Will You Not Watch One Hour with Me? invites the faithful into a deeper, more reverent contemplation of the Passion of Christ through the prayer of the Church.
This beautifully produced Book of Hours presents two Little Offices of the Passion composed by St. Francis of Assisi and St. Bonaventure. These shorter Offices were traditionally included in medieval Books of Hours for lay devotion, offering structured prayer that sanctifies the hours of the day while remaining accessible outside the choir.
Offices of the Passion unite specific moments of Christ’s suffering with particular hours of prayer, allowing the Crucifixion, imprisonment, and Agony in the Garden to shape daily devotion. St. Francis is known to have prayed both the Church’s Office and his own Office of the Passion each day, gradually enriching its texts over the course of his life.
St. Bonaventure’s Office is traditionally believed to have been composed for St. Louis IX, reflecting the deep Franciscan spirituality that flourished within the royal court of France. His Office begins in the early hours of the morning, recalling Christ imprisoned, while St. Francis’s Office begins the night before with the Agony in the Garden. Together, these texts offer two complementary paths into the mystery of the Passion.
Through these prayers, readers are drawn into the devotional lives of St. Francis, St. Bonaventure, and St. Louis IX. The Offices lead the soul not only into sorrow for Christ’s suffering, but into praise of God through creation, devotion to Our Lady, and gratitude for the gifts of nature and grace made possible by the Cross.
This softcover volume features gilded pages and cover lettering, along with three ribbon markers to support daily use. It is a prayer book designed to delight the senses while forming the heart, inviting readers to take up the prayers of the saints and, with them, grow in the mind of Christ.