On this tenth Tuesday in the series of 15 Tuesdays in honor of our Holy Father St. Dominic, our reflection considers how St. Dominic’s love and devotion to Christ Crucified, and how He should also be the treasure of our hearts.
If you are joining us after the beginning of the 15 Tuesdays, don’t worry! Fifteen weeks is a long time, and you can begin at any point to grow in love of God and devotion to St. Dominic through joining in.
Christ Crucified Inscribed in our Hearts
“Let Christ, Who was fastened to the Cross for all, be fast-knit to their hearts.” In these words our Constitutions exhort us to a constant loving remembrance of Our Lord’s Passion and Death.
Our Holy Father Saint Dominic was outstanding in his devout meditation on the mysteries of the life of Christ, especially His Passion. The brethren remembered how he used to pray before the Crucifix of the Altar or Chapter Hall, his gaze fixed upon the Crucified One with perfect attention, genuflecting again and again. His method of prayer while he traveled was similar. He would say to his companion, “Let us think of Our Savior,” and withdraw some distance from the brother. Then he gave himself entirely to meditation as he walked, repeatedly fortifying himself with the Sign of the Cross. The brethren thought that it was while praying in this way that he obtained his extraordinary penetration into the mysteries of Sacred Scripture, an intimate acquaintance with the Holy Spirit, and an inflamed charity.
We see how our Holy Father’s devotion to the Passion of Christ was not only intellectual, in his mind, but also affective, transforming his heart. Saint Dominic’s holiest children have always counted this ardent devotion to Jesus Crucified a precious part of their Dominican heritage. Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Meditating on matters pertaining to Christ’s humanity is the strongest incentive to love and consequently to devotion, leading us as a guiding hand….If anyone from a devout intention meditates on the suitableness of Christ’s Passion and Death, he will find such depth of wisdom, that certain things will always suggest more and greater things to every reflecting mind.” Saint Catherine de Ricci, who from her childhood spent hours pondering the Crucifix, wrote, “Let us mark our foreheads with that sacred Blood, that by this sign we may… have competed and won the red and ruddy prize of victory, which is the Crucified Jesus, spattered with Blood and lifeless for the sake of love.”
Let us imitate Saint Dominic and study from the book of charity, which is the book of the Cross. Together with our saintly brothers and sisters, let us consider Jesus Crucified our greatest prize. In union with Mary, who stood at the foot of the Cross, let us treasure every word and action of Jesus in our hearts, especially the greatest proof of His love, His sorrowful Passion and Death. Then, where our treasure is, our hearts will also be.
Additional Prayers
If you would like to observe this day with additional devotions, we have posted the following prayers in the past: