Today, I hit the two year mark on the 7 Prayers of St. Bridget. I highly recommend them. They are an opportunity for people to make a commitment to praying these prayers, every day, for 12 years. Most people can’t or just do not commit to prayer. Use these prayers to make a commitment to prayer. Let them be your starting point, from which you go deeper into the life of prayer. They are also a very succinct way to meditate on the passion of our Lord. We don’t take enough time to meditation on our Lord’s passion. If all people meditated on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ for a little time each day, it would change them and change their life. The passion helps us to see that there is something much more important than the many little concerns that we have. We do an awful lot of complaining. Those small things become much small in comparison to our eternal salvation. the 12 prayers of St. Bridget are beautiful. Give them a try!
Originally posted on August 20, 2013
Many people have heard of 15 prayers of St. Bridget that focus on the passion of Our Lord. The prayers are said every day for one year. There are a list of 21 promises for those who say the prayers every day for one year. I have done the prayers two times, once while I was in the seminary and again as a priest. Recently, I have read that in 1954, The Congregation of the Holy Office prohibited the publication of the promises since the promises have no merit to them. However, the prayers are a very beautiful meditation on the passion of Our Lord and any meditation on Our Lord’s passion can only do good. A short time ago, I also discovered another set of prayers of St. Bridget called the 7 prayers. The prayers are to be said every day for 12 years. At the end of the 12 years, one would have honored each of the 5,480 blows and wounds of Our Lord’s body.
The seven prayers also have promises. I have read that the prayers and promises were approved by Popes Clement XII and Innocent X, but I can’t verify that. Again, even if the promises are not valid, the prayers in themselves are very beautiful and if prayed with devotion and love can only enhance a persons love for Our Lord.
I was moved to start the prayers during Adoration almost two years ago, but avoided that inspiration, so I began them on the Feast of St. Laurence, deacon and martyr this year (August 10).
I have made a little booklet that can be placed in your favorite prayer book, Bible or breviery. You can download it here.
The promises:
1. The soul who prays them will suffer no Purgatory.
2. The soul who prays them will be accepted among the Martyrs as though he had spilled his blood for his faith.
3. The soul who prays them can choose three others whom Jesus will then keep in a state of grace sufficient to become holy.
4. No one in the four successive generations of the soul who prays them will be lost.
5. The soul who prays them will be made conscious of his death one month in advance.
Someone asked me a question on Facebook today regarding the form of absolution. The important part of the question he wrote:
In this episode, we finish our series on the Mass. We have feedback. There is a question about gambling and another about vocations.