Word to the Wise
Tuesday, August 8, 2023 - Aug. 8 - St. Dominic, priest
[Isaiah 52:7-10; 2 Tim 4;2-8; Matt. 28:16-20]The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them: "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." [Matthew]
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2023 ST. DOMINIC - FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS
[Isaiah 52:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Matthew 28:16-20. These are scriptures proper to this feast. A reflection for Tuesday in the 18th week in Ordinary Time can be found in the search tool at my website <rbwords.com>.]
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them: "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." [Matthew]
August 8th is the feast day of St. Dominic Guzman, OP, the founder of the Order of Preachers, also called "Dominicans." As a Dominican friar for almost 60 years, I feel I should speak to our vocation.
Dominic wished to establish a group of well-prepared preachers, living a simple life, to counter a heresy in southern France. He divided the earliest group and sent them to major university centers to study, preach and establish communities. Pope Honorius III approved the order on Dec. 22, 1216 and gave us the title "Order of Preachers," which we proudly designate with the initials O.P. after our names.
The very existence of the Order, which includes friars, apostolic sisters, cloistered nuns, Dominican Laity and other branches, is a way of calling attention to the importance of preaching. We are scattered all over the planet now carrying out Dominic's initial vision. The command of Jesus to make disciples of all nations is our goal in preaching. This may be done in ways of pulpit preaching, university ministry, art, acts of service for the poor and oppressed - but the verbal preaching, supported by an apostolic lifestyle is the paradigm. We organize this around four pillars of PRAYER, STUDY, COMMUNITY LIFE AND SERVICE.
Today we celebrate our founder who was not only a charismatic preacher but an amazing visionary in the way we are organized. Pope Francis sent us a beautiful letter on the 800th anniversary of St. Dominic's death, entitled "Preacher of Grace," taken from an antiphone we pray together, "Light of the Church." Please pray that we can continue to preach well. And pray specifically for me as I strive to do this in THE WORD TO THE WISE. AMEN!
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