Guided Prayer – A Meditation on the Wounds of Christ – Lent 2021

Summary


In this talk, Beth shares a meditative prayer using a Crucifix. She guides us in a prayer over the wounds of Jesus. This is a beautiful way to slow down and reflect on the Lord Jesus Christ’s love for all of us, and to unite ourselves to Him this Lent.

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Reflective Study Guide Questions


“He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity.”

Is. 53:5

1. In the meditation Beth reads, the Wound in Jesus’ right hand is a refuge from the sins of disobedience and self-will. This Wound is a refuge for when we are tempted to take the easy or broad path. In what areas of your life do you tend toward self-will, toward taking the easy path?

2. The Wound in Jesus’ left hand is a refuge from sins selfishness. We can flee to this Wound as a refuge when we are tempted to direct things inordinately towards ourselves. In what areas of your life have you been selfish or self-seeking? 

3. The Wound in Jesus’ right foot is a refuge from sins of inconstancy, a refuge in temptations to waver in our resolutions. In what areas of your life do you struggle with inconstancy? Have you had trouble in the past with staying firm in your resolutions? 

4. The Wound in Jesus’ left foot is a refuge from sins of sloth and lethargy. We can go to this Wound for refuge when we are tempted to despair or discouragement in our lives. In what area of your life to you struggle most with the temptation of despair or discouragement? 

5. The Wound in Jesus’ side is a refuge from the fleshly deceit that promising sweetness but gives us bitterness instead. We can flee to this Wound when we are tempted to look for love in creatures before God. In what areas of your life have you struggled with seeking created things over God?

Text: A Meditation on the Wounds of Christ


Hi friends. My name is Beth Davis, and today I’m going to be leading you through a guided meditation praying with a crucifix. So, you’re going to want one of these today while we chat. If you want to pause the video now, I’ll wait. Ready? So, a few months ago I was redecorating my bedroom, and I’d always seen this beautiful Catholic tradition of hanging a very simple crucifix over your bed. And so, I redecorated around this little simple crucifix hanging over my bed. I wanted the Lord to be the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep at night and the first thing on my mind when I woke up. And shortly after, I discovered this beautiful quote from Saint Paul of the Cross and began to include this as a part of my evening devotion.

He says, “When you are alone in your room, take your crucifix, kiss its five wounds reverently, tell it to preach you a little sermon, and then listen to the words of eternal life that it speaks to your heart. Listen to the pleading of the thorns, the nails, the precious blood. Oh, what an eloquent sermon.” So that’s what we’re going to do today. We are going to reverently kiss the five wounds of the cross, and I’ll give you some things to pray with as we reflect on the crucifix and look at the crucifix.

The Anima Christi

So, let’s begin with a prayer. Together we’ll pray the Anima Christi. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Soul of Christ sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds, hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from you. From the malicious enemy, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me and bid me come unto thee that with thy saints I may praise thee for ever and ever. Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Within thy Wounds, Hide Me

We’re actually going to zero in on one line of that beautiful prayer, “Within thy wounds, hide me.” “Within thy wounds, hide me.” Why would we pray those words? Why would we want to be hidden in the wounds of Jesus? Well, first of all, we want to flee from temptation and hide ourselves in the wounds of Jesus, in the person of Jesus. We want to go to Him first in the face of temptation. But we also go and hide ourselves in the wounds of Jesus to comfort Him there. Jesus suffered for us. And so we run to Him in thanks giving with love to pour back our gratitude, our love into those wounds. And finally, we return to Him and we hide within His wounds so that we might receive His love. Just as Jesus’ blood poured forth from each of those five wounds, so His love poured out of His body, poured forth from His sacred heart to shower us with His love. So we run and we hide in the wounds of Jesus from temptation, to console His sacred heart, and finally to receive His love.

A Meditation from In Sinu Jesu

Now I’m going to base our meditation today on this beautiful reflection from “In Sinu Jesu.” It’s the diary of a Benedictine monk at prayer. And it’s the voice of Jesus speaking to this monk in Eucharistic adoration. We’re going to go through each of the five wounds. So, you’ll want to have your crucifix handy. Feel free to just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and enter into prayer. And I’ll lead you. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Right Hand

Jesus says, “Ask me to hide you in my wounds. There’s a place for you in each of my five wounds. Each of them represents a refuge against the temptations that threaten you and the traps set by the devil who would ensnare you and rejoice to see you fall. The wound in my right hand is your refuge from sins of disobedience and self-will. Take refuge there when you are tempted to take the path that is easy and broad.”

So, we hold our crucifix tenderly, lovingly, and we look at the wound in Jesus’s right hand. And we remember our sins of disobedience and self-will. Jesus, we desire to be obedient to you. We don’t want to follow our own will. We want to respond promptly, joyfully to your Holy Spirit within us. Jesus, would you forgive us for those times that we’ve been disobedient, that we’ve insisted on our own way? Holy Spirit, would you remind us to run to the foot of the cross to look upon the pierced right hand of Jesus when we are tempted to disobedience and to follow our own will? Jesus, we desire to console you in your wounds. Help us to pour our love into the wound in your right hand, just as you poured forth your love for us through that pierced right hand. And now take a moment. Take as long as you need to kiss the right hand of Jesus on the crucifix.

The Left Hand

“The wound in my left hand is your refuge from sins of selfishness, from directing all things to yourself and grasping the attention of others by seeking to take to yourself what your right hand has given me.”

So now we consider the left hand of Jesus on our crucifix. Lord Jesus, we love you. Please forgive us, Lord, for our selfishness. And perhaps you want to call to mind something, a way that you’ve been self-seeking, a way that you feel your love has fallen short and tell Jesus about that now. Lord Jesus, forgive us for grasping for the attention, the love, the delight that we find first and foremost, ultimately in you. Forgive us for taking back what we’ve offered to you, Lord. When we look upon your left hand, Jesus, pierced out of love for us, we desire to console you, Lord, to be with you in your suffering, even as you suffered for us. Pour out your love and grant us the grace to pour our love into this wound for you. Now take a moment to tenderly, reverently kiss the left hand of Jesus.

The Right Foot

“The wound in my right foot is your refuge from sins of inconstancy. Take refuge there when you are tempted to be inconsistent. And when your waiver in your resolutions, to love me above all things and to place me first in your affections and in your desires.”

Jesus, we look upon your pierced right foot. We ask you to forgive our sins of inconstancy. We desire, Jesus, that you would be all in all, that you would be above all, Jesus, that you would be the center of our lives. And in this moment, right now, with the help and the strength of the Holy Spirit, we resolve to place you once more on the throne of our hearts. We can’t keep you at the center, Lord, without your help. So, grant us the grace to love you above all things. Pour out your fervor, the love that you had for the Father, into our hearts. Jesus, we desire to be with you in your suffering, to stand at the foot of your cross and to look upon your pierced right foot. Thank you, Jesus, for taking our sin, our suffering upon yourself. Thank you for showing us true constancy, true love of the Father. Would you allow us to console you in your pain and in your suffering as we look upon your pierced right foot? We receive your love which pours forth from your pierced right foot, and we pour into you and over you all of our love, weak and fragile though it may be. Now we kiss the cross.

The Left Foot

“The wound in my left foot is your refuge against sins of sloth and of spiritual lethargy. Take refuge there when you are tempted to give up the struggle and to consent to despair and discouragement.”

Lord Jesus, we are so easily tempted to discouragement and despair. Forgive us, Lord. We are so easily convinced to give up. God, we want to be holy. We want to live lives of virtue, live lives of love and faith and hope. We can’t do this without you, Jesus. Forgive us for the ways in which we’ve fallen short. Forgive us for weak prayer lives, for procrastination, for being late, for putting off to last the most important thing, for doing the bare minimum. Jesus, forgive us. You didn’t do the bare minimum. You loved us to the end, to the very end. Would you grant us the grace to love you to the end of our lives, to the end of ourselves? Would you grant us the grace to love others to the end, to the end of our lives and to the end of ourselves? Allow us to console you in this wound. Let our presence here speak to your sacred heart that you are not alone, but that we are with you. Help us never to leave you. And Jesus, we can’t do this without your help. We can’t pray as we ought. We can’t love as others deserve. So, we open our heart and our hands to receive your love. Your love is the source. Your love is the fountain, and we receive it now as we look upon your pierced left foot. And now we kiss the cross.

The Side

“Finally, the wound in my side is your refuge from every false love and every fleshly deceit promising sweetness but giving bitterness and death instead. Take refuge in my pierced side when you are tempted to look for love in any creature. I have created you for my love, and my love alone can satisfy the desires of your heart. Enter then the wound in my side, and penetrating even into my heart, drink deeply of the springs of love that will refresh and delight your soul and wash you in preparation for the wedding of your soul with me, for I am the bridegroom of your soul, your savior from all that would defile you and your God who is love and mercy now and unto the ages of ages.”

Lord Jesus, we look upon your pierced side. We remember your sacred heart that was pierced with love of us. We remember the blood and the water that poured forth, and we ask your forgiveness, Lord, for all the ways that we’ve sought to satisfy our own desires, all the ways in which we’ve tried to make other people satisfy our desires or give us our identity, our dignity, our worth. Forgive us, Jesus, for running after these false loves, false lovers. We repent, Jesus, of any idols in our lives, anything that’s taken first place before you, anything we’ve convinced ourselves that will satisfy us, when it’s you alone who can satisfy.

Take a moment, led by the Holy Spirit, to call to mind any false loves, anything or anyone that you may be pursuing and asking to satisfy those deep desires of your heart. Place that longing, that person, that desire within the pierced heart of Jesus. Lord Jesus, we stand at the foot of your cross. We look upon your pierced side. Full of love, Lord, we thank you. We thank you for your love. And we ask that our loving gaze here would console your sacred heart. We remember your mother standing beside us. We hold her hand as we look upon your pierced side. We remember the beloved disciple and Mary Magdalene, who loved you with such pure hearts, with such fidelity. We pray, Jesus, that their love and our love would console you in your suffering. And Jesus, we open our heart and our hands to receive your love pouring forth from the wound in your side. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, Jesus. Now we kiss the crucifix.

Hail Mary

We ask in a special way for Our Lady’s mantle to cover us with her love and protection. Holy Spirit, we ask you to seal in the graces of this time in prayer. Would you deepen them in our personal prayer? Later on, would you bring this practice, these images to mind? Move us with love and devotion to Christ crucified.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thanks for praying with me, friends. If you would like to go back and reflect on this meditation, again the book is “In Sinu Jesu” by a Benedictine monk, and that reflection was from April 15th, 2010 on page 162. God bless you, bye.

About Beth Davis


Beth Davis is a lover of Jesus, a retired youth minister, and the Director of Ministry Advancement for Blessed is She. She is passionate about teaching people how to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus and speaking hope to weary hearts. Her favorite things include being an aunt to her five sweet niece and nephews, calling everyone ‘friend,’ and whatever book she’s currently reading.