In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Leader: Let
us prepare ourselves to take part in this Triduum in honor of the seraphic
doctor Catherine of Siena, patron and model of the Lay Dominicans, and ask God’s
forgiveness in Catherine’s own words:
All: O
eternal Father, I well know that mercy is proper to you; hence you cannot
refuse it to anyone who asks it of you. Your servants are knocking at the door
of your Truth, because in Truth, your only-begotten Son, they have come to know
the unutterable love you have for mankind and so they are knocking at your
door. The fire of your charity must not, nor can it restrain itself from opening
to those who knock with perseverance. Open, then, unlock and break the hardened
hearts of your creatures; if not for the sake of those who knock, do it because
of your infinite goodness. Amen. (Dialogue,
134)
Leader: Cancel
out our sins today, O true God, and cleanse our souls with the blood which your
only begotten Son shed for us; so that, dead to ourselves, living for him, we
may exchange our passion for his with bright face and undivided soul.
All: Amen.
(Prayer VI)
Leader: Prayer
for everyday:
All: O
God, who sends the light of truth to those who are in error in order to bring
them back to the paths of truth and justice, dispel the darkness of our errors
and let the dawn of resplendent grace shine forth in our lives. Lord, that we
may see our faults, detest our sins, and atone for our offenses, so that,
reinstated once more in your friendship and grace, we may be worthy to
participate in your Passion and reproduce in our lives the sorrowful and loving
mysteries of your life.
Leader: Prayer
for the 1st Day/ 2nd Day/ 3rd Day:
All: 1st Day: We
beseech you, O Almighty God, to let the splendor of faith shine over us so that
it may shed its light over our frailties, our falls, our works, and our
anxieties. Grant to the intercession of St. Catherine of Siena, our sweet
mother, that in the frequent fluctuations of fortune, in the tempest of temptations,
in the fears of sickness and poverty that cloud and darken our lives, we may
see in them a design of love and may rest confidently in the security of your
promises. With heartfelt and hopeful prayer we implore her protection and with
her guidance and assistance, we propose to traverse the road to heaven, to
promote the interests of virtue in our life, to conquer the enemies of our
soul, to overcome all hardships and to sincerely aspire for sanctity.
2nd
Day: Most
sweet Jesus, who imprinted your five wounds on the virginal body of St
Catherine and fed her in Holy Communion with the best in life through your Body
and Blood, humbly we beseech you to cleanse us from our sins, to adorn us with
your virtues and merits, and to give the grace to receive this Sacrament with
humility and reverence, in fear and in trembling, with sorrow and contrition
for our sins, with the resolution to avoid sin in the future, and with the love
and sanctity befitting such a high mystery.
3rd
Day: Apostolic
St. Catherine of Siena, who, having professed in the Third Order of St.
Dominic, followed the footsteps of such a sublime Father in the work of
salvation of souls and for the exaltation of our Mother the Church; who, at the end, when you breathed forth your last sigh, after exceptional tortures, accepted it for
Christian unity and for the liberty of the Roman Pontiff, obtain for us from
the Lord, a similar zeal, which will animate us to progress everyday in our
personal sanctification and encourage us to sacrifice ourselves for the
spiritual welfare of our fellowmen.
Leader: Now
ask, through the intercession of St. Catherine, the special favor you wish to
obtain from this Triduum. (Pause)
Leader: Let
us praise the Blessed Trinity for the prerogatives granted to St. Catherine of
Siena.
All: Praised
be God the Father for the power he communicated to St. Catherine to defend the
Catholic Church. Our Father… Hail Mary…
Glory Be…
Praised
be God the Son, for the gifts he bestowed upon St. Catherine with the
imprinting of his five wounds. Our Father…
Hail Mary… Glory Be…
Praised
be God the Holy Spirit for the charity with which he distinguished St.
Catherine among the souls he loved best. Our
Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
Leader: Final
Prayer:
All: Eternal Majesty! Almighty God! We cry to you, our God and our love,
praying that in your great pity you show mercy unto the world. Grant unto it
light to acknowledge him, who is your Vicar, in the purity of faith; and do
also shed light unto him, that all the world may follow him. And since you have
chosen him to be your Vicar, give him wisdom and a courageous heart, and fill
him with holy humility. Never will we cease to knock at the door of your mercy,
praying you to exalt him and protect him, and to manifest in him your strength.
Let his heart be filled with undaunted courage and let your charity, your
purity, and your sovereign wisdom shine forth in all his acts that thus he may
draw after him the entire world. Amen.
Source:
Fr. Eladio Neira, O.P. Lay Dominicans' Manual. San Juan, Metro Manila: Life Today Publications, 1989
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