Popular devotion to the five wounds of Christ dates back to at least the early Middle Ages. Often, the wounds were symbolized by the Pentagram (hence why the symbol features so prominently in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.) A liturgical feast dedicated to the Five Wounds of Christ does not appear until the 14th century, originating (as far as we can tell) at the monastery of Fritzlar in Thuringia, where it was celebrated on the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi, the same day as the modern Feast of the Sacred Heart. (Source: NewAdvent.org). From there it has been celebrated on numerous dates and numerous locations. In much of Portugal it was celebrated on February 6th. In Venice it was kept on the second Sunday in March. In Tuscany and Mexico it was celebrated on the Friday after Ash Wednesday. Finally, the Passionists keep it today, the Friday after the Third Sunday of Lent. I find this date particularly appropriate, since it is during this week that the Church calls to mind the Patriarch Joseph, and in the second set of Matins lessons, St. Bernard of Clairvaux compares the torn and bloody coat of Joseph to the torn and bloody flesh of Christ. It seems fitting that we should honor the wounds so soon after honoring the weapons that made them.
The Mass for this feast is largely the same as that of the Feast of the Passion.
Lessons at Matins
First Lesson
The Lesson is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (liii.)
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him: Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
Second Lesson
All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth. He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him. And he shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death: because he hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in his mouth. And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity.
Third Lesson (lxiii. 1.)
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosra, this beautiful one in his robe, walking in the greatness of his strength. I, that speak justice, and am a defender to save. Why then is thy apparel red, and thy garments like theirs that tread in the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the Gentiles there is not a man with me: I have trampled on them in my indignation, and have trodden them down in my wrath, and their blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, the year of my redemption is come. I looked about, and there was none to help: I sought, and there was none to give aid.
Fourth Lesson
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux. (Book on the Passion, Ch. 41.)
After much mocking by Jews and Gentiles, after much Blood-shedding, Jesus is taken, and His Hands and Feet pierced with hard nails, and so our Savior, the gentle Jesus, is nailed to the tree of the Cross. Look there, and gaze upon the roses of bloody suffering- how they shine- the marks of that love greater than which hath no man. Suffering and love strive together whether the one shall be more excellent for bloodiness or the other for fieriness.
Fifth Lesson
Lo with what red flowers doth blossom that noble Vine, our ruddy Jesus! Look if anywhere on His Body thou wilt not find those bloody roses. Look into one Hand and then into the Other, and thou wilt find a rose in Either. Look at one Foot and then at the Other- are thy not rosy? Look at the Gash in His Side and That hath Its rose too- but a rose pink rather than red this time, by reason of the Water; as saith the Evangelist: “One of the soldiers with a spear pierced His Side, and forthwith came thereout Blood and Water.”
Sixth Lesson
The Lesson is taken from the same. (On the Passion of the Lord.)
Look down, O Lord, Holy Father, from Thy Sanctuary, even from heaven Thy dwelling-place, and behold this Most Holy Oblation Which our Great High Priest, Thine Holy Child, the Lord Jesus doth offer unto Thee for the sins of His brethren; and take not vengeance upon us for the multitude of our iniquities. Know now, O Father, whether this be Thy Son Joseph’s coat or no. Alas! An evil beast hath devoured Him, and trampled Him in his fury and stained all His raiment. Behold in five places It is rent grievously.
Seventh Lesson
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gospel according to John (xix. 28.)
At that time: Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith: I thirst. And so on.
Homily by St. Cyril, Pope of Alexandria. (Book xii. Commentary on John.)
The brutality of the Jews had already outraged Christ to the full; cruelty had nothing left to desire; and now at the last moment the Most Holy Flesh of Christ suffereth a pain springing naturally from Itself. That Flesh, fevered by many and divers tortures, felt thirst. Great pain hath the property of producing strong thirst, since by some natural law which I cannot explain, it drieth up as by heat the liquids of the body and as it were setteth on fire the inward parts.
Eighth Lesson
“It is finished.” Jewish outrage against God was finished; the power to inflict torture was finished. What had the Jews left unattempted, or cruelty left undone? Did any pain or insult remain uninflicted? Rightly did He say: “It is finished.” But He was come to be the Lord of the dead as well as of the quick, and the hour was now calling Him to go and preach to the imprisoned spirits in the netherworld. He accepted even death for our sakes and bore in His own Flesh that suffering common to all our nature. When they saw that the Head of Jesus had fallen, and deemed Him to have already given up the Ghost, they held it pains wasted to break His Legs. Howbeit, forasmuch as they were not quite sure that He was dead, they pierced His Side with a spear, and there burst forth Blood mingled with Water, the image and the first-fruits of the mystic Thank Offering and of holy Baptism, for holy Baptism is indeed a thing of Christ and from Christ, and the virtue of the mystic Thank Offering proceedeth unto us from His holy Flesh.
Ninth Lesson (Homily of the Lenten Feria)
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gospel according to John (iv. 5.)
At that time: Jesus cometh therefore to a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar, near the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And so on.
Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. (15th Tract on John)
Jesus, wearied with His journey, the mysteries are beginning now. It is not for nothing that Jesus is wearied. It is not for nothing that the Mighty One of God is wearied. It is not for nothing that He is wearied Who Himself giveth Rest to all them that are weary and heavy-laden. It is not for nothing that He is wearied Whose absence prostrateth us, and Whose presence maketh us to be strong.
Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well and it was about the sixth hour. There is a depth in all these details they all have something to say for us to learn. Upon them we gaze. Knock, saith the Lord, and it shall be opened unto you. Let us knock then and, O, may He open to me and to you, even He Who hath spoken to us those words Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Matth. vii. 7.) It is for thy sake that Jesus was wearied with His journey. We find the strength of Jesus, and we find Jesus weak; yea, strong and weak. Strong, for In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God the Same was in the beginning with God. Wouldest thou know again how that the Son of God is strong? All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made, made without effort. (John i. 1-3.) What then is stronger than He by Whom all things were made without effort? Wouldest thou know His weakness? The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us. Christ, strong, made thee; Christ, weak, redeemed thee. Christ, strong, made all things out of nothing; Christ, weak, so wrought that that was made perished not. His strength hath made us, and His weakness saved us.
He then, being Himself made weak, is strength to all such as are weak, gathering them together, to use His own figure, even as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matth. xxiii. 37.) Consider now, my brethren, in what bondage is an hen to her chickens. There is no other bird in whom motherhood is unmistakable. We watch the sparrows building their nests under our eyes; we see swallows, and storks, and pigeons building theirs every day. But, unless we actually see them in their nests, we know not if they have little ones, or no. But the hen's motherhood is so much a part of herself, that even if at the minute we see not her children the chickens following after her, nevertheless we see by her ways if she be a mother.
The Mass
Introit (Phil ii) The Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross; wherefore God also hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a name which is above every name.
V. The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever; to generation and generation (Ps 88:1). V. Glory.
Collect O God, who, by the passion of thine only-begotten Son, and the shedding of his blood through his five wounds, hast renewed the nature of man that was ruined by sin; grant to us, we beseech thee, that as we venerate on earth the wounds that he received, so we may deserve to obtain the fruit of his most precious blood in heaven.
O Lord, graciously be with us during this fast, and, we beseech You, help our spirit to abstain from sin as our body fasts from food.
Lesson (Zach. xii. 10, xiii. 6-7.) Thus saith the Lord: I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of prayers: and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced: and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over him as the manner is to grieve for the death of the first-born. In that day there shall be a great lamentation in Jerusalem, and it shall be said: What are these wounds in the midst of thy hands? And he shall say: With these I was wounded in the house of them that loved me. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that cleaveth to me, saith the Lord of Hosts: strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, saith the Lord Almighty.
Gradual (Ps. 68) My heart hath expected reproach and misery: and I looked for one that would grieve together with me, and there was none: I sought one that would comfort me, and I found none.
V. They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Tract (Is. 53) Surely he hath born our infirmities, and carried our sorrows.
V. And we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted.
V. But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins.
V. The chastisement of our peace was upon him: and by his bruises we are healed.
Gospel (John xix, 28-35) At that time, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. Now there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they putting a sponge full of vinegar about hyssop, put it to his mouth. Jesus therefore when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost. Then the Jews (because it was the Parasceve, that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the sabbath-day (for that was a great sabbath-day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore, came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony, and his testimony is true.
Credo
Offertory
Wicked me rose up against me: without mercy they sought to kill me: and they did not spare to spit in my face: they wounded me with their spears, and all my bones were shaken.
Secret
May these sacrifices be acceptable to thy Majesty, we beseech thee, O Lord, in which we offer to thee the very wounds of thy only-begotten Son as the price of our redemption.
II. of the Feria
Look with favor, we beseech You, O Lord, upon the gifts we offer You, that they may be pleasing to you and ever helpful to our salvation.
Preface of the Holy Cross
It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that we should in all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Who didst set the salvation of mankind upon the tree of the Cross, so that whence came death, thence also life might rise again, and that he who overcame by the tree might also be overcome on the tree; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the angels praise Thy majesty, the dominations adore, the powers are in awe, the virtues of highest heaven and the blessed seraphim unite in blissful exultation. With them we praise Thee; grant that our voices too may blend, saying in adoring praise:
Communion (Ps. 21) They have pierced my hands and my feet: they have numbered all my bones.
Postcommunion Refreshed with life - giving food , we beseech thee , O Lord our God , that we who this day devoutly venerate the wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ , may ever have them impressed upon our hearts , in our life and conduct.
II. of the Feria
May the reception of this sacrament, O Lord, cleanse us from sin and bring us into the heavenly kingdom.
Last Gospel (of the Lenten Feria) (John 4:5-42)
At that time, Jesus came, accordingly, to a town of Samaria called Sichar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, wearied as He was from the journey, was sitting at the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a Samaritan woman to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give Me to drink; for His disciples had gone away into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, How is it that You, although You are a Jew, ask drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, If you did know the gift of God, and Who it is Who says to you, ‘Give Me to drink,’ you, perhaps, would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water. The woman said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Whence then have You living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well, and drank from it, himself, and his sons, and his flocks? In answer Jesus said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. He, however, who drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto life everlasting. The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst, or come here to draw. Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband and come here. The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said, For you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. In this you have spoken truly. The woman said to Him, Sir, I see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but You say that at Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such to worship Him. God is spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. The woman said to Him, I know that Messias is coming Who is called Christ, and when He comes He will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I Who speak with you am He. And at this point His disciples came; and they wondered that He was speaking with a woman. Yet no one said, What do You seek? or, Why do You speak with her? The woman therefore left her water-jar and went away into the town, and said to the people, Come and see a man who has told me all that I have ever done. Can He be the Christ? They went forth from the town and came to meet Him. Meanwhile, His disciples besought Him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But He said to them, I have food to eat of which you do not know. The disciples therefore said to one another, Has someone brought Him something to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me, to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Well, I say to you, lift up your eyes and behold that the fields are already white for the harvest. And he who reaps receives a wage, and gathers fruit unto life everlasting, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. For herein is the proverb true, ‘One sows, another reaps.’ I have sent you to reap that on which you have not labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labors. Now many of the Samaritans of that town believed in Him because of the word of the woman who bore witness, He told me all that I have ever done. When, therefore, the Samaritans had come to Him, they besought Him to stay there; and He stayed two days. And far more believed because of His word. And they said to the woman, We no longer believe because of what you have said, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is in truth the Saviour of the world.
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Beautiful picture of the crucifixion. Where is it from?