Word to the Wise
Friday, November 7, 2008 - All Saints of the Order of Preachers
[Philippians 3:17-4:1 and Luke 16:1-8]Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us.
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. When I was a novice and student brother, it wasn't really difficult to remember all the "canonized" Dominican saints. There were plenty of stained glass windows in the churches and chapels of the Order! Pope John Paul II put an end to that by adding a huge number of saints and "blesseds." So, now I'm kept up to date by printed liturgical calendars and can't say that I know very well the lives of some of these brothers and sisters of mine who have recently been "raised to the altar." If they're like the ones I knew in my Dominican youth, they're a mixed bag! Consider the contrast between Martin De Porres and Thomas Aquinas, or between Rose of Lima and Catherine of Siena! There are some who, although not officially recognized, have their fan clubs: Meister Eckhart - a mystic, and Girolamo Savanarola - a fiery reformer. This Dominican "communion of saints" is a comfort and a challenge. If Dominican life is a way to holiness, then I am comforted by that thought. If Dominican life means being an imitator of some of these - at times unusual - brothers and sisters of mine, then I am challenged. It seems to be that faithfulness and love are what enable a friar, nun. sister, Dominican Layperson to live the four "pillars" of Dominican life: prayer, study, community, ministry - so as to live up to our charism: PREACHING. Today, we Dominicans celebrate that great chorus of preachers who have gone before us and whose lives challenge us to greater efforts. AMEN