Novena to St Dominic - Day 5
Extract from the book: Saint Dominic’s Way of Life, by Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP and Jacob Bertrand Janczyk, OP.
One of the oldest prayers to the Virgin Mary is the ancient antiphon titled in Latin Sub Tuum Praesidium. By some accounts this prayer dates to the third century. The beautiful words, first written in Greek, present the Blessed Mother as one who intercedes for us.
We turn to her, asking for her prayers, and she shows forth the grace of her Son:We fly to Thy protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.
The Order of Preachers adopted this powerful motif, Cistercian in origin, expressing a love for the Virgin of Mercy, who gathers her children under her mantle. The Virgin Mary is for
us a mercy, a shield, a shelter.
According to Sister Cecilia of the monastery of St. Sixtus (a cloistered nun who knew St. Dominic), one night while Dominic was at prayer, he had a vision of heaven. As he gazed at rank
upon rank of the heavenly host before the Lord, he did not see a single member of his own Order of Preachers. Distraught, he turned to our Lord, who beckoned him to approach the Virgin Mary. “At this the Blessed Virgin
drew back her mantle, and opening it wide before St. Dominic, it seemed to enclose nearly the whole of that heavenly country, so vast was it, and beneath it he saw a great host of his brethren. Casting himself down, St Dominic
returned hearty thanks to Christ and his holy mother.” As the story goes, when the vision faded, Dominic rang the bell for matins, prayed with the brethren, and then, calling them to the chapter room, he preached a sermon
exhorting them to love and revere the Virgin Mary.
In imitation of St Dominic, not simply every Dominican but every follower of Christ should turn with confidence to the Blessed Mother. From her will pour forth a flood of heavenly grace,
enough to quench the thirst souls of this world. Guided by her intercession, we can continue courageously along the pilgrimage of this life, hoping to find ourselves, one day, rejoicing among the saints at her feet.
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