# The prayers of Saint Bridget of Sweden
*2020-07-22*

> Bill Young discusses the life of Saint Bridget of Sweden and guides listeners through her powerful devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus.

## The Life of Saint Bridget

Today is July 23rd, the feast day of Saint Bridget of Sweden. From the age of seven, Bridget had visions of Christ crucified, which formed the basis of her life's work. She always emphasized charity over spiritual favors. Bridget lived her married life in the court of the Swedish King Magnus II and was the mother of eight children, including Saint Catherine of Sweden.

After her husband's death, Bridget lived a strict life of penance and strove to exert a good influence over the king. While he was never fully reformed, he provided her with the land and buildings necessary to found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually expanded into the order known as the Bridgettines, which still exists today. In 1350, during a year of plague in Europe, Bridget braved the conditions to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Though she never returned to Sweden, her years in Rome were difficult, as she faced opposition for her work against church abuses. A final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marred by a shipwreck and the death of her son, Charles, eventually led to her death in 1373. In 1999, she, along with Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedict of the Cross, was named a Co-Patroness of Europe. Bridget is remembered as a kind, meek, and happy woman with a laughing face.

## The Promises of the Precious Blood

The Lord Jesus revealed to Saint Bridget that during His Passion, He received more than 16,000 blows and shed more than 30,000 drops of holy blood. He promised specific graces to those who honor His most precious blood for twelve consecutive years by reciting these prayers daily. These graces include being numbered among the martyrs as if one had shed their own blood for the faith, the preservation of three chosen relatives in a state of divine grace, and the protection of relatives up to the fourth degree of kinship from hell.

Furthermore, it is promised that the person will know of their death a month beforehand. If a person should die before the twelve years are completed, the prayers are still considered valid. To maintain this devotion, the prayers must be recited every day. If a serious reason prevents the recitation on one day, they must be recited twice the following day. However, one should not underestimate the importance of faithfulness, as these prayers are intended to be the center of the day and should be said devotely and with meditation.

## The Devotional Prayers

The devotion begins with the Sign of the Cross, the Apostles' Creed, and an initial prayer asking Jesus to unite the speaker's heart and lips with His own to offer the Holy Trinity the same honor and joy that Jesus felt when reciting these prayers on earth.

The core of the devotion consists of seven offerings to the Eternal Father through the Immaculate Hands of Mary and the Divine Heart of Jesus, each paired with an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be:

1. The First Wound: Offered to pardon the sins of youth and as protection against first mortal sins.
2. The Sweating of Blood: Offered for the sufferings on the Mount of Olives to pardon the sins of the heart and propagate love for God and neighbor.
3. The Scourging: Offered for the thousands of strokes and the blood shed during the scourging to make amends for sins of the flesh and safeguard innocence.
4. The Crowning with Thorns: Offered for the wounds of the head to make amends for sins of the spirit and for the propagation of the Kingdom of God on earth.
5. The Path to Calvary: Offered for the sufferings on the way to the Cross, particularly the wounds of the shoulder, to make amends for rebellion against the Cross and sins of the tongue.
6. The Crucifixion: Offered for the wounds of the hands and feet, His extreme poverty, and perfect obedience. This offering includes intentions for the sick, the dying, priests, the intentions of Pope Francis for Christian families, and the union of the Church.
7. The Wound of the Side: A plea for the blood and water from the heart of Jesus to cleanse the speaker from punishment and quench the flames of purgatory for the poor souls of the dead.

*By faithfully meditating on the wounds and precious blood of Jesus through the prayers of Saint Bridget, we can seek mercy for ourselves and our relatives while uniting our hearts to the Passion of Christ.*