Pastor's Corner
July 29, 2018
This week's pastor's corner is a contribution from Fr. Thomas Saucier, OP, Associate Pastor at St. Dominic's
I joined the Order of Preachers because I wanted to preach not because I knew a lot about St. Dominic. That knowledge would come later. When I researched Religious Life I had two criteria: preaching, and community life, and the Dominicans fulfilled both criteria. In the novitiate, we were given a book “St. Dominic and His Times” by Fr. H. M. Vicaire, O.P. I read the introduction and perhaps Chapter 1 but nothing more. It wasn’t until later when I read the book that I truly discovered how great a man, a leader, and a saint he was.
Dominic was born near the end of the 12thCentury. From the beginning you could tell there was something different about him. While studying in Palencía, Spain, during a famine he sold his books, a valuable commodity at that time, and gave the money to the poor. During a trip through Southern France, he encountered followers of the Albigensian heresy. He was so moved by their misguided interpretation of Scripture that he asked his bishop if he could remain and preach the true and orthodox faith to them. One of his constant refrains was, ‘What is to become of sinners?’ The moral life of others was a constant concern of his. Perhaps that was why he sold his book and gave the money to the poor, because desperation can lead others to desperate measures. But his greatest gift was his ability to organize a rule of governance for the friars who would follow him. Dominican friars take a vow of obedience to our Constitutions, which govern many aspects of our lives especially: our prayer life, our elections, and our community life.
The Constitutions of the Order of Preachers brings balance to a friar’s life. The friar’s life is made up of prayer, study, ministry, and community life. At different points in a friar’s life, different aspects take greater or lesser priority, time, and energy. For you, perhaps, the take away is balance in your own life. Are you balanced? Does your life include a healthy portion of daily prayer, study, ministry, and family time? Let’s assume we all get eight hours of sleep. If we work and have to drive let’s put aside ten hours for work including commuting. That only leaves us six hours for personal prayer, spiritual study, ministry, and community life. In an ideal world we would make at least an hour of day for prayer and study. Do you spend an hour with your spouse, and an additional hour with each child? Ministry could be liturgical, volunteering, or cleaning the church. The point is that we are healthier and happier when our lives our balanced. When we bring balance to our lives then truly St. Dominic becomes a part of our lives. Happy Feast of St. Dominic!