The Great Wednesdays of Saint Nicholas
Fifth Wednesday
Invitation: Blessed are those persecuted for seeking justice
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Gathered in the name of the Lord, in the presence of our Patron Saint Nicholas, we devoutly pause in prayer to reflect on the trials God sends us to help us grow and fulfill ourselves in the image of his Son, who suffered and died for us.
On this fifth Wednesday, let us consider how he inspired in Saint Nicholas such an intense love for others that, even while suffering prison and the harassment of persecution, he cared more for others than for himself. And, once the persecution had passed, he intervened to save the three officers accused of sedition. On this Wednesday, let us remember all those in any part of the world and because of any political ideology who are suffering exile, prison, internment in psychiatric clinics, or whose lives are in danger.
We pray to
Almighty and merciful God. We humbly ask You to sustain our trust in you in times of difficulty and misunderstanding on the part of friends and relatives. Following the example of Saint Nicholas, who in prison comforted the discouraged and encouraged them to persevere in faith, grant that even those persecuted today receive from you the support they need so that they do not interpret their suffering as abandonment, but as a more intense way of drawing close to you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Responsory Chant
If you ask for miracles,
the blind see,
the lame walk
and the bones of Nicholas
sweat manna.
The dangers cease,
the storms calm,
say the sailors.
Return to Father Adeodatus
and the Hagarenes are amazed,
and three virgins are saved,
say the people of Patara.
You, O beloved land, guard
the sacred bones received as a pledge
for all peoples,
which come to you from afar,
O happy Bari.
To the sailors who call upon you,
quickly offer your help
and the sea is calm.
Praying to you, Mary,
you intercede with God
in the pains of childbirth
for the mothers who invoke you.
May your holy manna
be health and a pledge.
May all be freed
from the dangers of life,
from wars, from hunger,
O glorious Saint Nicholas,
great Father. Amen
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit
The dangers cease,
the storms calm,
say the sailors.
After a short pause
Pray for us, Holy Father Nicholas,
That we may be made worthy of Christ's promises.
O God, who have worked and continue to work miracles daily through Saint Nicholas, your glorious confessor and bishop, grant, we beseech you, that through his merits and intercession we may be freed from the pains of hell and from every danger. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Christian Unity:
Lord Jesus Christ,
on the eve of your passion
you prayed that all your disciples
might be perfectly united as you are in the Father and the Father in you,
grant that we may painfully feel the pain of our divisions
and that we may honestly discover within ourselves and eradicate
every feeling of indifference, distrust and mutual hatred.
Grant us the grace to encounter everyone in you,
so that from our hearts and our lips
your prayer for the Christian unity may rise unceasingly,
as you desire and by the means you desire.
In you, who are perfect charity,
grant that we may find the path that leads to unity
in obedience to your love and your truth. Amen.
Concluding Chant
Come, O mighty Shepherd of Myra!
A ray of holy goodness inspires us.
Light our hearts with celestial love:
protect and defend our city.
A divine ray shines In your eyes:
on the harsh path you are a faithful guide.
For how many dying people you are a blossoming hope!
Your welcome manna can save everything.
You come, and you call from remote lands
foreign people are devoted to Bari.
O sun of Lycia, decorum of Bari,
lord of the seas, comfort and virtue.
From the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Italy. Used by permission.