Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 7, 2021 - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:29-39]If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all to save at least some. All of this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it. [1 Corinthians]
In his instructions to his disciples in Matthew 10 and Luke 10, Jesus clearly indicates that they should earn their keep by their preaching ("The laborer deserves his keep.). St. Paul makes a point of saying that he does not expect to be supported by the people to whom he preaches. We know from the Acts of the Apostles that he was a tentmaker! (Acts 18:3) His refusal to accept preaching stipends or room and board gave him a certain freedom. His obligation was to preach, period! His lifestyle would also preach because he was a worker like so many in his audience.
When St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers (to which I belong), he directed that they were to beg for their daily sustenance in addition to their preaching apostolate. (That is why our order and others like us are called "mendicant" from the Latin for "beggar.")The reason for this was the contrast between the official preachers sent by the Pope to counteract the Albigensian heretics and the heretical preachers. The latter were itinerant and lived austerely, and the former traveled in style with servants, etc.! The model for the Dominicans would be that of the early Christian community described in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35.
All of us have received the "obligation to preach" by virtue of our baptism/confirmation. Our preaching need not be from the pulpit. It may be simply from our lifestyle and the way we show our love for neighbor in accord with Matthew 25:31-45 ("When I was hungry, you gave me to eat, et seq") I took on an additional obligation or "stewardship" when I became a member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). This daily reflection is, I hope, a sign that I take that obligation seriously. I do not get to preach daily from a pulpit at Mass (we share that here at our university parish), but I can preach from the internet pulpit, so here I am! But I challenge my Beloved Congregation to ask themselves about how they preach the same gospel I have been called by baptism and Dominican vocation. Faith and lifestyle go together to provide witness in a world so in need of it, as recent events in our own nation have shown. We may not all be called to the pulpit, but we ARE all called to preach. AMEN
[Note to the Beloved Congregation. Each year, our "mendicant" Southern Dominican Province - the one to which I belong - reaches out to family, friends and anyone who hears us for help with educating our student brothers (seminarians) and taking care of our elderly (I guess I qualify at 77) and infirm. We call this the 1216 CAMPAIGN, after the year in which our Order was founded. Some members of the Beloved Congregation whom I know personally will receive a card from me about this. For anyone else, if you think you can help, you can send a donation to . 1216 Campaign (or Southern Dominican Province with 1216 Campaign noted) care of SOUTHERN DOMINICAN PROVINCE, P. O. Box 8129, New Orleans, LA 70182. Please note, if possible, that Fr. R.B.Williams OP sent you. They will let me know so I can thank you! Thanks for any help you can give.]
config
view
logs
4096.0 KB
119 ms
4
