# Prayer to the holy wounds of Jesus for the church
*2015-07-28*

> On the feast of St. Augustine, Bill Young leads a powerful prayer dedicated to the Holy Wounds of Jesus, interceding for priests, sinners, and the persecuted.

## The Example of St. Augustine

Today is Friday, August 28, the feast day of St. Augustine. We remember him as a brilliant mind and a Doctor of the Church, but we also remember the intensity of the prayers offered for him by St. Monica. Her prayers not only converted him but helped him become a great saint. I encourage all those who have sons and daughters in need of prayer to trust that they, too, can be turned around and become great saints like St. Augustine.

## Interceding for the Priesthood and the Lost

In our prayer to the Holy Wounds of Jesus, we first turn to the wound of His right hand. Together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we place all the priests of the Holy Church into this wound, asking that the fire of divine love be kindled in them every time they celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, so they may communicate that love to the souls in their care.

We then worship the wound of His left hand, placing within it all those living in error and those who do not believe. We pray for the poor souls and ask Jesus to send laborers into the vineyard so that these souls may find their way to the Most Sacred Heart.

## Prayers for Sinners and the Persecuted

Turning to the wounds of His scarred feet, we pray for sinners who prefer the pleasures of this world and specifically for those who are going to die today, asking that the precious blood of Jesus not be shed in vain for them.

We also greet the wound of His scarred head, placing there the enemies of the Holy Church and those who continue to persecute Him in His Mystical Body. We beg Jesus to convert them, just as He called Saul to become St. Paul, so that they may soon be one fold under one shepherd.

## Trust in the Sacred Heart

Finally, we worship the wound of the Most Sacred Heart. In this wound, we entrust our own souls and the souls of all those for whom we pray—especially the suffering, the afflicted, the persecuted, and the abandoned. We ask the Sacred Heart of Jesus to give them light and grace, filling them with His love and true peace.

*By meditating on the Holy Wounds of Jesus, we can offer the suffering of the world and the needs of the Church to the infinite mercy of God.*