The Third Order of St. Dominic
The Nature and Object of the Third Order
1. The Third Order of Penance of St. Dominic, also called the Militia of
Jesus Christ, is an association of Christians living in the world who, sharing
in the the religious and apostolic life of the Order of Friars Preachers,
according to their own Rule approved by the Holy See, strive to attain to
Christian Perfection under the government of this same Order.
This definition of our Third Order is based on the Church's official
definition of a Third Order in her Code of Canon Law. A Third Order is not to be
confused with a Confraternity (such as the Rosary or Blessed Sacrament
Confraternity) which has its chief purpose the promotion of some public worship.
Nor should it be confused with a Sodality or a Pious Association which has for
its purpose the exercise of some particular works of piety and charity. Such
societies are good in themselves and have been approved by the Church. A
tertiary may belong to any or to all of them; but they are not Third Orders. The
Third Order entails embracing of a way of life, not the mere practice of some
particular work of piety or charity. The lay person embracing this way of life
remains a lay person; he does not become a religious, although he does attach
himself to one of the great Religious Orders of the Church, in this case the
Order of Friars Preachers. In order to attain and to assure the permanency of
this way of life, the Dominican tertiary has been given, for his guidance, a
Papally-approved Rule of Life designed to aid him in obtaining that Christian
perfection which is the end and purpose of the Third Order life.
This Rule is the touchstone of the tertiary's life of perfection. It is this
that he promises to obey at profession. He stands or falls as a tertiary
according to whether or not he has followed its precepts. Just as the Dominican
Friars or Sisters can be judged by their adherence to their particular Rule and
Constitutions, so can the tertiary by his adherence to this Rule of Life. The
Dominican Religious have their Rule read weekly and the Constitution daily at
meal time as a constant reminder of the norms which should govern their lives.
So also should the Dominican tertiary ponder well his Rule and make it a part of
his very way of thinking. It should be woven into the very fabric of the
tertiary's life. It is the Church's gift to her devout laity, the measuring rod
of their tertiary vocation. For seven hundred years it has been helping to
produce lay saints. Faithfully followed, it is the guarantee of a life of
perfection in the world.
2. The end of the Third Order is the sanctification of its own members by the
practice of a more perfect Christian life and the promotion of the salvation of
souls in a way that is suitable to the state of the faithful living in the
world.
When we speak of the end of anything, we speak of its purpose. It answers the
question: "For what does it exist?" The end of our Dominican Third Order is
two-fold - the sanctification of its own members and the promotion of the
salvation of souls. This double purpose of our Third Order fits in perfectly
with the contemplative-action vocation outlined by St. Dominic for his first
Friars. In the Dominican vocation there must be a constant interchange of the
contemplative and the active. One sustains and prepares for the other. The
Order's motto, "to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of
contemplation," belongs to the secular Third Order as well as to the other
branches of the family.
The perfection spoken of is not the perfection demanded of every Christian. It
is more. The tertiary in seeking his sanctification must go a step further and
seek his perfection by the practice of "a more perfect Christian life" somewhat
the same way that a religious goes even a step further by seeking a life of
perfection through means of the formal vows of religion. The tertiary, mind you,
does not take vows; but he does make a solemn promise at his profession to
strive for perfection in accordance with his Third Order Rule and his particular
state in the life.
3. The means for obtaining this end, over and above the common precepts and
duties of one's own state of life are: the observance of this Rule, continual
prayer and, as far as possible, liturgical prayer, the practice of penance,
apostolic and charitable works for the Faith and the Church according to one's
condition and particular state in life.
The end is not enough. One must also have the means to reach an end. It is all
well and good to set one's heart on going to Ireland; but unless one has some
adequate means of transportation, it might turn out to be nothing more than an
ambitious day-dream. The means here listed have been selected by the Church.
They are the result of many years of experience on the part of a wise mother's
loving guidance of her countless children as they tread the paths of virtue.
They are more than adequate in helping one reach the end.
<-GO
BACK
