The Great Wednesdays of Saint Nicholas
Sixth Wednesday
Invitation: Christians are to love the truth
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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 eternal mysteries of God, whose greatness and wisdom are revealed in all creatures.
On this sixth Wednesday, we consider Saint Nicholas's love for truth, which drove him on the one hand to combat paganism, still alive, and on the other to oppose the Arian heresy, which gravely undermined the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. We too, by attentively listening to the Word of God, must strive for an ever greater understanding of the truths of our faith. To achieve this goal, knowledge of Sacred Scripture, tradition, and the documents of the ecclesiastical Magisterium are of great help.
We pray to
Almighty God and Eternal Truth, who, through the Incarnation of the Word and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, have willed to reveal to humankind your unfathomable mysteries, hidden for centuries, grant, we beseech you, that, well instructed in the teachings of the Gospel, we may have the courage, as Saint Nicholas did, to spread and defend them in today's world, which seems heedless of your message, placing ourselves entirely at your service as apostles of truth, in charity. 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.