Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii

Lay Dominicans of Dallas & Fort Worth | Southern Province ~ St. Martin de Porres

Author: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

Lay Dominicans, all Dominicans, are like a box of chocolates…

By

On 2021-11-04

In Four Pillars, Lay Dominican, spirituality

You never know what you’re going to get!

By Mr. Pedro A. Moreno, O.P.

Since I was asked to contribute an article on Dominican Spirituality, I’ve been praying, studying and reflecting on what to say. I kept coming back to this point: we are all awesomely different.

Many years ago, yes, I’m that old, I heard from a wonderful Dominican friend, Fr. Ralph (RIP), a phrase that has long been around in Dominican circles: “When you’ve seen one Dominican, you’ve seen one Dominican!” The implication is clear: every member of the Dominican family is slightly different.

The same can be applied to our Lay Dominican reality. “When you’ve seen one Lay Dominican, you’ve seen only one Lay Dominican!” We are an awesomely diverse bunch; each living his or her own Dominican spirituality in a slightly diverse way, and that is OK. Each human being’s spirituality will be slightly different, many similarities, but ultimately different. We live in unity but not in uniformity. And once again I reiterate, that is OK.

Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., past Master of the Order of Preachers, in his Foreword to the book Dominican Spirituality by Erik Borgman, a Dutch Lay Dominican, said the following: “… it is also part of Dominican spirituality to delight in discovering that we do not always agree….”

Fr. Edward Schillebeeckx, O.P., in an article on Dominican spirituality writes: “… When I became a Dominican, I linked my life story with the family story of the Dominicans; as a result, my life story took on a new orientation and I picked up the thread of the story of the Order in my own way. So my own life has become part of the Dominican family story: a chapter in it. Through the story of the Order I have attained my own identity.”

We are one family quilt composed of many threads, each with his or her own identity and each with his or her own variants in the way the Dominican spirituality is lived! Schillebeeckx goes on to say, “A first conclusion already follows from this: a definitive all-round definition of Dominican spirituality cannot be given.”

Dominicans, lay and religious, are a family, and as such, are composed of individual members that do not lose their individuality by becoming part of the family. Every Dominican is different in one way or another just as every member of a family is different while still being part of that family.

In my own family, a major issue is that of alcohol consumption. I can’t hold my liquor, and I am known as a cheap drunk. During my time in the army, I was even known as Private Half Beer! There are a few family stories regarding this issue that I have not shared with anyone else at home. In fact, it scared me to read Dominican Fr. Paul Murray’s book The New Wine of Dominican Spirituality. The metaphor of wine and drunkenness being applied to Dominican spirituality throughout history while being intimidating does make clear how we are all different. I get drunk very easily. Likewise, people will get drunk with the Word of God at varying degrees.

Fr. Hinnebusch, O.P., in the Foreword to his book on Dominican spirituality mentions the need to adapt depending on his audience…

“I have also adapted the material to the needs of a wider reading audience. No longer do I address the sister but the Dominican. While some matter applies specifically to nuns or sisters, the use of masculine nouns and pronouns elsewhere by no means indicates that I am addressing only the members of the First Order. Though the forms and methods of their spiritual life vary to some degree (especially that of the secular tertiary), all Dominicans share the same basic vocation and follow the same spiritual path.”

A never-ending series of adaptations of resources to accommodate the differences among the members of the Dominican family is impossible so all resources on Dominican spirituality should be read and studied with this limitation in mind.

The reality of our diversity, as Lay Dominicans and as Catholics is repeated in church teaching. Here are some examples. First from the Catechism…

2672    The Holy Spirit, whose anointing permeates our whole being, is the interior Master of Christian prayer. He is the artisan of the living tradition of prayer. To be sure, there are as many paths of prayer as there are persons who pray, but it is the same Spirit acting in all and with all. It is in the communion of the Holy Spirit that Christian prayer is prayer in the Church. (695)

Also…

2707    There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower. But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus. (2690, 2664)

Even Saint Dominic left us an assortment of praying styles and positions! Variety is the spice of the spiritual life!

Recently, Pope Francis, gifted us with a beautiful Apostolic Exhortation entitled Gaudete Et Exsultate, which translated is “REJOICE AND BE GLAD” a quote from Matthew 5:12. The exhortation’s topic is: On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World. Paragraph 11 of the exhortation has some wonderful words of wisdom that apply to Lay Dominicans, and all of the baptized:

“Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discerns his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness.  Indeed, when the great mystic, Saint John of the Cross, wrote his Spiritual Canticle, he preferred to avoid hard and fast rules for all. He explained that his verses were composed so that everyone could benefit from them “in his or her own way”. For God’s life is communicated “to some in one way and to others in another”.

This quote begins with key words from the last line of paragraph 11 in Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium: “Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect.”

Regarding our spiritual lives, I must emphasize that we are not meant to be clones. Every spiritual life, the spiritual life of every Lay Dominican, or any Dominican, is meant to be lived “each in his or her own way”, and this way is never meant to be a complicated way and we should try and avoid complicating our spiritual paths.

Quoting Saint Thomas Aquinas, Pope Francis emphasizes this point in paragraph 59 of Gaudete Et Exsultate:

“Once we believe that everything depends on human effort as channeled by ecclesial rules and structures, we unconsciously complicate the Gospel and become enslaved to a blueprint that leaves few openings for the working of grace. Saint Thomas Aquinas reminded us that the precepts added to the Gospel by the Church should be imposed with moderation “lest the conduct of the faithful become burdensome”, for then our religion would become a form of servitude.”

Moderation, in my personal view, is uniquely important to Lay Dominican spirituality because Dominican spirituality was born, in part, from a reaction against the Albigensian heresy, Catharism, which was a very extremist attempt to forge a path to God. 

So, as we strive to live out our Dominican spirituality as lay men and women, as we recommit ourselves each day to practice of the “Four Pillars of Dominican Life”: Prayer, Study, Community, and Preaching, we live our lives inspired by the example of St. Dominic, which was either “talking to God or talking about God,” each Lay Dominican will give these elements of Veritas (truth) a different flavor.

The distinct flavor of our Lay Dominican spirituality will depend on each person’s state of life. It will rely on factors such as whether this lay person is male or female; single, married or widowed; which ethnic background they come from; what level of education they have obtained, which profession has he or she chosen; what their current health status is; their upbringing; and many other variants. All of these will have a direct effect on one’s spirituality, their personal response to God, and their style of preaching.

Fr. Benedict M. Ashley, O.P., mentions, at the end of his book The Dominicans, the following idea regarding our obligation to preach as Lay Dominicans:

“… Dominican Laity share in this same obligation but they, in particular, need today to rethink, as Catherine did, what their opportunities are… They must decide with courage exactly what their relation is to the Dominican family…”

I am sure that how we interpret our preaching opportunities and our relation to the family, will vary a bit depending on which Lay Dominican you speak to, and that’s OK.

Different varieties of Lay Dominicans, like the different varieties found in a box of chocolates will depend on many factors and that includes some nuts in each box, each chapter. This makes us more flavorful and tastier. The lack of uniformity, the presence of diversity while living our unity, is not just OK, it is beautiful. It is a blessing It is a grace-filled communion of love in Christ.

We might not know what we’re going to get in each chapter, but we know it will be good.

VERITAS!

Works Cited

Ashley, Benedict M. The Dominicans. The Liturgical Press, 1990. Available at www.domcentral.org/study/ashley/.

Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd ed.). Our Sunday Visitor, 2000.

Hinnebusch, William A. Dominican Spirituality: Principles and Practice. Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2014.

Murray, Paul. The New Wine of Dominican Spirituality. Burns & Oates, 2006.

Pope Francis, “Gaudete Et Exsultate.” The Holy See, March 19, 2018. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html.

Radcliffe, Timothy. Forward. Dominican Spirituality: An Exploration, by Erik Borgman, Continuum, 2001.

Schillebeeckx, Edward. Appendix: Dominican Spirituality: An Exploration, by Erik Borgman, Continuum, 2001.

Vatican II. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium. November 21, 1964. https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html.

Pedro A. Moreno, a husband, father and catechist, completed his graduate studies in theology and education in Puerto Rico and is a lay member of the Dominican Family, Order of Preachers. He is an award-wining writer and is regularly sought out for parish missions, retreats, courses and workshops.

The Rule of St. Augustine

By

On 2021-08-31

In community, Resources

Anyone taking a look at the Dominican Order will eventually come across the fact that St. Dominic adopted as his first Rule the Rule of St. Augustine. Upon Dominic’s petition to Pope Innocent III in 1213 to form an order, he was given the condition that he must follow one of the decrees of the recently completed Fourth Lateran Council, to wit, no religious order was allowed to create a new rule of life for itself. St. Dominic would have to adopt an existing order. He chose the Rule of St. Augustine.

Why this Rule? It was one of the oldest and most venerable rules in existence even at that time. It is short and adaptable. Dominic had been living under this rule as a Canon Regular, so it was familiar. The rule is challenging yet merciful. And it begins with the Greatest Commandment.

The Rule of Saint Augustine

Chapter One

Before all things, dearly beloved brothers, love God and then your neighbor, because these were the first commandments given to us.

1. Here are the rules we lay down for your observance, once you have been admitted to the monastery.
2. The chief motivation for your sharing life together is to live harmoniously in the house and to have one heart and one soul seeking God.
3. Do not call anything your own; possess everything in common. Your superior ought to provide each of you with food and clothing, not on an equal basis to all, because all do not enjoy the same health, but to each one in proportion to his need. For you read in the Acts of the Apostles: ‘They possessed everything in common’, and ‘distribution was made to each in proportion to each one’s need.’
4. Those who owned anything in the world should freely consent to possess everything in common in the monastery.
5. Those who had nothing should not seek in the monastery possessions which were beyond their reach outside. Allowance should be made for their frailty, however, on the basis of individual need, even if previous poverty never permitted them to satisfy those needs. But they should not consider their present good fortune to consist in the possession of food and clothing which were beyond their means elsewhere.
6. Nor should they put their nose in the air because they associate with people they did not dare approach in the world. Instead they should lift up their heart, and not pursue hollow worldly concerns. Monasteries should not provide advantage for the rich to the disadvantage of the poor. Such would be the case if the rich become humble and the poor become proud.
7. But on the other hand, those who enjoyed some measure of worldly success ought not to belittle their brothers who come to this holy society from a condition of poverty. They should endeavour to boast about the fellowship of poor brothers, rather than the social standing of rich relations. They are not to think well of themselves if they have contributed to the common life from their wealth. Sharing their possessions with the monastery ought not to become a greater source of pride than if they enjoyed these goods in the world. As a matter of fact, every other vice produces evil deeds with a view to doing evil, but pride sets a trap for good deeds as well with a view to destroying them. What benefit is there in giving generously to the poor and becoming poor oneself, if the pitiful soul is more inclined to pride by rejecting riches than by possessing them?
8. Live then, all of you, in harmony and concord; honour God mutually in each other; you have become His temples.

Chapter Two

1. Be assiduous in prayer at the scheduled hours and times.
2. No one has any business in the prayer-room apart from the particular purpose which it serves; that is why it is called the oratory. Consequently, if some wish to pray even outside the scheduled periods, during their free time, they should not be deterred by people who think they have some other task there.
3. When you pray to God in psalms and hymns, the words you speak should be alive in your hearts.
4. Keep to the prescribed text when you sing; avoid texts which are not suited for singing.

Chapter Three

1. To the extent that your health allows, subdue your flesh by fasting and abstinence from food and drink. If anyone is unable to fast, let him at least take no food between meals, unless he is sick.
2. Listen to the customary reading from the beginning to the end of the meal without commotion or arguments. Food is not for the mouth alone; your ears also should hunger for the Word of God.
3. No one is to be annoyed, nor should it seem to be unjust, when a special diet is provided for brothers whose health has been adversely affected by their former status in life. A different background endows some people with greater physical strength. These should not consider others fortunate because they see concessions granted to their brothers and not to themselves. Let them be thankful rather that they have the strength to endure what others cannot.
4. If food, clothes, a mattress, or blankets are given to those who come to the monastery from a more comfortable manner of life, the more robust individuals, to whom such things are not given and who are on this account more fortunate, ought to recall how much affluent people have altered their lifestyle in order to embrace the present one, even though the frugality practised by the stronger brothers continues to elude them. No one should desire the extras given to a few, more out of tolerance than out of deference. Deplorable disorder would occur, if the monastery provided a setting, to the extent that it is possible, where the wealthy become workers, while the poor become pampered.
5. Sick people necessarily take less food so as not to aggravate their condition. During convalescence they are to receive such care as will quickly restore their health, even if they come from the lowest level of poverty in the world. Recent illness has afflicted them with the same frailty which the wealthy possess from their previous manner of life. When sick people have fully recovered, they should return to their happier ways, which are all the more fitting for God’s servants to the extent that they have fewer needs. Food formerly necessary to remedy their illness should not become a pleasure which enslaves them. They should consider themselves richer since they are now more robust in putting up with privations. For it is better to need less than to have more.

Chapter Four

l. Do not allow your clothing to attract attention; seek to please not by the clothes you wear, but by the life you live.
2. Whenever you leave the house, go together; wherever you are going, stay together.
3. In your walk, posture, all external comportment, do nothing to offend anyone who sees you. Act in a manner worthy of your holy profession.
4. When you see a woman, do not fix your eyes on her or any woman. You are not forbidden to see women when you are out of the house. It is wrong, however, to desire women or to wish them to desire you. Lust for women is mutually stimulated not only by tender touches but by sight as well. Make no claim to a pure mind when your eyes are impure; an impure eye is the herald of an impure heart. Unchaste hearts reveal themselves by exchanging glances even without any words; people yield to lust as they delight in their passion for each other. Chastity takes to its heels, even though their bodies remain unsullied by unchaste actions.
5. The man who directs his attention towards a woman and enjoys her similar token of affection should not think others fail to notice this mutual exchange. He is certainly observed even by persons he thinks do not see him. But if his actions escape the notice of men and women, what will he do about the One who keeps watch on high, from whom nothing can be hidden? Is God therefore blind, because he looks on with patience proportionate to his wisdom? The holy man should fear to displease God, lest he desire to please a woman sinfully. So as not to look upon a woman in a sinful manner, let him bear in mind that God sees everything. Fear of the Lord is recommended in this matter too where we read in the Scriptures: ‘The Lord abhors a covetous eye.’
6. Mutually safeguard your purity, when you are together in church or wherever women are present. God, who dwells in you, will protect you in his way too by your mutual vigilance.
7. If you notice in any of your number this roving eye referred to above, immediately admonish the individual and correct the matter as soon as possible, in order to curb its progress.
8. If, after this warning, you observe him doing the same thing again or at any other time, whoever happens to discover this must report the offender, as if he were now a wounded person in need of healing. But first, one or two others should be told so that the witness of two or three may lend greater weight and the delinquent thus be convicted and punished with appropriate severity. Do not consider yourselves unkind when you point out such faults. Quite the contrary, are not without fault yourselves when you permit your brothers to perish because of your silence. Were you to point out their misdeeds, correction would at least be possible. If your brother had a bodily wound which he wished to conceal for fear of surgery, would not your silence be cruel and your disclosure merciful? Your obligation to reveal the matter is, therefore, all the greater in order to stem the more harmful infection in the heart.
9. If he neglects to mend his ways after such admonition, he should first be reported to the superior, before his behaviour is revealed to others, whose task it is to expose his failing in the event of his denial, so that his misconduct may not somehow be withheld from the others, after he has been corrected privately. But if he denies the charge, then the others are to be summoned without his knowledge so that he can be accused in the presence of all, not by a single witness but by two or three. When convicted, he must submit to the salutary punishment determined by the judgement of the superior, or even that of the priest whose authority embraces such matters. If he refuses to submit to punishment, even if he is determined not to leave, expel him from your society. Even this is not an act of cruelty but of mercy: to prevent the contagion of his life from infecting more people.
10. Diligently and faithfully, then, attend to my words about suggestive glances at women. Such advice holds also for detection, prevention, disclosure, proof, and punishment of other offences, with love for the person and hatred for the sin.
11. Whenever anyone has gone so far in misconduct as to receive secretly from any woman letters or small gifts of any kind, if he confesses the matter freely, pardon him and pray for him. If, however, he is detected and proved guilty, he is to be rather severely corrected according to the judgement of the priest or the superior.

Chapter Five

1. Keep your clothes in one place under the care of one or two, or as many people as may be needed to air them out and prevent damage from moths. Just as a single storeroom furnishes your food, so a single wardrobe should supply your clothing. Pay as little attention as possible to the clothes you receive as the season requires. Whether each of you receives what he had turned in or what was worn by someone else is of little concern, so long as no one is denied what he needs. If arguments and grumbling occur among you, and someone complains that he has received worse clothing than previously and that it is beneath his dignity to be dressed in clothes which another brother was wearing, you thereby demonstrate to yourselves how deficient you are in the holy and interior clothing of the heart, arguing as you do about clothes for the body. Even though one caters to your weakness and you receive the same clothing, you are to keep the clothes you are not wearing at the present time in one place under common supervision.
2. In this way, let no one work for himself alone; all your work shall be for the common purpose, with greater zeal and more concentrated effort than if each one worked for his private purpose. The Scriptures tell us: ‘Love is not self-seeking.’ We understand this to mean: the common good takes precedence over the individual good, the individual good yields to the common good. Here again, you will know the extent of your progress as you enlarge your concern for the common interest instead of your own private interest; enduring love will govern all matters pertaining to the fleeting necessities of life.
3. Consequently, whenever anyone brings anything to sons or relations who reside in the monastery, an article of clothing, or anything else that is considered necessary, the gift is not to be pocketed on the sly but given to the superior as common property, so that it can be given to whoever needs it.
4. The washing and cleaning of your clothes may be done in the monastery or at the laundry. The superior decides how often your clothes are to be laundered, lest an inordinate desire for clean clothes inwardly stain your soul.
5. Nor shall the body be denied proper hygienic care as standards for good health require. Do this without grumbling, following the advice of a physician. In the event a brother is unwilling to comply and the superior gives strict orders, he shall do what has to be done for his health. If a brother desires something which is harmful, he ought not to satisfy his desire. Desires are sometimes thought to be salubrious when they are really injurious.
6. Whenever a servant of God says he is not feeling well, take his word without hesitation, even though the source of the pain is not apparent. If uncertainty continues whether or not the remedy he desires would really make him better, consult a physician.
7. Whenever necessity requires a visit to the public baths or any other place, no fewer than two or three should go. When someone has to leave the house, he ought to go with companions designated by the superior, not with persons of his own choosing.
8. Care of the sick, whether the convalescent or those currently ill with any ailment, even though they are not running a temperature, shall be assigned to someone who shall personally obtain from the storeroom whatever he regards necessary for each individual.
9. Those responsible for food, clothing, or books are to serve their brothers without grumbling.
10. Books are to be requested at a definite hour each day; requests made at other times will be denied.
11. Those responsible for clothes and shoes shall promptly honour the request for either when anyone expresses the need.

Chapter Six

1. Either have no quarrels or put an end to them as quickly as possible, lest anger grow into hatred, make timber of a splinter, and turn the soul into the soul of a murderer. Thus you read: ‘Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer.’
2. Whoever has offended another with insults or harmful words, or even a serious accusation, must remember to right the wrong he has done at the earliest opportunity. The injured must remember to forgive without further bickering. If they have offended each other, they shall mutually forgive their offences for the sake of your prayers. The more frequent your prayers are, the sounder they ought to be. An individual who is prone to anger, yet hastens to beg forgiveness from someone he has consciously harmed, is better than another who is less inclined to anger and less likely to ask pardon. An individual who absolutely refuses to ask pardon, or does so without meaning it, is entirely out of place in the monastery, even if he is not dismissed. Spare yourselves the use of words too harsh. If they have escaped your lips, those same lips should promptly heal the wounds they have caused. Requirements of discipline may compel you to speak harsh words to correct young people. Even if you feel your criticism has been immoderate, you are not obliged to ask their pardon; too much attention to humility in their regard would undermine their ready acceptance of your authority. Instead, ask forgiveness from the Lord of all who knows how generously you love even those you may correct too harshly. Your love for one another ought to be spiritual, not carnal.

Chapter Seven

1. Obey your superior as a father, always with the respect worthy of his position, so as not to offend God in him. Be especially obedient to the priest who bears responsibility for all of you.
2. The superior has the principal task of seeing to it that all these precepts are observed. He should further provide that infractions are not carelessly overlooked but punished and corrected. He must refer matters which exceed his competence and power to the priest who has greater authority over you.
3. Your superior should regard himself to be fortunate as one who serves you in love, not as one who exercises authority over you. Accord him the first place of honour among you, but in fear before God he shall lie prostrate beneath your feet. Let him be a model of good deeds for everyone; he shall restrain the restless, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, with patience towards all. He shall willingly embrace discipline and instill fear. While both are necessary, he shall strive, nevertheless, to be loved by you rather than feared, mindful always that he will be accountable to God for you.
4. By being obedient, you manifest more compassion not only for yourselves, but also for him, because the higher position among you is all the more perilous.

Chapter Eight

1. The Lord grant you the grace to observe these precepts with love as lovers of spiritual beauty, exuding the fragrance of Christ by the goodness of your lives; you are no longer slaves under the law, but a people living in freedom under grace.
2. These precepts should be read to you once a week, so that you will see yourselves in this little book as in a mirror and not neglect anything through forgetfulness. When you find yourselves doing what has been written here, thank the Lord, the giver of all good gifts. However, if anyone of you realizes that he has failed on a specific point, let him be sorry for the past, safeguard the future, and continue to pray for his offences to be forgiven, and that he not be led into temptation.

Dominican Life is the Image of St. Dominic

By

On 2021-08-29

In Books, Lay Dominican, spirituality

Part 1 of a 7 part series on Dominican Spirituality.
The Introduction is here: “What Does It Mean To Say, “I am a Lay Dominican?”

BY: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP, MTS

We dedicate this series to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii

First Thoughts:

Do we need another article on Dominican Spirituality? A series? Aren’t there several books and resources out there already? Is it that hard to define Dominican Spirituality? I think the answer to all these questions is “Yes.”

As Debra noted in the introductory article, we have been having informal chats over lunch about Dominican Spirituality and what that means for a Lay Dominican. We realized that while there are a lot of resources covering this topic, they are almost exclusively written by and for Dominicans living in community, i.e., not necessarily aimed at the Lay Dominican. Consequently, a lot of the flavor and practical aspects of Dominican Life are framed in the context of living in community. Even a reference that I am using in this article, titled “Dominican Laity And The Year 2000”, is written largely to those in community about the laity.

We thought it would be worthwhile to dive deep into a work and consider it from the perspective of those of us not living in community. We chose Dominican Spirituality by Fr. Hennebusch. (You can download a pdf of this work by clicking here.)

It is our hope in this series of articles to lay out the key points of Dominican Spirituality as expressed in this work. We especially want to try to bring it home to the Lay Dominican and ask how these spiritual realities may be lived fully in our calling to the Order of Friars Preachers. And then it is our hope that we will look for the answers to these questions together.

As a framework we should all recall and internalize that St. Dominic founded our order to preach the Gospel and to oppose heresy. Consequently, we should keep in our minds the reality that we are considering joining or have joined a religious order. This very specifically means we are not to be categorized as a devotional prayer society. Such categorization loses site of the apostolic purpose of the order.

In service to the mission of the Order, we should recall that we are the ones who are “out there.” We are faced with the world as it is, and have all the responsibilities of being in the world. Consequently we are uniquely equipped to address the problems of the world through the exercise of our vocation as Dominican Laity.

One last observation before we get started. I read an article about Bible interpretation. The author concludes there are two basic approaches. Learn from the Bible, or learn about the Bible. Which reminded me of the theologian that passed away and at the Pearly Gates St. Peter told him that he could come right in to Heaven, or, he could attend a lecture about Heaven. The joke goes, he went to attend the lecture.

Let’s not let the joke be on us.

As mentioned in the article introducing this series, this book on Dominican Spirituality is a collection of lectures given by Fr. Hennebusch to the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of the Most Holy Cross in Amityville, NY. It has been pulled together and edited some to provide continuity, and an introductory chapter was written to provide a framework. In the introduction we find some unifying themes to carry throughout our study:

  • The Dominican enters the order to save his soul
  • The Dominican draws his spirituality from Sacred Scripture
  • Dominican spirituality
    • is based on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacraments, and the Liturgy
    • incorporates principles of ascetism
    • drinks from the purest sources of Mysticism and Monasticism
    • shares characteristics from early monasticism and the evangelical movements of the 12th and 13th centuries

This chapter goes on to say that, “The spirituality of the Friars Preachers is exceedingly lofty. It is Theocentric, Christological, sacerdotal (i.e. priestly) monastic, contemplative, and apostolic.” And thus we have a framework for our consideration of Dominican Spirituality.

It is not the aim of this series to simply be a book report. Rather, we wish to note some feature of Dominican life that is central to a chapter, and ask “What does this really mean for us?” In this chapter we learn that the source of Dominican Spirituality is St. Dominic. We learn that one of his outstanding characteristics was his priestliness. And so for this post I have chosen to focus on Dominic’s priestliness and what that may mean for us.

There is an outstanding work by Anthony Dao Quang Chinh, O.P., titled Dominican Laity and the Year 2000. In it he discusses the priestly ministry as it pertains to Lay Dominicans. We are reminded that:

“…tradition, Canon Law, and Vatican II affirm a three-fold mission of the laity in God’s plan of salvation, referring to each as Priestly, Prophetic, and Kingly; in acknowledgment of ministries devoted to sanctifying, preaching, and governing.”

Chinh, Anthony. Dominican Laity and the Year 2000. Magnificat Institute Press, 1997. p 8

The first ministry of the faithful is the Priestly Ministry, the mission of sanctifying. At the beginning of Chapter 2, Fr. Anthony notes that,

“For St. Thomas Aquinas, the office of those who exercise the priestly ministry has three functions.

  • To bestow Sacred things on people
  • To offer the prayers of people to God
  • To make, in some manner, satisfaction for the people’s sins” ibid

He goes on to comment that there are many ways to exercise priestly ministry. The key word though is participation. Reception of the sacraments, praise, prayer, thanksgiving, and active charity. Have you thought of these activities as Priestly?

How do we bestow Sacred things on people? Fr. Anthony tells us that we do this through our spiritual and physical works. First, we dedicate ourselves to God, and in this way become both sacrifice and offerer. We bear witness to Christ everywhere we go. By living the Gospel in the world, a reason for hope of eternal life is seen. In this way we offer a glimpse of heaven to any with eyes to see.

Clearly, when we pray, we may pray on behalf of others and for others. But I myself have never thought about offering prayers for others as performing my priestly mission of sanctifying. That consideration puts a different emphasis on my prayer life.

But, how do we make satisfaction for the people’s sins? Fr. Anthony does not directly address this. He does provide a citation to the Summa Theologiae, IIa, Q. 22; a. 1, 2. However, I believe there is a typo in the citation – I believe it is actually IIIa, Q.22; a, 1, 2, “Of the Priesthood of Christ.” The first article is titled “Whether it is fitting that Christ Should Be a Priest.” In the answer, St. Thomas says that “The office proper to a priest is to be a mediator between God and the people; … sacerdos means giver of sacred things … forasmuch as he offers up the people’s prayers to God, and , in a manner, makes satisfaction to God for their sins; …”

As I was trying to sort all this out, I had this reading in Morning Prayer the other day. I think it gives some insight:

Brothers, I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1 – this translation from The Liturgy of the Hours, IV, Morning Prayer, Common of Holy Women

I am reminded of the term “evangelical penance” which I read in one version of the Rule and Directory. I rather like this phrase; it is not immediately clear what it means, so it draws me in. Perhaps it simply means to “offer it up” whenever we are faced with any kind of difficulty. In this way we imitate Christ in offering himself to the Father for our sake. We can participate in his willing sacrifice on behalf of the world. As noted in a previous article written by Mr. Joe Watson, OP, Renew The Temporal Order; as laity we are positioned to sanctify our homes and workplaces, our public and private venues. To make ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

There is a work by Fr. Paul Philbert, OP, titled The Priesthood of the Faithful : Key To A Living Church, in which he discusses the meaning and ramifications of the baptized becoming a holy priesthood.

The presence of the faithful in the world is linked to their participation in Christ’s priesthood in which, ’the baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that through all their Christian activities they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the marvels of him who has called them out of darkness …’ (LG n. 10).  This phrase, “spiritual sacrifices” refers to all our human actions anointed by the grace of the Holy Spirit and performed with the intention of pleasing God.

Priesthood of the Faithful, p 63

Read the last sentence of that quote again. Think about what it means.

Have you thought of yourself, your vocation, your spirituality, in terms of your priestly mission? We are both baptized and religious. It should suffuse our daily life. By becoming familiar with our founder’s life, a life inseparable from his priesthood, we can work toward realizing our priestly mission of sanctifying the world. If we watch the signs of the times, it may be that we see opportunities and responsibilities everywhere.

Please offer your thoughts and experiences. Make use of our motto: Contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere and please share the fruits of your contemplation in the comments. Thank you.

Part 2: Dominican Life is Contemplative

OUR SPIRITUAL MOTHER – ST. CATHERINE OF SIENNA

By

On 2021-08-15

In Art

As St. Dominic has called us 
Brothers and sisters, 
So have you… 
And we call you “mother”. 

You were called early 
To chastity and peace, 
…came out of your silence 
To serve and to preach. 

You taught us that 
To let go of ourselves… 
To become nothing… 
Is to find and know God. 

Where we are not… 
He is.
Truth realized…
Our holiness grounded in God’s holiness.

BY: Dr. Jana Sullinger, OP MD

 ###

Homily of Life

By

On 2021-08-11

In Books, preaching

“How many ways to preach?”
“How many people on Earth?”

A lay Dominican student told the following story:

“The student had recently moved from California to Houston. On the second day of his arrival, it rained heavily, and the area in which he lived was flooded. There was a big hole in the street in front of his apartment. A motorist’s car landed right in that hole, causing a good deal of damage to the vehicle and some injuries to the passengers. Neither the student nor his roommates could think of anything to do other than to report the accident to city authorities.

Their neighbor, Mr. David, took positive action. He stood very close to the hole, one hand holding an umbrella, and the other hand waiving a flag to warn approaching motorists away from the hazard. Through hard rain and wind, Mr. David maintained his post for more than two hours. Because of his service to others, many cars avoided an accident in rush-hour traffic.

That student was very impressed by Mr. David’s actions. He was even more impressed when he learned that Mr. David was seventy-two years old. Mr. David seemed to him to be even more courageous than Hemingway’s character in “The Old Man and the Sea”. The following day, the student visited him to express his admiration and gratitude. They talked of many things, and learned much about each other. Mr. David invited the student to go with him to his church the next Sunday.

“What is your church,” he asked?

Mr. David replied: “I am a member of the Second Baptist Church.”

When the student told his priest this story, he concluded: “I am a Catholic, and I do not want to be anything else. But, just imagine if I were searching for a religion; what better choice could I make than a faith that produces a caring man like Mr. David!”

Taken from Dominican Laity And The Year 2000 by Anthony Dao Quang Chinh, O.P.

How do Lay Dominicans preach? One way could be through the homily of our lives.

###

Accidental Theologian

By

On 2021-07-22

In Meet A Lay Dominican

Mr. Mark Connolly, OP, MTS

Hello! I am a permanently professed lay Dominican. I went through a little over a year of inquiry, a little over a year of candidacy, a little over three years of temporary promises, and became permanently professed earlier this year (2021.)

I am 64, married to Rosie, we have two children, 7 8 grandkids with one on the way, two Great Pyrenees, two new kittens.

Short recap of faith journey: After my wife and I married we rediscovered our faith and attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Dallas – we are both what are called reverts, and I became active in RCIA for Children and Youth, attended a CHRP retreat, joined a men’s group called Joe Catholic, and just generally threw myself into understanding and growing in my faith and understanding of Christ’s church and my role. Rosie bought me the Liturgy of the Hours one Christmas, and I was struggling off and on trying to understand and use that.

Somewhere along the line I ran into the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, and actually went to the St. Albert the Great Priory in Irving Texas for the rites involved in joining the Confraternity. Oh, and I attend St. Catherine of Siena in Carrollton, TX. Apparently I was destined to become a lay Dominican. (St. Albert the Great was a Dominican and teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Catherine was a lay Dominican.)

The man who started Joe Catholic, Don Gonzalez, encouraged me to apply to the Masters program, and I did – it just sort of felt like the correct next step. Three years later, in 2014, I received the Masters of Theological Studies degree from Ave Maria University.

Why did I pursue a Masters in Theology? Well, not for the high paying Religious Ed position at my local parish. As Professor Bushman told me when we were talking about why this and why now, “Knowledge is an end in itself.” Nevertheless, when I was done with that degree I was looking at the diploma and wondering, “Now what?”

One Saturday morning a man named Sir Patrick Norton (that’s what Rosie calls him anyway) gave a talk at Joe Catholic about third order religious. He closed with the revelation that he was a lay Dominican. (The Dominicans don’t use the term 3rd order.) I spoke with him for some time after our meeting and asked for more information. Long story short I attended an inquiry meeting, and here I am 6 years later.

Because I like to read and write, most of my preaching is via blogging, and I have written a couple of articles for this website. One you might find interesting is Four Causes, Four Pillars. I also meet weekly in my Theological Armory with some friends and we discuss the sublime to the ridiculous over whiskey and cigars.

I consider it an honor and a privilege and a distinct responsibility to be a lay Dominican. If we have not already met, I look forward to meeting you and sharing Community, Study, Contemplation and Preaching with you.

Aristotle defined friendship as two people searching together for the Truth. I hope that we will become friends.

Veritas.

The Dominican Way of Praying the Rosary

By

On 2021-05-31

In prayer

The Dominican Friars have traditionally prayed the Rosary in a way that is slightly different and also slightly shorter from the (now) more common way. The Dominican way begins with a series of verses and responses that recall the opening of the Liturgy of the Hours and also the Angelic Salutation that forms the first part of the Hail Mary. Either way is fine, but as a Lay Dominican you may appreciate the Dominican way:

First, one makes the Sign of the Cross.

Then, one says the following short verses and responses:

V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee;
R. Blessed art Thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
V. O Lord, open my lips;
R. And my mouth will proclaim Your praise.
V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia. (Alleluia is omitted during Lent)

Then, the first Mystery of the set is announced, e.g., “The First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation.” After the Mystery is announced, one begins to meditate on that portion of Christ’s life.

The Our Father is prayed on the first large bead.

On each of the next ten (smaller) beads, a Hail Mary is prayed. While pronouncing these prayers, one continues to meditate on the Mystery of Christ’s life.

At the end of the “decade” of 10 Hail Marys, one prays the Glory Be. Then, one announces the next mystery (e.g., “The Visitation”) and recites the Our Father on the large bead. After the Our Father is finished, one moves to the first small bead of the next decade and begin the Hail Marys again.

This process continues through each of the five decades until you return to the beginning, where the Glory Be is prayed.

This process continues through each of the five decades until you return to the medallion, where the Glory Be is prayed. Most pray the usual 5 mysteries, but if you have time you may find it edifying to pray a full 15 decades at one sitting as it truly brings the mystery of Christ’s life into focus.

The Dominican Rosary then concludes with the following prayers:

First, the Hail, Holy Queen is prayed.

Then one says the following verses and responses:

V. Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray: O God, whose Only-Begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that by meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

V. May the Divine Assistance remain always with us.
R. And may the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

[If a Priest is present:] And may the peace and blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit descend upon you and remain with you forever.

[Otherwise:] And may Almighty God bless us, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Here is a handy pdf if you want to print something out: Rosary

Four Causes, Four Pillars

By

On 2021-04-16

In study

A Fullness of Description

How can we know Love.” “Let me count the ways.”

(ST. ALBERT THE GREAT PRIORY – Irving) If you want to give someone a complete description of something, what kind of information do you need to provide? You would want to make sure you explained what it was for, right? But is that enough? If you say, “This thing is used to hold other things,” have you fully explained it? You could be talking about a basket, a hook, a drawer, a cupboard, a wallet, a bowl, etc.

What if you simply described its shape. “This thing is roughly a square, with an empty area, it has wheels and a sort of handle that you use to direct it.” Ok, that could be a shopping cart, a rolling suitcase, a car, or a wagon. Or maybe something else.

What if you wanted to emphasize what it is made out of? You could say, “This thing is made of metal.” But, why metal and not some other material. Does it matter if it is wood or sugar or ice or reeds or plastic? Maybe, maybe not.

What if you explained that it was made by a line worker at the local factory? Is that important? Does it matter where it was made? What if you need to make one? Do you need to understand how it was made?

The Four Causes:
The notion of Four Causes arises from Aristotle’s efforts to explain change, which is part of a different topic involving Act and Potency, and which we need not explore at present. But, as Aristotle worked out how to account for change, he developed these Four Causes. Please note, he uses the term “cause” in a broader sense than most of us do today. We can gain some insight by using the term “explanations” or “descriptions” along with “causes.” You can also think of “cause” as that which answers the question, “Why?” or “How?”

I described these four causes in the beginning of this article though I did not designate them as such. They are, Formal (loosely, what is it’s shape, what form does it take), Material (what is it made of), Efficient (how it came to actually exist), and Final (why it was made, what it does.)

N.B. The formal cause is easily overlooked because it seems obvious. If you want to carry things, you obviously need something shaped in a way that will carry them. Also we are not used to thinking of a shape as a cause. Yet, when we describe something, its form is part of a complete description.

The object I have in mind is in fact a shopping cart. I want an actual thing that is well made for holding things and moving them about easily, and which can do so over and over again reliably. This is the Final Cause. This is why it is in the shape of a lidless box with wheels, the Formal Cause. To be reusable and sturdy it is to be made of steel and rubber, the Material Cause. And then in some manner it needs to come into existence, which is the Efficient Cause.

You may have noted that I began my description of this thing with its Final Cause. That’s because when someone is going to make something, they start with an end in mind. There is a Greek word, “telos”, which means “end”, “purpose”, or “goal”. The study of ultimate ends is called teleology.

The end of something just is the reason it was made. So, when you need to make something, you start at the end, that is to say, you have in mind, before you start, the purpose of the device, the goal you mean to achieve by making this thing. You have in mind what the final product of your efforts will be.

This end or final cause then leads to the formal cause. We have to figure out how best to carry a large amount of products and move them about easily. The formal cause next determines what material cause is needed in order to have something sturdy, reliable and reusable. And then we need the efficient cause, we have to figure out how to make it, or hire someone to make it for us, so that we can in fact have it.

Consideration of things in the context of the Four Causes is a very useful way to explore the world. Why was this made? Why was it made in this shape? Why was it made from these materials? How did it come to be made? Because I am a Lay Dominican I am driven to apply this Aristotelian/Thomistic world view to, well, almost everything. And so why not apply to Dominican Spirituality?

The Four Pillars:
Dominican Spirituality is best described by the Four Pillars. They are Prayer, Study, Preaching, and Community. We have a framework here that can be set in terms of the Four Causes. Dominican Spirituality has as its goal The Beatific Vision, Communion with God. This is a precise way of saying “salvation.”

The Formal Cause is Prayer. It is what Communion looks like. In order to commune with God we have to communicate with God. Seem obvious? Remember, I said the formal cause is easy to overlook because it seems obvious. Prayer is the shape of Dominican Spirituality.

The Material Cause is Study. Can you truly commune with (love) someone you don’t know? We study and contemplate what we have studied so that we can more fully know God that we may more perfectly love God. Study is the raw material of Dominican Spirituality.

The Efficient Cause is Preaching. We take our prayer and our study and we bring forward the fruits of our contemplation to build up our Community, both Dominican and our extended community, the family of man. Preaching is how we make Dominican Spirituality.

The Final Cause is Community. Communion with God and Man. Our Dominican Community prepares us for Communion with God. It is the proper goal of all legitimate spiritualities. Union with God is the End or Purpose of Dominican Spirituality.

Mark C. is a permanently professed Lay Dominican and our Treasurer.

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