Little Office of the Holy Tear of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Opening Prayer
O my God, to sing praises worthy of thy greatness, open my mouth; grant me the holy fervor of the angels.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me; come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence; glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Hymn
O splendor of the King of angels,
grant that a holy and divine zeal
may inspire us to sing thy praises.
O fair eyes that caused this innocent stream to flow,
enkindle in our hearts a languishing zeal.
Antiphon
Jesus was troubled in spirit and, deeply moved, he asked Martha and Mary, "Where have you laid Lazarus?" They replied, "Lord, come and see." And Jesus wept at these words.
Rare are the marvels of wonders,
To see water flow from a rock.
But what makes these wonders unparalleled
is that this rock is God himself.
Oration
O almighty and merciful God, who willed that thine only Son should weep over Lazarus's death as a testimony of his love and raise him from the grave to reveal the miraculous power of his divinity, grant us the grace, through thy Holy Spirit, to think ceaselessly upon thee and to pray with the tears of holy devotion. May these salutary waters cleanse us of all our sins and raise us from the grave of iniquity. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn
Miracle of holy love!
This God who casts thunder
and forms the joys of the day,
weeps and groans upon the earth.
Seeing Lazarus dead, his heart is moved,
and he washes his sin with a stream of tears.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me;
come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence;
glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Antiphon
O Lord, how sweet and tender is thy Spirit!
To deliver thy friend from death's grasp,
thou didst pour tears of sweetness from thy loving heart.
As waters flow from two fountains,
Let my eyes pour forth streams of tears.
The love they hold within
shall become the drink of Heaven.
Oration
May the outpouring of thy tears, O Lord, purify our hearts, and may the holy dew of thy weeping render our souls fertile. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn
O Word, almighty and noble support of creation,
why is thy heart faint under the blows of nature?
No, cruel death, halt thy fury.
Cease to be a spectacle of horror before his eyes.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me;
come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence;
glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Antiphon
Jesus, seeing Martha and Mary weeping, wept also.
O holy tears of a chaste lover,
filled with compassion for two grieving sisters,
who weep for the loss of their brother
and witness the resurrection of one whose death was known to all.
O divine source of life,
Abundant fountain of clarity,
grant that my soul, enslaved,
may find liberty in thee.
Oration
O most gracious and tender Jesus, who wept not only for Lazarus but also for all the world and for me, a miserable sinner, grant me the grace to honour thy holy tears with such tender devotion that they may enkindle in my heart the sacred fire of perfect love. Let my eyes shed the saving waters of true contrition so that, being purified by water and fire, my soul may be refreshed and find its eternal home in thy kingdom, where there shall be no more tears or sighs, but where thou livest and reignest gloriously forever.
Amen.
Hymn
O living star, divine sun,
splendor of the Father's glory,
cast thy gaze upon the excess of our misery.
Through this overwhelming love that caused thee to weep,
grant us the blessings for which we sigh.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me;
come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence;
glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Antiphon
The King of men wept;
the joy of angels became sorrowful.
If God himself laments with such sadness,
who would not weep seeing him weep,
who would not groan seeing him groan?
Let our eyes pour forth tears;
Let us flow with fountains of weeping.
In our deepest afflictions,
no sweeter solace can we find.
Oration
As at Prime.
Hymn
O sun of eternity,
thou who formest this chaste light,
which restores our original innocence,
dispel by thy tears this mournful night
that hides the joy thy love produces.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me;
come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence;
glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Antiphon
They removed the stone that sealed the tomb,
and Jesus wept.
The one who had been bound was immediately loosed
and, though dead, rose to life.
O august and divine power,
That causeth waters and oil to flow in abundance
from the mere touch of thy hand.
Oration
As at Prime.
Hymnn
No star is more charming
than this precious liquid.
The sun is adorned with less splendor
than its miraculous beauty.
Honey pales in sweetness compared to its taste,
which captivates both the heart and soul.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me;
come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence;
glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Antiphon
We adore this precious tear,
shed with sorrow and lamentation by the gentle Jesus.
The angel stored it in a small vessel with reverence,
and Mary Magdalene left it as her legacy when she departed this world.
Thou who, with a mighty tear,
Cleanseth the sins of mortals,
receive the innocent ardor
that bows us at thy altars.
Oration
May the labor of thy only Son relieve us in our struggles amid the perils of this life. Grant, O Lord, that the sweet dew of his tears, which we now honour, may quench the fire of our concupiscence and enkindle in us the flames of a holier and more divine love. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn
Sweet and delightful vessel,
rare marvel of wonders,
O tear, the virtue of thy water
knows no equal.
Having despoiled death of its spoils,
break for our sake its harsh strength.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me;
come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence;
glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Ant.
The Lord Jesus satisfied our hunger with the bread of his tears
and quenched our thirst with the water of his weeping.
Tears flow from my visage,
To intoxicate with their water.
Yet their intoxication brings wisdom
to those who drink of this stream.
Oration as above
Hymn
By so precious a token,
by this incomparable love,
grant, O Jesus, that our eyes may see
thy venerable face,
from which this sacred stream flowed on earth,
conquering sin and subduing death.
Through thy mercy, O Lord, draw near to me;
come and subdue the insolence of those who oppose thy law.
Glory be to thee, divine essence;
glory to thee, adorable Trinity, who art the reward of immortality.
Ant.
After Jesus wept, a banquet was prepared,
and Lazarus sat at the table with him.
With joy shall ye draw water
From the fountains of the Saviour.
The waters sent from Heaven
flow from the opening of his heart.
Oration
May the piercing of thy holy love wound our hearts, O gentle Jesus. May the stream of thy tears sanctify our spirits so that, having drunk the cup of penance and tears, we may one day be deemed worthy to sit with thee at thy heavenly table. We ask this through thee, O divine Word, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit in one divinity forever.
Amen.
Oration for the healing of the eyes.
O good Jesus, delight of my heart,
light of my soul, thou who illuminatest the sun and enlightenest the blessed spirits,
I bring my afflictions before thy mercy and my darkness before thy splendor.
Let thy compassionate heart be moved as it was for the death of Lazarus.
Thou didst weep, O God of glory, not only for him but also for me.
May thy holy tears, which gave life to his body, now restore light to my eyes.
I ask not this grace for vanity or misuse
but that I may serve thee joyfully all my life.
Transform my physical pain into spiritual contrition,
that receiving health in body and holiness in soul,
I may be pleasing in thy sight.
Amen.