The Song of the Three Witnesses is composed of short passages from scripture concerning the unity of God, the three persons of the Trinity, and the Trinity as a whole. It is designed to help one meditate on the mystery of the Trinity. The Song is broken into five canticles, each preceeded by a prayer. The devotion is very flexible. You can read one canticle a day for five days, or you can read one verse from each canticle per day for a whole month of meditation on the Trinity.
Why pray The Song of the Three Witnesses?
I feel that this devotion is especially valuable today because the doctrine of the Trinity, a central teaching of orthodox Christianity, has been refuted by several religious groups which describe themselves as Christian. The Song of the Three Witnesses is intended to increase a person's faith in and devotion to the Blessed Trinity, through the use of scripture, prayer, and meditation.
Who is this devotion for?
This devotion is for all Trinitarian Christians.
Comments:
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please send them to me at the _spacemouse@yahoo.com. If you find this devotion to be at all helpful, feel free to pass it on to others. Likewise, feel free to make any changes or substitutions to the devotion that you feel may help it, and pass those on as well.
Act of Faith:
Oh my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because You have revealed them, Who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.
- from The Key of Heaven, 1976
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen.
- from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
SCRIPTURES:
1) " Hear, Oh Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." Deuteronomy 6:4-5 RSV
2) "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:22
3) "He is one and there is no other than He." Mark 12:32
4) "As an eagle incites its nestlings forth by hovering over its brood, so he spread his wings to receive them and bore them up on his pinions. The Lord alone was their leader; no strange god was with them." Deuteronomy 32:11
5) "I alone am God, and there is no god besides me. It is I who bring both death and life." Deuteronomy 32:39
6) "`I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the Last', says the Lord God, `the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'" Revelations 1:8
7) "The Lord your God, is God indeed, the faithful God who keeps His merciful covenant down to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments" Deuteronomy 7:9
8) "Oh, Lord of Hosts, who is a strong lord like you?" Psalm 89:8
9) "There is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." Romans 13:1 KJV
10) "No ear has ever heard, no eye has ever seen any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him." Isaiah 64:3
PRAYER: GLORY BE
Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come,; they will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
SCRIPTURES:
1) "Exalt Him before every living being, because he is the Lord our God, our father and God forever." Tobit 12:4
2) "Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation." Psalm 89:26 KJV
3) "Have we not all the one Father? Has not the one God created us?" Malachi 2:10
4) "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16 KJV
5) "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you." Mark 14:36
6) "All good giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfuits of creation." James 1:17
7) "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Romans 8:14
8) "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God." 1 John 3:1
9) "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are all called in one hope of your calling: One lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:4-6
10) "Your Father knows what things you need, before you ask Him." Matthew 6:8
PRAYER: GLORY BE
Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.
SCRIPTURE:
1) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:1-5
2) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
3) "God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." 1 John 5:11
4) "For to which of the angels did God ever say: "You are my son, this day I have begotten you?" or again: "I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me"?
And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, He says:
"Let all the angels of God worship him." Hebrews 1:5-6
5)"Of the angels he says: "he makes his angels winds
and his ministers a fiery flame"; but of the Son: "Your throne, Oh God, stands forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions." Hebrews 1:7-9
6) "and "At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you remain. You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end." Hebrews 1:10-12
7) "And the Word became flesh and dwelled among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
8) "And the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you shall call him Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest." Luke 1:31-32
9) "Let all the house of Isreal know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom we have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36
10) "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!" John 1:29
PRAYER: GLORY BE
Breathe into me, Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Move in me, Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Attract my heart, Holy Spirit,
that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit,
that I may defend all that is holy.
Protect me, Holy Spirit,
that I may always be holy.
SCRIPTURE:
1) "I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, you young men shall see visions, even upon the servant and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit." Joel 3:1-2
2) "Suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:2-4
3) "The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that my Father will send in My name -- He will teach you everthing and remind you of all I told you." John 14:26
4) "If you, then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him." Luke 11:13
5) "I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony heart and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God." Ezekial 36:26-28
6) "The Spirit too comes to the aide of our weakness; for we do not know how to praye as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts know what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will." Romans 8:26-27
7) "The spirit of the Lord fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows what man says." Wisdom 1:7
8) "The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of teh person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
9) "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things feely given us by God. And we speak them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms." 1 Corinthians 2:12-13
10) "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit." 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7
PRAYER: GLORY BE
Almight and ever living Father, to You we owe the grace of our true Faith, which enables us to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and to adore the blessed unity through the Power of Your Majesty. Grant that by holding fast to that Faith we may always be guarded against all dangers. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."
SCRIPTURE:
1) After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming down upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."" Matthew 3:16-17
2) "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Corinithians 13:14
3) "God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of the God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you see and hear." Acts 2:31-33
4) ""I am not alone, but it is I and the Father who sent me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified. I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me." So they said to him "Where is your father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also."" John 8:16-19
5) "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me." John 15:26
6) "This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son." 1 John 5:6-9
7) "For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." -- Johannine Comma; not found in original. KJV 1 John 5:7
8) "Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are." John 17:11
9) "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling in him." John 14:23
10) "I am in my Father, and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whosoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." John 15: 20
PRAYER: GLORY BE
