Use the links below to jump to different sections of this article dedicated to the Chaplet of the 5 Holy Wounds of Jesus.
- Introduction
- History of the 5 Holy Wounds
- Promises of Devotion to 5 Holy Wounds
- How to Pray the Chaplet of the 5 Holy Wounds
- Related Prayers
“Perhaps in that kingdom we shall see on the bodies of the Martyrs the traces of the wounds which they bore for Christ’s name: because it will not be a deformity, but a dignity in them; and a certain kind of beauty will shine in them, in the body, though not of the body.”
Saint Augustine
The 5 Holy Wounds of Jesus are the five wounds Jesus Christ sustained on the cross: the 4 nail holes in his hands and feet, as well as the final wound in His torso from the spear. People throughout centuries have meditated on these wounds to remember Jesus’s Passion.
History of the 5 Holy Wounds
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a revival of devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ stirred interest in honoring His Holy Wounds. Many customs were created for this devotion, such as reciting 15 ‘Our Father’ prayers everyday and holding a special mass, also known as the ‘Golden Mass.’
The purpose of this devotion is to increase faith in His Resurrection and to remember the suffering He went through for us. It is also used as an act of reparation for the world’s sins and to pray for those in purgatory.
Her Mother Superior took notes of her life, and published them in 1923, where she detailed a prayer that Jesus gave her, the Chaplet of the 5 Holy Wounds.
“Eternal Father I offer the wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal those of our souls.”
Sister Marie-Martha Chambon
Promises for Devotion to His 5 Holy Wounds
As detailed in Sister Mary Martha Chambon’s journal, published in 1923, Jesus gave the following promises for all those who remain faithful to praying this chaplet:
- Every word of the Chaplet of Mercy you pronounce, I allow a drop of My Blood to fall upon the soul of a sinner.
- Each time that you offer to My Father the merits of My Divine Wounds, you win an immense fortune.
- Souls that will have contemplated and honored My crown of thorns on earth, will be My crown of glory in Heaven.
- I will grant all that is asked of Me through the invocation of My Holy Wounds. You. Will obtain everything, because it is through the merit of My Blood, which is of infinite price. With My Wounds and My Divine Heart, everything can be obtained.
- From My Wounds proceed fruits of sanctity. As gold purified in the crucible becomes more beautiful, so you must put your soul and those of your companions into My sacred Wounds; there they will become perfected as gold in the furnace. You can always purify yourself in My Wounds.
- My Wounds will repair yours. My Wounds will cover all your faults. Those who honor them will have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ. In meditation on them, you will always find a new love. My Wounds will cover all your sins.
- Offer Me your actions united to My Wounds and they will be of value. All your actions, even the least, soaked in My Blood, will acquire incomprehensible riches, an infinite merit and will please My Heart.
- In offering My Wounds for the conversion of sinners, even though the sinners are not converted, you will have the same merit before God as if they were.
- When you have some sorrow, something to suffer, quickly place it in My Wounds, and the pain will be alleviated.
- This aspiration must often be repeated near the sick: “My Jesus, Pardon and Mercy through the merits of Your Holy Wounds!” This prayer will solace the soul and body.
- The sinner who will say the following prayer: “Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of our souls”, shall obtain conversion”.
- There will be no death for the soul that expires in My Holy Wounds; they give true life. The way to My Holy Wounds is easy, so easy to reach Heaven.
- This chaplet is a counterpoise to My justice; it restrains My vengeance.
- The soul who prays with humility and meditates on My Passion, will one day share in the glory of My Divine Wounds. The souls will be crowned with resplendent beauty and glory.
- The more you will have contemplated My painful Wounds on this earth, the higher will be your contemplation of them glorious in Heaven.
- The soul who during life has honored the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ and has offered them to the Eternal Father for the souls in Purgatory, will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the angels; and Our Lord on the Cross, all brilliant in glory, will receive her and crown her.
- The invocations of the Holy Wounds will obtain an incessant victory for the Church.
How to Pray the Chaplet of His 5 Holy Wounds: Step by Step Guide
Throughout this chaplet, we can pray for our sins, contemplate on the Passion of Christ, or remember His Resurrection and His victory over evil. Using a rosary, recite the prayer below.
Time Needed: 15 minutes
How to Pray the Chaplet of His 5 Holy Wounds
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
- Holding the Crucifix, pray:
O Jesus, Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world. Amen.
- On the first three beads, pray:
- First bead:
O Powerful God! O Holy God! O Immortal God! Have pity on us and upon the whole world! Amen.
- Second bead:
Pardon and mercy, O my Jesus, during these present dangers. Pour on us Thy Most Precious Blood! Amen.
- Third bead:
O Eternal Father, be merciful to us through the Blood of Jesus Christ Thy only Son! Be merciful to us, we beseech Thee! Amen.
- For the first decade, meditate on the Wound in the left foot of Jesus. On the large bead, pray:
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the Wounds of our souls.
- On the 10 small beads, pray:
My Jesus, pardon and mercy, through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds!
- Repeat these prayers using the rest of the beads on the rosary while meditating on His other wounds:
- Wound in His right foot
- Wound in His left hand
- Wound in His right hand
- Wound in the Sacred side of Jesus
- Once complete, finish by repeating this prayer three times:
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the Wounds of our souls.
(Source)
More Prayers
If you are interested in praying related rosaries or chaplets, check these out below.