Divine Praises

Blessed be God.

Blessed be His Holy Name.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.

Blessed be His most Precious Blood.

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.

Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.

Blessed be her glorious Assumption.

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.

Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.

Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.

During the walk home from Mass today I was overcome with the generosity and love of Jesus and words seemed to well up inside, I praise you Jesus, I praise you Jesus, I thank you Jesus....  It was then that I remembered the Divine Praises.  I could not remember them as I was walking but upon returning home I quickly found them and read them aloud.  

It seemed timely to include the Divine Praises here as the month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The Divine Praises usually follow the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and are led by a priest before the Eucharist is placed back in the tabernacle.  However, these wonderful prayers can be said privately or in a group not in association with Benediction.  The Divine Praises were composed by Luigi Felici, a Jesuit priest, in 1797 and were composed to make reparation for blasphemy and profane language.  They were originally written in Italian and were later expanded by Pope Pius VII in 1801.


"In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth and under the earth" (Phil 2:10). 

What is the Simplest Prayer?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the invocation of the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always(2666).  

The Catechism goes on to say: when the holy name is repeated often by a humbly attentive heart, the prayer is not lost by heaping up empty phrases, but holds fast to the word and "brings forth fruit with patience." This prayer is possible "at all times" because it is not one occupation among others but the only occupation: that of loving God, which animates and transfigures every action in Christ Jesus.

Father Paul O' Sullivan author of the book, Wonders of the Holy Name, describes the wonderful affects of saying the holy name of Jesus. "Each time we say Jesus it is an act of perfect love, for we offer to God the infinite love of Jesus".

Litany of the Holy Name

Litany of the Holy Name

V. Lord, have mercy
R. Lord, have mercy 
V. Christ, have mercy 
R. Christ, have mercy
V. Lord, have mercy
R. Lord, have mercy

God our Father in heaven- Have mercy on us (repeat at the end of each phrase.)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world
God the Holy Spirit
Holy Trinity, one God

Jesus, Son of the living God
Jesus, splendor of the Father
Jesus, brightness of everlasting light
Jesus, king of glory
Jesus, down of justice
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary
Jesus, worthy of our love
Jesus, worthy of our wonder
Jesus, mighty God
Jesus, father of the world to come
Jesus, prince of peace
Jesus, all-powerful
Jesus, pattern of patience
Jesus, model of obedience
Jesus, gentle and humble of heart

Jesus, lover of chastity
Jesus, lover of us all
Jesus, God of peace
Jesus, author of life
Jesus, model of goodness
Jesus, seeker of souls
Jesus, our God
Jesus, our refuge
Jesus, father of the poor
Jesus, treasure of the faithful

Jesus, Good Shepherd
Jesus, the true light
Jesus, eternal wisdom
Jesus, infinite goodness
Jesus,  our way and our life
Jesus, joy of angels
Jesus, king of patriarchs
Jesus, teacher of apostles
Jesus, master of evangelists
Jesus, courage of martyrs
Jesus, light of confessors
Jesus, purity of virgins
Jesus, crown of all saints

Lord, be merciful- Jesus, save your people (repeat at the end of each phrase)
From all evil
From every sin
From the snares of the devil
From your anger
From the spirit of infidelity
From everlasting death
From neglect of your Holy Spirit

By the mystery of your incarnation
By your birth
By your childhood
By your hidden life
By your public ministry
By your agony and crucifixion
By your abandonment
By your grief and sorrow
By your death and burial
By your rising to new life
By your return in glory to the Father
By your gift of the holy eucharist
By your joy and glory

Christ, hear us Christ hear us
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer Lord Jesus, hear our prayer
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us 
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us 
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us 

Let us pray.
Lord,
may we who honor the holy name of Jesus
enjoy his friendship in this life
and be filled with eternal joy in the kingdom
where he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
R. Amen.

The Holy Name of Jesus

"Holy Father, protect them"

In the Gospel today Jesus is preparing to leave His apostles.  He will no longer be able to protect and care for them as he had done while they walked together.  As a parent cares for his children Jesus beseeches His own Father to care and protect them once He is no longer there. “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.  While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me”.(John 17:11-12)

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.(John 17:15-19)

Just as a parent sending their child off to school has a few parting words of advice, Jesus also tries to help us.  What is one of the last things a parent says to their child as they leave them.  Most often it is if you have a problem call me.  As the most perfect of parents Jesus says the same thing. Jesus gives us many ways to sanctify ourselves such as the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, and reading of The Word of God.  However, He knows that we will stumble as all children do.  He does not want us to be lost to the evil one as He says in the gospel today.  Therefore when we are in trouble we have only to say His Name.  In the gospel yesterday Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, He will give it to you in My Name". (John 16:23) We can say only one word and blessings and protection are poured down upon us.  The word that we should say is Jesus. 

The devils revealed to Francis of Yepes, the brother of St. John of the Cross, that three things especially torment them.  The first is the Name of Jesus; the second is the name of Mary; and the third, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

St. Francis of Rome was given the grace to be able to speak to her guardian angel.  When St. Francis pronounced the Name of Jesus, the Angel was radiant with happiness and bent down in loving adoration.  Sometimes the devil dared to appear to her, seeking to scare her and do her harm.  But when she pronounced the Holy Name, he was filled with rage and hatred and fled in terror from her presence. (Excerpt from the Book The Wonders of the Holy Name of Jesus by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan)

As Ascension Thursday is behind us let us never forget the power and protection of the Holy Name of Jesus.  "Each time we say Jesus it is an act of perfect love, for we offer to God the infinite love of Jesus".(Fr. Paul O'Sullivan)  

May the members of the children's rosary and all reading this post receive the Spirit of Truth this Pentecost and a new reverence for the Name of Jesus.  We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen