Cor Jesu, Caritatis Victima - Sacred Heart Responsory

Day 9 / 100 Day Gregorian Chant ChallengeShow more

A few years ago we had a priest keen to promote First Friday devotions. Now, the devotion to the Sacred Heart is fairly recent compared to most Gregorian chant. We can find references to Jesus heart being pierced with a lance and echoes in earlier music, but Sacred Heart hymns tend to be more recent.

This one is from Cantus Selecti, and I'm not sure of its history before that.

Here's the Gregobase link:
https://gregobase.selapa.net/chant.php?id=3987

The words:

Cor Jesu, caritatis victima, venite adoremus.
Majorem hac dilectionem nemo habet,
ut animam suam ponat quis amicis suis.
Christus pro nobis animam suam posuit,
et lavit nos a peccatis nostris in Sanguine suo.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.

The translation:

Come, let us adore the Heart of Jesus, victim of charity!
Greater love than this no one has,
that one would lay down his life for his friends.
Christ has laid down His Life for us,
and has washed us from our sins in His own Blood.