CHAPTER EIGHTPRAYER TO ST. DOMINIC
(Attributed to Blessed Jordan of Saxony) (34)TEXT
Oh Blessed Father St. Dominic, holy priest of God, beloved Confessor, renowned preacher, man of the Lord's own choosing: In your day you were pleasing and beloved of the Lord above all others-glorious in your life, teaching, and miracles. We rejoice to have you as our gracious advocate before the Lord God.
I cry to you from the depths of this vale of tears, because I venerate you, among all the saintly elect of God, with particular devotion. Merciful Father, help, I pray, my sinful soul, so destitute of all grace and virtue, so covered with the stains of many sins and vices.
Come to my wretched and unhappy soul, thou happy and blessed soul of the man of God, endowed with such blessings by divine grace. Not only has it raised you to happy peace, quiet rest, and heavenly glory, but, by your praiseworthy life, it has drawn uncounted others to the same happiness. It has incited them with your sweet admonition, instructed them with your winning teaching, and aroused them with your fervent preaching. Be attentive, then, Oh Blessed Dominic, and bend a merciful ear to my pleading voice.
Turning to you, my poor and needy soul falls at your feet. As far as, in humble mind, it can, it sluggishly labors to place itself before you. As in living death, my soul strives with all its power to pray to you. It begs, through your powerful merits and virtuous prayers, that you will kindly restore it to life and health, and fill it with the ample gift of your blessing.
For I know, truly know, that you can do it. I am certain of it. From your great charity I am confident that you want this. I hope, from the immense mercy of the Savior, that you can bring about, before Him, whatever you wish.
I rely, too, on your great friendship with Jesus Christ, so loved by you, whom you chose out of ten thousand. It is my hope that He will deny you nothing; rather, that whatever you ask you will get from Him. For, though He is the Lord God, yet He is your friend. What could He deny to you who put all else aside and did not hesitate to give yourself and all you had to Him. This is why we speak as we do; this is why we have great veneration for you.
In the full flowering of your manhood, you dedicated your virginity to the radiant Spouse of all virgins. White-robed from Baptism's sacred font, adorned by the Holy Spirit, you vowed your soul in chaste love to the King of kings.
After long training in the combat of the regular life, you set your heart on a still higher goal. You grew from virtue to virtue, you went always from what was merely good to what was better. You offered your body as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God. Formed in the divine plan, you consecrated your whole self to God alone. Undertaking the way of perfection, you left all things and, stripped, followed the poor Christ -- preferring heaven's treasures to those of the earth. Denying yourself vigorously, you manfully took up your cross and successfully tried to follow in the footsteps of our Redeemer as your true captain.
Your strong love burned with heavenly fire and Godlike zeal. With all the fervor of an impetuous heart and with an avowal of perfect poverty, you spent your whole self in the cause of the Apostolic life. To further this work, you established the Order of Preachers, guided from the beginning by counsel from on High. You brightened Holy Mother Church throughout this world of men with your glorious merits and example. At last you left behind this bondage of the flesh. Taken up into heaven's army, you rose to the heights of glory.
So now I pray that you, who wanted the salvation of the human race with tremendous zeal, will come to help me and those I hold dear. I pray, too, for all mankind: the clergy, the people, religious women.
After the Blessed Queen of virgins, you are my sweet hope and solace -- before all other saints. You are my special refuge; bend favorably to help me. You are the one to whom I fly. You alone do I dare approach. I put myself at your feet, I invoke you as my patron, I implore and devoutly commend myself to you. I ask you, kindly and favorably receive, keep, protect, and help me. May I thereby merit receiving from God, through your intercession, the grace I desire, finding mercy, and salvation's remedy now and hereafter.
O Blessed Dominic! Master! Famous Captain! Loving Father! So may it be! So let your prayers obtain!
Then come to me, I pray, and to all who call on you. Be truly for us the Lord's Own as your name implies, the watchful keeper of His flock. Keep and rule us who are committed to your care at all times. Make our ways straight and reconcile us with God. Then, after this our exile, joyfully present us to the blessed Lord, God's dearly loved Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ -- whose honor, praise, glory, unutterable joy, and eternal happiness, together with that of the glorious Virgin Mary and the whole company of heaven's citizens, endure without end, forever and ever. Amen.
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