The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Part 3

Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.

Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, begotten by the Father from all eternity. This Divine Son took on our humanity in the Incarnation and became like us in all things except sin, yet He did not cease to be truly and completely God. 

Notice how Jesus is called the Son of the living God. This adjective distinguishes between the one true God and the many idols we human beings create for ourselves. We give ourselves to those idols, but they are not alive. Rather, they are dead, and they draw us into death, whether they be material objects of stone or metal or the lures of wealth, sex, fame, or whatever else we put before God and worship instead of God. Rather, we must turn to the living God, the God Who wants to give us eternal life.

Jesus, splendor of the Father, have mercy on us.

When Philip told Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied,” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:8-9). Jesus shows us the Father. He radiates the Father, for He is perfectly united to the Father in a way we cannot grasp. But we must believe because Jesus commands us to: “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in me” (John 14:11). From that unity of Father and Son, Jesus reveals the beauty, the magnificence, the splendor, and the love of God, His Father and ours.

Jesus, brightness of eternal light, have mercy on us.

“I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Jesus is the light of the world because He is the brightness of eternal light. His divine glory shines upon us and shines out of us when we are in a state of grace because of the divine indwelling we received at Baptism. The Fathers of the Church called Baptism “illumination” or “enlightenment,” for when we are baptized, we receive the light of Christ, really Christ Himself. We are united to Him, and we must let His light shine through us to a world wrapped in darkness.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Part 2

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.

As with most litanies, this one invokes all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, praying for mercy from each One. We begin by reaching up in love to God the Father of heaven. Jesus teaches us to call God our Father, to refer to Him even as “Abba,” an intimate name that emphasizes God’s love and care for us. It should also express our devotion to Him in love and obedience. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

Next, we pray to God the Son, the Redeemer of the world. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became incarnate for us in Jesus Christ, God and Man. He went to the cross for us, taking the covenant curses upon Himself for all the times when we broke our covenant with God. He bought us back from slavery to sin and death and opened the gates of Heaven. He made it possible for us to partake in the divine life, to bask in the indwelling presence of God Himself in our very souls.  

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.

The Holy Spirit is the very love between the Father and the Son. The First and Second Persons of the Blessed Trinity pour themselves out in love for one another, and that Love is so powerful, so vivid, so alive, so perfect, so infinite, that He is another Person. 

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Our God, then, is three and one, Trinity and Unity. This is a great, beautiful mystery, and it surpasses our human ability to understand. We cannot grasp it, but we must believe it, for God has revealed it.  We should stand amazed that our God, Who is so perfect in and of Himself, needing nothing, created us out of love, holds us in existence out of love, redeems us out of love, and allows us to share in His own love. 

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Part 1

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Most litanies begin with a plea for God’s mercy in the three-part formula we use at Mass. In this, we recognize our sinfulness and our need for God’s forgiveness. As we pray these words, we should experience true repentance for our sins as well as an assurance that God always holds out His mercy to those who desire it.

Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.

Jesus always hears us when we pray to Him, so why do we beg Him to do so here, especially in such emphatic language? First, at times, our Lord may seem distant, and we wonder, in our pain and grief, if He is listening at all or even cares. He does hear us, of course, but we must remind ourselves of that truth.

Second, as we ask Jesus to hear us, we should remember that we need to hear Jesus, too. Jesus does hear us, and He does respond to us, but sometimes we’re so distracted that we failed to notice His gentle replies to our prayers. We have to open our hearts, trusting that our Lord always hears and answers our prayers. 

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, splendor of the Father, have mercy on us.
Jesus, brightness of eternal light, have mercy on us.
Jesus, King of glory, have mercy on us.
Jesus, sun of justice, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most amiable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most admirable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, mighty God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Father of the world to come, have mercy on us.
Jesus, angel of great counsel, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most powerful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most patient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most obedient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us.
Jesus, lover of chastity, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our lover, have mercy on us.
Jesus, God of peace, have mercy on us.
Jesus, author of life, have mercy on us.
Jesus, model of virtues, have mercy on us.
Jesus, zealous for souls, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our refuge, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Father of the poor, have mercy on us.
Jesus, treasure of the faithful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Good Shepherd, have mercy on us.
Jesus, true light, have mercy on us.
Jesus, eternal Wisdom, have mercy on us.
Jesus, infinite Goodness, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our way and our life, have mercy on us.
Jesus, joy of the Angels, have mercy on us.
Jesus, King of Patriarchs, have mercy on us.
Jesus, master of Apostles, have mercy on us.
Jesus, teacher of Evangelists, have mercy on us.
Jesus, strength of Martyrs, have mercy on us.
Jesus, light of Confessors, have mercy on us.
Jesus, purity of Virgins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Crown of all Saints, have mercy on us.
Be merciful, spare us, O Jesus.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus.
From all evil, Jesus, deliver us.
From all sin, Jesus, deliver us.
From Thy wrath, Jesus, deliver us.
From the snares of the devil, Jesus, deliver us.
From the spirit of fornication, Jesus, deliver us.
From everlasting death, Jesus, deliver us.
From the neglect of Thine inspirations, Jesus, deliver us. 
Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy nativity, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thine infancy, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy most divine life, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy labors, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thine agony and Passion, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy cross and dereliction, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy sufferings, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy death and burial, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy Resurrection, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thine Ascension, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thine institution of the most Holy Eucharist, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy joys, Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy glory, Jesus, deliver us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said: Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you; grant, we beseech Thee, to us who ask the gift of Thy divine love, that we may ever love Thee with all our hearts, and in all our words and actions, and never cease praising Thee.

Give us, O Lord, a perpetual love of Thy holy Name; for Thou never failest to govern those whom Thou dost solidly establish in Thy love. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

The Litany Project: The Litany of the Holy Ghost, Part 15

Come, Holy Ghost! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful.
And enkindle in them the fire of Thy Love.

As we approach the end of the litany, we ask the Holy Spirit one more time to come to us and fill our hearts. We recognize, though, that as He fills our hearts, He also sets our hearts on fire. Love is a power. It is dynamic. It is strong. It is warm, even hot. It spurs us forward to reach up to God and out to other people. 

This is a dangerous prayer, in a good way, for when we invite the Holy Spirit into us, when we invite Him to set our hearts on fire, He will change our lives. 

Let us pray.
Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy Divine Spirit enlighten, inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew and make us fruitful in good works; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee, in the unity of the Spirit, liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen. 

The litany’s final prayer is directed to God the Father. We remember His great mercy, and we beg Him to send the Holy Spirit, His Divine Spirit, to enlighten us, to inflame us, and to purify us from our sins and faults and weaknesses.

We also beg the Father that the Spirit may penetrate us, may probe deep down within us, and fill us with His heavenly dew, with His great gifts and with all the virtues. That dew will make us bloom and blossom, bearing the fruit of good works in love. 

As always, we pray in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ as we remember the unity of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, living and reigning together for all eternity and loving us more than we can imagine.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Part 14

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, send us Thy Holy Ghost.

The Lamb of God, of course, is none other that Jesus. John the Baptist identified Him as such in John 1:29 when he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world.” The reference goes back centuries to the time when the Israelites were still in slavery in Egypt. In preparation for the first Passover, God told Moses to have the Israelites sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood. They were to eat the lamb and be ready to depart, for the angel of the Lord would come upon Egypt, bringing death to all the firstborn sons of that place except where he saw the lamb’s blood. The angel passed over the Israelites, and they left Egypt and slavery behind.

We, too, are enslaved, not by the Egyptians but by our sins.  And Jesus, the Lamb of God, by His blood, takes away the sins of the world. He became the willing sacrifice on the Cross, taking the covenant curses upon Himself and reconciling us with the Father. We now ask Jesus to send us His Holy Spirit, the Love He shares with the Father.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

We also ask our Lamb of God, our Jesus, to pour down the gifts of the Holy Spirit into our souls. Of course, we must be prepared for this outpouring of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. We must open our hearts wide to receive them, and then we must respond by making good use of these gifts so that they continue to grow within us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety.

In this petition, we beg our Lord to grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety. We are pleading for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for the sanctifying grace that gives us a share in divine life, for the eternal life that we begin living right now and that we will enter into fully in Heaven.  

We recall that wisdom is the “God’s eye” perspective of the world, at least as much as we human beings can ever possess. Piety refers to our devotion to God, our desire and efforts to place Him first, above all else, and to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Part 13

Holy Ghost, grant us the merits of all virtues.

“Merits” is a tricky word when we use it in a religious sense. If we don’t understand it correctly, it can sound like we think we earn or deserve our salvation in some way. We do not. God gives us our salvation by His grace alone when we open ourselves up in faith and love. 

However, because God loves us so much, He allows us to cooperate in the process of salvation. It is a process, too. Even though He initiates it and saves us by His grace, we have to grow in that grace. This takes work, and through our efforts, God allows us to “merit.” He rewards us as we grow closer to Him in virtue and as we enter deeper and deeper into His sanctifying love. Of course, we can only do this by His grace. 

So our merits, as one professor remarks, are a bit like the praise and hugs a father gives to his child when the child offers his father a gift that the father has paid for and helped the child wrap. Because the father loves his child, he rewards the child for his “hard work” even though the father has done most of it. What the father wants most is the child’s love. The same is true for God.

Holy Ghost, make us persevere in justice.

The concept of justice is often misunderstood in today’s world. What it ultimately means, however, is being right with God, and that is its sense in this petition. When we ask the Holy Spirit to help us persevere in justice, we are asking for an outpouring of grace to keep us right with the Blessed Trinity.

Holy Ghost, be Thou our everlasting reward.

This petition might as well be “Holy Ghost, get us to Heaven,” for God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is our ultimate, everlasting reward in Heaven, where we will see Him face-to-face and spend eternity growing in love for Him and for each other.