  Amen.

 

Third Quarter of an hour

Ejaculatory prayer

Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, light of the world, I adore Thee; for Thee I live, for Thee I die.  Amen. (Pope St.Pius X, Rescript in his own hand, June 19, 1909; S.C. of the Holy Office, July 1, 1909; S.P. Ap., Sept. 20, 1933).

Prayer

Grant me Thy grace, most merciful Jesus, that it may be with me and work with me and persevere with me even to the end. Grant that I may always desire and will that which is to Thee most acceptable and most dear.  Let thy will be mine, and let my will ever follow Thine and agree perfectly with it.  Let my willing and not-willing be all one with Thine, and let me not be able to will or not will anything else but what Thou willest or willest not. (Imitation of Christ, bk. 3, ch. 15, v . 3).

Say the Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

 

Fourth Quarter of an hour   

Ejaculatory Prayer

Blessed be Jesus Christ and His most pure Mother!  (S.P. Ap., Nov. 8, 1921).

O Jesus, with all my heart I cling to Thee.  (Apostolic Brief, June 10, 1923).

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Thy altar eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Thy loving Heart is everywhere subject.

Mindful alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Thy pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offences, but also for the sins of those, who straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow Thee, their Shepherd and Leader, or , renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Thy law.  We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against Thee; wear e determined to make amends for the manifold offences against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violation of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against Thee and Thy Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Thy Vicar on earth and Thy priests are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Thy divine love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and the teaching authority of the Church which Thou hast founded.

Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Thy divine honour, the satisfaction thou didst once make to Thy eternal Father on the cross and which Thou dost continue to renew daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Thy Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make reparation, as far as we can with the help of Thy grace, for all neglect of Thy great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past.  Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospel and especially that of charity.  We promise to the best of our power to prevent other from offending Thee and to bring as many as possible to follow Thee.

O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowning gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to Thee, so that we may all one day come to that happy home, where Thou with the father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest God, world without end. Amen.

Hyms

To Jesus’ Heart All Burning

O Sacred Heart!  O Love Divine

Come Holy Ghost

Jesus, My Lord, My God

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

                                                                                                         O Salutaris Hostia

                                                                                                        Tantum Ergo

                                                                                                            Benedictus Qui Venit

                                                                                                           Lauda, Jerusalem

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