Friday, August 8, 2014 - Litany Lane Blog:
Peace, Deuteronomy 32:35-41, Nahum 2:1-7, Matthew 16:24-28 , Pope Francis's Daily Catechesis, Feast of Saint Dominic, Dominican Order, Beatitudes, Church of the Beatitudes, Catholic Catechism Part Three: Life in Christ Section Two: The Ten Commandment Chapter Two: Seventh Commandment Article7:3 The Social Doctrine of the
Church
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. The Seven Gifts of
the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the
Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun
the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and
gluttony...Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...~ Zarya Parx 2013
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Friday in Ordinary Time
Rosary - Sorrowful Mysteries
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Daily Catechesis:
First Week of August , 2014
(2014-08-08 Vatican Radio)
In the first General Audience since his summer break Pope Francis resumed his Catechesis on the Church and the People of God, but his mind was also on the tensions and recent conflict in the Middle East and an earthquake in China which last Sunday left hundreds dead and over two thousand injured. Expressing his closeness to the people of the province of Yunnan, the Holy Father offered his prayers for the victims and their families, for those injured and those who lost homes in the disaster.
Earlier greeting pilgrims from the
Middle East he asked those present to “pray hard for peace” in the
region”. He made the plea in the Paul the VI hall which provided both
the Pope and the gathered faithful with shelter from the heat of the
Roman sunshine.
Reflecting on Wednesday’s catechesis Pope Francis described how the Church is a new people, founded on a new covenant. He explained, however, that the newness brought by Christ does not set aside what went before, but brings it to completion.
Then focusing on one of the great Saints of the Church, John the Baptist, the Pope underlined how this man of God is a bridge between the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament and their fulfilment in the New.
John, said the Holy Father “points to Jesus and calls us to follow him in repentance and conversion”.
Looking the Gospel of St Matthew for inspiration, Pope Francis noted that Jesus tells us that our Christian life will be judged on how we treat him in the least of our brethren. He also added that in the Beatitudes, Jesus shows us the way in which, with his grace, we can attain authentic happiness.
The Holy Father concluded his catechesis by giving the pilgrims gathered some homework to do. He asked them to always keep a little book of the Gospels handy, whether it be in their pockets or in a bag, so they can read the Beatitudes contained in Matthew, that have been given to us by Jesus.
The eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3–12 during the Sermon on the Mount each begins with:
Blessed are..
Reference: Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2014 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 08/08/2014
Reflecting on Wednesday’s catechesis Pope Francis described how the Church is a new people, founded on a new covenant. He explained, however, that the newness brought by Christ does not set aside what went before, but brings it to completion.
Then focusing on one of the great Saints of the Church, John the Baptist, the Pope underlined how this man of God is a bridge between the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament and their fulfilment in the New.
John, said the Holy Father “points to Jesus and calls us to follow him in repentance and conversion”.
Looking the Gospel of St Matthew for inspiration, Pope Francis noted that Jesus tells us that our Christian life will be judged on how we treat him in the least of our brethren. He also added that in the Beatitudes, Jesus shows us the way in which, with his grace, we can attain authentic happiness.
The Holy Father concluded his catechesis by giving the pilgrims gathered some homework to do. He asked them to always keep a little book of the Gospels handy, whether it be in their pockets or in a bag, so they can read the Beatitudes contained in Matthew, that have been given to us by Jesus.
The eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3–12 during the Sermon on the Mount each begins with:
Blessed are..
- ....the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)
- ....those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
- ....the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
- ....those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
- ....the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
- ....the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
- ....the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
- ....those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
Reference: Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2014 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 08/08/2014
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Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: 2015
Vatican City, spring 2014 (VIS)
The following is the English text of the intentions –
both universal and for evangelization – that, as is customary, the Pope
entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer for 2015.
January
Universal: That those from diverse religious traditions
and all people of good will work together for peace.
Evangelization: That in this year
dedicated to consecrated life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy
of following Christ and strive to serve the poor with zeal.
February
Universal: That prisoners, especially the young, may be
able to rebuild lives of dignity.
Evangelization: That married people who are separated may
find welcome and support in the Christian community.
March
Universal: That those involved in
scientific research may serve the well-being of the whole human person.
Evangelization: That the unique
contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always.
April
Universal: That people may learn to respect creation and
care for it as a gift of God.
Evangelization: That persecuted
Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity
of all the Church.
May
Universal: That, rejecting the culture of indifference,
we may care for our neighbours who suffer, especially the sick and the poor.
Evangelization: That Mary’s
intercession may help Christians in secularized cultures be ready to proclaim
Jesus.
June
Universal: That immigrants and refugees may find welcome
and respect in the countries to which they come.
Evangelization: That the personal
encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their
own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.
July
Universal: That political responsibility may be lived at
all levels as a high form of charity.
Evangelization: That, amid social
inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor
and contribute to a more fraternal society.
August
Universal: That volunteers may
give themselves generously to the service of the needy.
Evangelization: That setting aside
our very selves we may learn to be neighbours to those who find themselves on
the margins of human life and society.
September
Universal: That
opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people.
Evangelization: That catechists may
give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim.
October
Universal: That human trafficking, the modern form of
slavery, may be eradicated.
Evangelization: That with a
missionary spirit the Christian communities of Asia may announce the Gospel to
those who are still awaiting it.
November
Universal: That we may be open to
personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ
from our own.
Evangelization: That pastors of the
Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven
their hope.
December
Universal: That all may experience the mercy of God, who
never tires of forgiving.
Evangelization: That families,
especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain
hope.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2014 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 08/08/2014.
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November 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you to love; to
continually pray for the gift of love; to love the Heavenly Father above
everything. When you love Him you will love yourself and your neighbor.
This cannot be separated. The Heavenly Father is in each person. He
loves each person and calls each person by his name. Therefore, my
children, through prayer hearken to the will of the Heavenly Father.
Converse with Him. Have a personal relationship with the Father which
will deepen even more your relationship as a community of my children –
of my apostles. As a mother I desire that, through the love for the
Heavenly Father, you may be raised above earthly vanities and may help
others to gradually come to know and come closer to the Heavenly Father.
My children, pray, pray, pray for the gift of love because 'love' is my
Son. Pray for your shepherds that they may always have love for you as
my Son had and showed by giving His life for your salvation. Thank you."
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
Today's Word: peace peace [peece]
Origin: 1125–75; Middle English pes < Old French, variant of pais < Latin pax (stem pāc- ); akin to pact
noun
1. the normal, nonwarring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world.
2. ( often initial capital letter ) an agreement or treaty between warring or antagonistic nations, groups, etc., to end hostilities and abstain from further fighting or antagonism: the Peace of Ryswick.
3. a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations: Try to live in peace with your neighbors.
4. the normal freedom from civil commotion and violence of a community; public order and security: He was arrested for being drunk and disturbing the peace.
5. cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension.
6. freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquillity; serenity.
7. a state of tranquillity or serenity: May he rest in peace.
8. a state or condition conducive to, proceeding from, or characterized by tranquillity: the peace of a mountain resort.
9. silence; stillness: The cawing of a crow broke the afternoon's peace.
interjection
11.(used to express greeting or farewell or to request quietness or silence).
verb (used without object), peaced, peac·ing.
12.Obsolete . to be or become silent.
idioms
13. at peace,
a. in a state or relationship of nonbelligerence or concord; not at war.
b. untroubled; tranquil; content.
c. deceased.
14. hold / keep one's peace, to refrain from or cease speaking; keep silent: He told her to hold her peace until he had finished.
15. keep the peace, to maintain order; cause to refrain from creating a disturbance: Several officers of the law were on hand to keep the peace.
16. make one's peace with, to become reconciled with: He repaired the fence he had broken and made his peace with the neighbor on whose property it stood.
17. make peace, to ask for or arrange a cessation of hostilities or antagonism.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Deuteronomy 32:35-41
35 Vengeance is mine, I will pay them back, for the time when they make a false step. For the day of their ruin is close, doom is rushing towards them, for he will see to it that their power fails. that neither serf nor free man remains.36 (For Yahweh will see his people righted, he will take pity on his servants.)
39 See now that I, I am he, and beside me there is no other god. It is I who deal death and life; when I have struck, it is I who heal (no one can rescue anyone from me).
41 When I have whetted my flashing sword, I shall enforce justice, I shall return vengeance to my foes, I shall take vengeance on my foes.
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Today's Epistle - Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
1 To Judah See on the mountains the feet of the herald! 'Peace!' he proclaims. Judah, celebrate your feasts, carry out your vows, for Belial will never pass through you again; he has been utterly destroyed.3 (For Yahweh has restored the vine of Jacob, yes, the vine of Israel, although the plunderers had plundered them, although they had snapped off their vine-shoots!)
1 Disaster to the city of blood, packed throughout with lies, stuffed with booty, where plundering has no end!
2 The crack of the whip! The rumble of wheels! Galloping horse, jolting chariot,
6 I shall pelt you with filth, I shall shame you and put you in the pillory.
7 Then all who look at you will shrink from you and say, 'Nineveh has been ruined!' Who will mourn for her? Where would I find people to comfort you?
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Today's Gospel Reading -
Opening prayer
• Matthew 16, 24: “Take up his cross and follow me”. Jesus draws the conclusions which are valid even until now: “If anyone wants to follow me, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me”. At that time, the cross was the death sentence which the Roman Empire inflicted on marginalized persons and bandits. To take up the cross and carry it behind Jesus was the same as to accept to be marginalized by the unjust system which legitimized injustice. The Cross is not fatalism, nor exigency from the Father. The Cross is the consequence of the commitment freely taken up by Jesus to reveal the Good News that God is Father and that, therefore, we all have to be accepted and treated as brothers and sisters. Because of this revolutionary announcement, Jesus was persecuted and he was not afraid to give his life. Nobody has greater love than this: to give one’s life for his friends (Jn 15, 13). The witness of Paul in the letter to the Galatians indicates the concrete significance and importance of all this: “But as for me, it is out of the question that I should boast at all, except of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. (Ga 6, 14). And he ends by referring to the marks of the tortures which he suffered: “After this, let no one trouble me, I carry branded on my body the marks of Jesus” (Ga 6, 17).
• Matthew 16, 25-26: “Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it”. These two verses make explicit universal human values which confirm the experience of many Christians and non Christians. To save one’s life, to lose one’s life, to find one’s life. The experience of many is the following: Anyone who is always seeking goods and riches is never satisfied. Anyone who gives himself to others, forgetting himself, experiences a great happiness. This is the experience of the mothers who give themselves, and of so many people who do not think of self but think of others. Many do this and live in this way almost out of instinct, as something which comes from the bottom of the heart. Others act in this way because they have had a painful experience of frustration which has led them to change attitude. Jesus is right in saying: “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it”. The reason is important: “For my sake”, or like Mark says: “For the sake of the Gospel” (Mk 8, 35). And he ends saying: “What, then will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life?” This last phrase recalls the Psalm where it is said that no one is capable of paying the ransom for his life: “But no one can ever redeem himself or pay his own ransom to God; the price for himself is too high, it can never be that he will live on for ever and avoid the sight of the abyss” (Ps 49, 8-10).
• Matthew 16, 27-28: The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of the Father and he will reward each one according to his behaviour. These two verses refer to the hope regarding the coming of the Son of Man in the last times, as judge of humanity, as he is presented in the vision of the Prophet Daniel (Dn 7, 13-14). The first verse says: “The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels and will reward each one according to his behaviour”. (Mt 16, 27). This phrase speaks about the justice of the Judge. Each one will receive according to his own behaviour. The second verse says: “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom”. (Mt 16, 28). This phrase is an advertisement to help to perceive the coming of Jesus, the Judge of the actions of life. Some thought that Jesus would have come afterwards (1 Th 4, 15-18). But in fact, Jesus was already present in persons, especially in the poor. But they did not perceive this, Jesus himself had said: “Every time that you have helped the poor, the sick, the homeless, the prisoner, the pilgrim, you helped me, it was me!” (cfr. Mt 25, 34-45).
Father of everlasting goodness,
our origin and guide,
be close to us
and hear the prayers of all who praise you.
Forgive our sins and restore us to life.
Keep us safe in your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
our origin and guide,
be close to us
and hear the prayers of all who praise you.
Forgive our sins and restore us to life.
Keep us safe in your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 16:24-28
Then Jesus said to his
disciples, 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce
himself and take up his cross and follow me. Anyone who wants to save
his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will
find it. What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and
forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his
life? 'For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father
with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his
behaviour. In truth I tell you, there are some standing here who will
not taste death before they see the Son of man coming with his
kingdom.'
Reflection
• The five verses of
today’s Gospel continue with the words of Jesus to Peter which we
meditated on yesterday. Jesus does not hide nor lessen the demands of
discipleship. He does not allow Peter to take the initiative and puts
him in his place: “Far from me!” Today’s Gospel makes explicit these demands for all of us;
• Matthew 16, 24: “Take up his cross and follow me”. Jesus draws the conclusions which are valid even until now: “If anyone wants to follow me, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me”. At that time, the cross was the death sentence which the Roman Empire inflicted on marginalized persons and bandits. To take up the cross and carry it behind Jesus was the same as to accept to be marginalized by the unjust system which legitimized injustice. The Cross is not fatalism, nor exigency from the Father. The Cross is the consequence of the commitment freely taken up by Jesus to reveal the Good News that God is Father and that, therefore, we all have to be accepted and treated as brothers and sisters. Because of this revolutionary announcement, Jesus was persecuted and he was not afraid to give his life. Nobody has greater love than this: to give one’s life for his friends (Jn 15, 13). The witness of Paul in the letter to the Galatians indicates the concrete significance and importance of all this: “But as for me, it is out of the question that I should boast at all, except of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. (Ga 6, 14). And he ends by referring to the marks of the tortures which he suffered: “After this, let no one trouble me, I carry branded on my body the marks of Jesus” (Ga 6, 17).
• Matthew 16, 25-26: “Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it”. These two verses make explicit universal human values which confirm the experience of many Christians and non Christians. To save one’s life, to lose one’s life, to find one’s life. The experience of many is the following: Anyone who is always seeking goods and riches is never satisfied. Anyone who gives himself to others, forgetting himself, experiences a great happiness. This is the experience of the mothers who give themselves, and of so many people who do not think of self but think of others. Many do this and live in this way almost out of instinct, as something which comes from the bottom of the heart. Others act in this way because they have had a painful experience of frustration which has led them to change attitude. Jesus is right in saying: “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it”. The reason is important: “For my sake”, or like Mark says: “For the sake of the Gospel” (Mk 8, 35). And he ends saying: “What, then will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life?” This last phrase recalls the Psalm where it is said that no one is capable of paying the ransom for his life: “But no one can ever redeem himself or pay his own ransom to God; the price for himself is too high, it can never be that he will live on for ever and avoid the sight of the abyss” (Ps 49, 8-10).
• Matthew 16, 27-28: The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of the Father and he will reward each one according to his behaviour. These two verses refer to the hope regarding the coming of the Son of Man in the last times, as judge of humanity, as he is presented in the vision of the Prophet Daniel (Dn 7, 13-14). The first verse says: “The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels and will reward each one according to his behaviour”. (Mt 16, 27). This phrase speaks about the justice of the Judge. Each one will receive according to his own behaviour. The second verse says: “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom”. (Mt 16, 28). This phrase is an advertisement to help to perceive the coming of Jesus, the Judge of the actions of life. Some thought that Jesus would have come afterwards (1 Th 4, 15-18). But in fact, Jesus was already present in persons, especially in the poor. But they did not perceive this, Jesus himself had said: “Every time that you have helped the poor, the sick, the homeless, the prisoner, the pilgrim, you helped me, it was me!” (cfr. Mt 25, 34-45).
Personal questions
• Anyone who loses his life will find it. What experience do I have regarding this?
• The words of Paul: “As for me, instead, there is no other glory than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified for me and I for the world”. Do I have the courage to repeat these words in my life?
• The words of Paul: “As for me, instead, there is no other glory than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified for me and I for the world”. Do I have the courage to repeat these words in my life?
Concluding Prayer
Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,
let us acclaim his name together.
I seek Yahwe4h and he answers me,
frees me from all my fears. (Ps 34, 3-4)
let us acclaim his name together.
I seek Yahwe4h and he answers me,
frees me from all my fears. (Ps 34, 3-4)
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: St. Dominic
Feast Day: August 8
Died: 1221
Patron Saint of : astronomers
 |
| Saint Dominic |
Saint Dominic (Spanish: Santo Domingo), also known as Dominic of Osma and Dominic of Caleruega, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán (1170 – August 6, 1221), was the founder of the Dominican Order. Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers.
Dominic
was born in Caleruega, halfway between Osma and Aranda de Duero in Old
Castile, Spain. He was named after Saint Dominic of Silos, who is said
to be the patron saint of hopeful mothers. The Benedictine abbey of
Santo Domingo de Silos lies a few miles north of Caleruega.
In
the earliest narrative source, by Jordan of Saxony, Dominic's parents
are not named. The story is told that before his birth his barren mother
made a pilgrimage to Silos and dreamed that a dog leapt from her womb
carrying a torch in its mouth, and "seemed to set the earth on fire". This story is likely to have emerged when his order became known, after his name, as the Dominican order, in Latin is Dominicanus and by a play of words was interpreted as Domini canis:
"Dog of the Lord." Jordan adds that Dominic was brought up by his
parents and a maternal uncle who was an archbishop. He was named in
honour of Dominic of Silos as well as the Lord's Day (Sunday
in Spanish is "Domingo.") Jordan of Saxony added that Dominic
was brought up by his parents and a maternal uncle who was an
archbishop. The failure to name his parests is not unusual, since Jordan
wrote a history of the Order's early years, rather than a biography of
Dominic. A later source, still of the 13th century, gives their names as
Juana and Felix. Nearly a century after Dominic's birth, a local author
asserted that Dominic's father was "vir venerabilis et dives in populo suo"
("an honoured and wealthy man in his village"). The travel narrative of
Pero Tafur, written circa 1439 (about a pilgrimage to Dominic's tomb in
Italy), states that Dominic's father belonged to the family de Guzmán,
and that his mother belonged to the Aça or Aza family.
Education and early career
Dominic
was educated in the schools of Palencia (they became a university soon
afterwards) where he devoted six years to the arts and four to theology.
In 1191, when Spain was desolated by famine,
young Dominic gave away his money and sold his clothes, furniture and
even precious manuscripts to feed the hungry. Dominic reportedly told
his astonished fellow students: "Would you have me study off these dead
skins, when men are dying of hunger?" In 1194, around age twenty-five,
Dominic joined the Canons Regular in the canonry of Osma, following the
rule of Saint Benedict.
In
1203 or 1204 he accompanied Diego de Acebo, the Bishop of Osma, on a
diplomatic mission for Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, namely to secure a
bride in Denmark for crown prince Ferdinand. The envoys traveled to
Denmark via Aragon and the south of France. There, Dominic and Diego
encountered the Cathars,
a Christian religious sect with gnostic and dualistic beliefs, which
the Roman Catholic Church deemed heretical. The Cathars ordained women
as well as men; their "clergy" were celibate, vowed to poverty, and not
subject to the pontiff's rule. Pope Innocent III initiated the first
crusade against European Christian heretics with his Albigensian
Crusades
against the Cathars. The Danish mission proved futile, but the clerics
saw a need to combat the heresy, so Diego and Dominic returned by way of
Rome and Cîteaux.
Foundation of the Dominicans
In 1208 Dominic encountered the papal legates returning in pomp to Rome, foiled in their attempt to counter the growing sect.
In
1215, Dominic established himself, with six followers, in a house given
by Peter Seila, a rich resident of Toulouse. He subjected himself and
his companions to the monastic rules of prayer and penance; and
meanwhile bishop Foulques gave them written authority to preach
throughout the territory of Toulouse. In the same year, the year of the
Fourth Lateran Council, Dominic and Foulques went to Rome to secure the
approval of the Pope, Innocent III.
Dominic returned to Rome a year later, and was finally granted written
authority in December 1216 and January 1217 by the new pope, Honorius
III for an order to be named "The Order of Preachers" ("Ordo Praedicatorum", or "O.P.," popularly known as the Dominican Order).
Later life
 |
| Basilica San Domenica chapel, Bologna |
Dominic made his headquarters at Rome, although he traveled extensively to maintain contact with his growing brotherhood of friars. It
was in the winter of 1216–1217, at the house of Ugolino de' Conti that
he first met William of Montferrat, afterwards a close friend.
Dominic
arrived in Bologna on 21 December 1218. A convent was established at
the Mascarella church by the Blessed Reginald of Orléans. Soon
afterwards they had to move to the church of San Nicolò of the
Vineyards. Dominic settled in this church and held in this church the
first two General Chapters of the order. He died there on 6 August 1221 and was moved into a simple sarcophagus in 1233. In 1267 Dominic's remains were moved to the shrine, made by Nicola Pisano and his workshop.
According
to Guiraud, Dominic abstained from meat, "observed stated fasts and
periods of silence", "selected the worst accommodations and the meanest
clothes", and "never allowed himself the luxury of a bed".
"When travelling, he beguiled the journey with spiritual instruction and
prayers" (also Guiraud).
Guiraud also states that "as soon as Dominic passed the limits of towns
and villages, he took off his shoes, and, however sharp the stones or
thorns, he trudged on his way barefooted", and that "rain and other
discomforts elicited from his lips nothing but praises to God".
Dominic
died at the age of fifty-one, according to Guiraud "exhausted with the
austerities and labours of his career". He had reached the convent of St
Nicholas at Bologna, Italy, "weary and sick with a fever". Guiraud
states that Dominic "made the monks lay him on some sacking stretched
upon the ground" and that "the brief time that remained to him was spent
in exhorting his followers to have charity, to guard their humility,
and to make their treasure out of poverty". He died at noon on 6 August
1221.
Inquisition
That
Dominic was the founder of the Albigensian Inquisition and the
first inquisitor-general has become a part of Roman tradition. It is
affirmed by all the historians of the Order, and by all the panegyrists
of the Inquisition; it is found in the bull Invictarum of Sixtus V, and
it is confirmed by a bull of Innocent III, appointing him
inquisitor-general.
The 19th century historian Henry Charles Lea stated, "Yet it is safe to
say that no tradition of the Church rests on a slenderer basis." Lea
went on to state in the same paragraph: "That Dominic devoted the best
years of his life to combating heresy there is no doubt, and as little
that, when a heretic was deaf to argument or persuasion, he would
cheerfully stand by the pyre and see him burned, like any other zealous
missionary of the time; but in this he was no more prominent than
hundreds of others, and of organized work in this direction he was
utterly guiltless."
What
part Dominic personally had in the proceedings of the episcopal
Medieval Inquisition has been disputed for many centuries. The
historical sources from Dominic's own time period tell us nothing about
his involvement in the Inquisition, although several early Dominicans,
including some of Dominic's first followers, did become inquisitors. The
statement that Dominic had been an inquisitor was first made in the
14th century by a famous Dominican inquisitor, Bernard Gui, who tried to
paint his Order's founder as a participant in the Institution. In the
15th century, Dominic would be depicted as presiding at an auto da fé,
later offering German Protestant critics of the Catholic Church an
argument against the Order whose preaching had proven to be a formidable
opponent in the lands of the Reformation. Thus a 14th century claim became a part of the Black Legend.
Despite the bull Invictarum
of Sixtus V cited above, Jacques Échard argued that Dominic could not
have been an inquisitor because the Papal Inquisition was not officially
established until 1231 by Pope Gregory IX., although of course the
Episcopal Inquisition
in which Dominicans played an important role predates that. Some others
call the Saint "the first inquisitor" with no other historical basis.
Rosary
 |
| Madonna of the Rosary |
The spread of the Rosary, a Marian devotion, is attributed to the preaching of St. Dominic. The Rosary has for centuries been at the heart of the Dominican Order. Pope Pius XI stated that: "The
Rosary of Mary is the principle and foundation on which the very Order
of Saint Dominic rests for making perfect the life of its members and
obtaining the salvation of others." For centuries, Dominicans have
been instrumental in spreading the rosary and emphasizing the Catholic
belief in the power of the rosary.
According
to tradition, the rosary was given to Saint Dominic in an apparition by
the Blessed Virgin Mary in the year 1214 in the church of Prouille. This Marian apparition received the title of Our Lady of the Rosary. In the 15th century Blessed Alanus de Rupe
(aka Alain de la Roche or Saint Alan of the Rock), who was a learned
Dominican priest and theologian, is said to have received a vision from
Jesus about the urgency of reinstating the rosary as a form of prayer.
Blessed Alanus de Rupe also received the Blessed Mother's "15 Promises".
Before his death on Sept. 8, 1475 and through his devotion to the
Blessed Mother, he reinstituted the rosary in many countries and
established many rosary confraternities. Despite the popularity of
Blessed Alanus's story about the origins of the rosary, there has never
been found any historical evidence positively linking St. Dominic to the
rosary. The story of St. Dominic's devotion to the rosary and supposed
apparition of Our Lady of the Rosary does not appear in any documents of
the Church or Dominican Order prior to the writings of Blessed Alanus. St. Dominic and Blessed Alanus are separated by 250 years.
- Bedouelle, Guy (1995). Saint Dominic: The Grace of the Word. Ignatius Press. ISBN 0-89870-531-2.
- Guy Bedouelle, "The Holy Inquisition: Dominic and the Dominicans," an article on the main Dominican website
- Guiraud, Jean (1913). Saint Dominic. Duckworth. Full text at archive.org
- Francis C. Lehner, ed., St Dominic: biographical documents. Washington: Thomist Press, 1964 Full text
- McGonigle, Thomas; Zagano, Phyllis (2006). The Dominican Tradition. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-1911-7.
- Pierre Mandonnet, M. H. Vicaire, St. Dominic and His Work. Saint Louis, 1948 Full text at Dominican Central
- Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Dominic by John B. O'Conner, 1909.
- Tugwell, Simon (1982). Early Dominicans: Selected Writings. New York: Paulist Press. ISBN 978-0-8091-2414-5. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0809124149/ref=sib_dp_ptu#reader-link.
- Vicaire, M.-H. (1964). Saint Dominic and his Times. Green Bay, Wisconsin: Alt Publishing. ASIN B0000CMEWR.
- Wishart, Alfred Wesley (1900). A Short History of Monks and Monasteries. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13206.
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Today's Snippet I: Dominican Order
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| Seal of the Dominican Order |
The Order of Preachers (Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum), after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans,
is a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and
approved by Pope Honorius III (1216–27) on 22 December 1216 in France.
Membership in the Order includes friars,
nuns, congregations of active sisters, and lay persons affiliated with
the order (formerly known as tertiaries, now Lay or Secular Dominicans).
A number of other names have been used to refer to both the order and
its members.
- In England and other countries the Dominicans are referred to as Black Friars because of the black cappa or cloak they wear over their white habits. Dominicans were Blackfriars, as opposed to Whitefriars (for example, the Carmelites) or Greyfriars (for example, Franciscans). They are also distinct from the Augustinian Friars (the Austin friars) who wear a similar habit.
- In France, the Dominicans are known as Jacobins, because their first convent in Paris was built near the church of Saint Jacques, (St. James) and Jacques (James) is Jacobus in Latin.
- Their identification as Dominicans gave rise to the pun that they were the Domini canes, or Hounds of the Lord.
Members of the order generally carry the letters O.P. standing for Ordinis Praedicatorum, meaning of the Order of Preachers, after their names. Founded to preach the Gospel
and to combat heresy, the order is famed for its intellectual
tradition, having produced many leading theologians and philosophers.
The Dominican Order is headed by the Master of the Order, who is currently Father Bruno Cadoré.
Foundation
Like
his contemporary, Francis of Assisi, Dominic saw the need for a new
type of organization, and the quick growth of the Dominicans and
Franciscans during their first century of existence confirms that the
orders of mendicant friars met a need.
He
had accompanied as canon Diego de Acebo, Bishop of Osma on a diplomatic
mission to Denmark, to arrange the marriage between the son of King
Alfonso VIII of Castile and a niece of King Valdemar II of Denmark.
At that time the south of France was the stronghold of the Cathar or
Albigensian heresy, named after the Duke of Albi, a Cathar sympathiser
and opponent to the subsequent Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229).
The
Albigensians, more commonly known as the Cathars, were a heretical
gnostic sect, holding that matter was evil and only spirit was good;
this was a fundamental challenge to the notion of incarnation, central
to Roman Catholic theology.
Dominic saw the need for a response that would attempt to sway members
of the Albigensian movement back to mainstream Christian thought. The
mendicant preacher emerged from this insight. Despite this particular
mission, in winning the Albigensians over by persuasion Dominic met
limited success, "for though in his ten years of preaching a large
number of converts were made, it has to be said that the results were
not such as had been hoped for."
Dominic nevertheless became the spiritual father to several
Albigensian women he had reconciled to the faith, and in 1206 he
established them in a convent in Prouille. This convent would become the foundation of the Dominican nuns, thus making the Dominican nuns older than the Dominican friars.
Dominic sought to establish a new kind of order, one that would bring
the dedication and systematic education of the older monastic orders
like the Benedictines
to bear on the religious problems of the burgeoning population of
cities, but with more organizational flexibility than either monastic
orders or the secular clergy. Dominic's new order was to be a preaching order, trained to preach in the vernacular
languages. Rather than earning their living on vast farms as the
monasteries had done, the new friars would survive by begging, "selling"
themselves through persuasive preaching.
Saint Dominic established a religious community in Toulouse in 1214, to be governed by the rule of St. Augustine and statutes to govern the life of the friars, including the Primitive Constitution. (The statutes borrowed somewhat from the Constitutions of Prémontré.)
The founding documents establish that the Order was founded for two
purposes: preaching and the salvation of souls. The organization of the
Order of Preachers was approved in December 1216 by Pope Honorius III (see also Religiosam vitam; Nos attendentes).
The Order's origins in battling heterodoxy influenced its later
development and reputation. Many later Dominicans battled heresy as part
of their apostolate. Indeed, many years after St. Dominic reacted to
the Cathars, the first Grand Inquistor of Spain, Tomás de Torquemada, would be drawn from the Dominican order.
History
The history of the Order may be divided into three periods:- The Middle Ages (from their foundation to the beginning of the 16th century);
- The Modern Period up to the French Revolution;
- The Contemporary Period.
Middle Ages
The Dominican friars quickly spread, including to England, where they appeared in Oxford in 1221.
In the 13th century the order reached all classes of Christian society,
fought heresy, schism, and paganism by word and book, and by its
missions to the north of Europe, to Africa, and Asia
passed beyond the frontiers of Christendom. Its schools spread
throughout the entire Church; its doctors wrote monumental works in all
branches of knowledge, including the extremely important Albertus Magnus
and Thomas Aquinas. Its members included popes, cardinals, bishops,
legates, inquisitors, confessors of princes, ambassadors, and paciarii
(enforcers of the peace decreed by popes or councils). The order was
appointed by Pope Gregory IX the duty to carry out the Inquisition. In his Papal Bull Ad extirpanda of 1252, Pope Innocent IV authorised the Dominicans' use of torture under prescribed circumstances.
The
expansion of the Order produced changes. A smaller emphasis on
doctrinal activity favoured the development here and there of the
ascetic and contemplative life and there sprang up, especially in
Germany and Italy, the mystical movement with which the names of Meister
Eckhart, Heinrich Suso, Johannes Tauler, and St. Catherine of Siena are
associated. (See German mysticism,
which has also been called "Dominican mysticism.") This movement was
the prelude to the reforms undertaken, at the end of the century, by
Raymond of Capua, and continued in the following century. It assumed
remarkable proportions in the congregations of Lombardy and the
Netherlands, and in the reforms of Savonarola at Florence.
At
the same time the Order found itself face to face with the Renaissance.
It struggled against pagan tendencies in Renaissance humanism, in Italy
through Dominici and Savonarola, in Germany through the theologians of
Cologne but it also furnished humanism with such advanced writers as
Francesco Colonna (probably the writer of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili)
and Matteo Bandello. Many Dominicans took part in the artistic activity
of the age, the most prominent being Fra Angelico and Fra Bartolomeo.
Reformation to French Revolution
 |
| Bartolomé de Las Casas |
Bartolomé de las Casas O.P. (c. 1484[1]
– 18 July 1566) was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer
and Dominican friar. He became the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and
the first officially appointed "Protector of the Indians." His
extensive writings, the most famous being A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies and Historia de Las Indias,
chronicle the first decades of colonization of the West Indies and
focus particularly on the atrocities committed by the colonizers against
the indigenous peoples
Arriving
as one of the first settlers in the New World he participated in, and
was eventually compelled to oppose, the atrocities committed against the
Native Americans by the Spanish colonists. In 1515 he reformed his
views, gave up his Indian slaves and encomienda, and advocated, before
King Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor,
on behalf of rights for the natives. In his early writings he advocated
the use of African slaves instead of Natives in the West-Indian
colonies, and consequently he has been criticized as being partly
responsible for the beginning of the Transatlantic slave trade.
Later in life he retracted those early views as he came to see all
forms of slavery as equally wrong. In 1522 he attempted to launch a new
kind of peaceful colonialism on the coast of Venezuela, but this venture
failed causing Las Casas to enter the Dominican Order and become a
friar, leaving the public scene for a decade. He then traveled to
Central America undertaking peaceful evangelization among the Maya of
Guatemala
and participated in debates among the Mexican churchmen about how best
to bring the natives to the Christian faith. Traveling back to Spain to
recruit more missionaries, he continued lobbying for the abolition of
the encomienda, gaining an important victory by the passing of the New
Laws in 1542. He was appointed Bishop of Chiapas,
but served only for a short time before he was forced to return to
Spain because of resistance to the New Laws by the encomenderos, and
conflicts with Spanish settlers because of his pro-Indian policies and
activist religious stances. The remainder of his life was spent at the
Spanish court where he held great influence over Indies-related issues.
In 1550 he participated in the Valladolid debate; he argued against Juan
Ginés de Sepúlveda
that the Indians were fully human and that forcefully subjugating them
was unjustifiable. Sepúlveda countered that they were less than human
and required Spanish masters in order to become civilized.
Bartolomé de las Casas spent 50 years of his life actively fighting
slavery and the violent colonial abuse of indigenous peoples, especially
by trying to convince the Spanish court to adopt a more humane policy
of colonization. And although he failed to save the indigenous peoples
of the Western Indies, his efforts resulted in several improvements in
the legal status of the natives, and in an increased colonial focus on
the ethics of colonialism. Las Casas is often seen as one of the first
advocates for universal Human Rights.
Gaspar
da Cruz
(c. 1520–1570), who worked all over the Portuguese colonial empire in
Asia, was probably the first Christian missionary to preach
(unsuccessfully) in Cambodia. After a (similarly unsuccessful) stint in
Guangzhou, China, he eventually returned to Portugal and became the
first European to publish a book on China in 1569/1570.
The
modern period consists of the three centuries between the religious
revolution at the beginning of the 16th century (the Protestant
Reformation) and the French Revolution
and its consequences. The beginning of the 16th century confronted the
order with the upheavals of Revolution. The spread of Protestantism cost
it six or seven provinces and several hundreds of convents, but the
discovery of the New World opened up a fresh field of activity.
In the 18th century, there were numerous attempts at reform,
accompanied by a reduction in the number of devotees. The French
Revolution ruined the order in France, and crises that more or less
rapidly followed considerably lessened or wholly destroyed numerous
provinces.
19th century to present
The contemporary period of the history of the Preachers begins with
restorations in provinces, undertaken after revolutions destroyed the
Order in several countries of the Old and New World. This period begins
more or less in the early 19th century.
During this critical period, the number of Preachers seems never to
have sunk below 3,500. Statistics for 1876 show 3,748, but 500 of these
had been expelled from their convents and were engaged in parochial
work. Statistics for 1910 show a total of 4,472 nominally or actually
engaged in proper activities of the Order. In the year 2000, there were
5,171 Dominican friars in solemn vows, 917 student brothers, and 237
novices. By the year 2010 there were 5,906 Dominican friars, including 4,456 priests. Their provinces cover the world, and include four provinces in the United States.
In
the revival movement France held a foremost place, owing to the
reputation and convincing power of the orator, Jean-Baptiste Henri
Lacordaire
(1802–1861). He took the habit of a Friar Preacher at Rome (1839), and
the province of France was canonically erected in 1850. From this
province were detached the province of Lyon, called Occitania (1862),
that of Toulouse (1869), and that of Canada
(1909). The French restoration likewise furnished many laborers to
other provinces, to assist in their organization and progress. From it
came the master general who remained longest at the head of the
administration during the 19th century, Père Vincent Jandel (1850–1872).
Here should be mentioned the province of St. Joseph in the United
States. Founded in 1805 by Father Edward Fenwick, afterwards first
Bishop of Cincinnati, Ohio
(1821–1832), this province has developed slowly, but now ranks among
the most flourishing and active provinces of the order. In 1910 it
numbered seventeen convents or secondary houses. In 1905, it established
a large house of studies at Washington, D.C., called the Dominican
House of Studies. There are now four Dominican provinces in the United
States.
The province of France has produced a large number of preachers. The
conferences of Notre-Dame-de-Paris were inaugurated by Père Lacordaire.
The Dominicans of the province of France furnished Lacordaire
(1835–1836, 1843–1851), Jacques Monsabré (1869–1870, 1872–1890), Joseph Ollivier (1871, 1897), Thomas Etourneau (1898–1902).
Since 1903 the pulpit of Notre Dame has been occupied by a succession
of Dominicans. Père Henri Didon (d. 1900) was a Dominican. The house of
studies of the province of France publishes L'Année Dominicaine (founded 1859), La Revue des Sciences Philosophiques et Theologiques (1907), and La Revue de la Jeunesse
(1909). French Dominicans founded and administer the École Biblique et
Archéologique française de Jérusalem founded in 1890 by Père
Marie-Joseph Lagrange O.P. (1855–1938), one of the leading international
centres for Biblical research. It is at the École Biblique that the famed Jerusalem Bible (both editions) was prepared.
Likewise
Yves Cardinal Congar, O.P. was a product of the French province of the
Order of Preachers. Doctrinal development has had an important place in
the restoration
of the Preachers. Several institutions, besides those already mentioned,
played important parts. Such is the Biblical school at Jerusalem, open
to the religious of the Order and to secular clerics, which publishes
the Revue Biblique. The faculty of theology at the University of
Fribourg, confided to the care of the Dominicans in 1890, is
flourishing, and has about 250 students. The Collegium Angelicum,
established at Rome (1911) by Master Hyacinth Cormier, is open to
regulars and seculars for the study of the sacred sciences. In addition
to the reviews above are the Revue Thomiste, founded by Père Thomas Coconnier (d. 1908), and the Analecta Ordinis Prædicatorum
(1893). Among numerous writers of the order in this period are:
Cardinals Thomas Zigliara (d. 1893) and Zephirin González (d. 1894), two
esteemed philosophers; Father Alberto Guillelmotti (d. 1893), historian
of the Pontifical Navy, and Father Heinrich Denifle, one of the most
famous writers on medieval history (d. 1905).
Divisions
Nuns
The Dominican nuns were founded by St. Dominic even before he had
established the friars. They are contemplatives in the cloistered life.
The Friars and Nuns together form the Order of Preachers properly
speaking. The nuns celebrated their 800th anniversary in 2006.
Sisters
Dominican sisters carry on a number of apostolates. They are distinct
from the nuns. The sisters are a way of living the vocation of a Third
Order Dominican. As well as the friars, Dominican sisters live their lives supported
by four common values, often referred to as the Four Pillars of
Dominican Life, they are: community life, common prayer, study and
service. St. Dominic called this fourfold pattern of life the "holy
preaching."Henri Matisse was so moved by the care that he received from
the Dominican Sisters that he collaborated in the design and interior
decoration of their Chapelle du Saint-Marie du Rosaire in Vence, France.
Laity
Dominican laity are governed by their own rule, the Rule of the Lay
Fraternities of St. Dominic, promulgated by the Master in 1987. It is the fifth Rule of the Dominican Laity; the first was issued in 1285.
The two greatest saints of among them are St. Catherine of Siena and
St. Rose of Lima, who lived ascetic lives in their family homes, yet
both had widespead influence in their societies.
Spirituality
Dominican spirituality
The spiritual tradition of Dominic's Order is punctuated not only by
charity, study and preaching, but also by instances of mystical union.
The Dominican emphasis on learning and on charity distinguishes it from
other monastic and mendicant orders. As the Order first developed on the
European continent, learning continued to be emphasized by these friars
and their sisters in Christ. These religious also struggled for a
deeply personal, intimate relationship with God. When the Order reached
England, many of these attributes were kept, but the English gave the
Order additional, specialized characteristics. This topic is discussed
below.
Dominic's search for a close relationship with God was determined and
unceasing. He rarely spoke, so little of his interior life is known.
What is known about it comes from accounts written by people near to
him. St. Cecilia remembered him as cheerful, charitable and full of
unceasing vigor. From a number of accounts, singing was apparently one
of Dominic's great delights.
Dominic practiced self-scourging and would mortify himself as he prayed
alone in the chapel at night for 'poor sinners.' He owned a single
habit, refused to carry money, and would allow no one to serve him.
The spirituality evidenced throughout all of the branches of the
Order reflects the spirit and intentions of its founder, though some of
the elements of what later developed may have surprised the Castilian
friar. Fundamentally, Dominic was "...a man of prayer who utilized the
full resources of the learning available to him to preach, to teach, and
even materially to assist those searching for the truth found in the
gospel of Christ. It is that spirit which [Dominic] bequeathed to his
followers".
Bl. Humbert
Humbert of Romans,
the Master General of the Order from 1254 to 1263, was a great
administrator, as well as preacher and writer. It was under his tenure
as Master General that the sisters in the Order were given official
membership. Humbert was a great lover of languages, and encouraged
linguistic studies among the Dominicans, primarily Arabic, because of
the missionary work friars were pursuing amongst those led astray or
forced to convert by Mohammedans in the Middle East.
He also wanted his friars to reach excellence in their preaching, and
this was his most lasting contribution to the Order. The growth of the
spirituality of young preachers was his first priority.
He once cried to his students: ". . . consider how excellent this
office [of preaching] is, because it is apostolic; how useful, because
it is directly ordained for the salvation of souls; how perilous,
because few have in them, or perform, what the office requires, for it
is not without great danger. . . . Item, take note that this office
calls for excellency of life, so that just as the preacher speaks from a
raised position, so he may also preach the Gospel from the mountain of
an excellent life"
Humbert is at the center of ascetic writers in the Dominican Order.
In this role, he added significantly to its spirituality. His writings
are permeated with "religious good sense," and he used uncomplicated
language that could edify even the weakest member.
Humbert advised his readers, "[Young Dominicans] are also to be
instructed not to be eager to see visions or work miracles, since these
avail little to salvation, and sometimes we are fooled by them; but
rather they should be eager to do good in which salvation consists.
Also, they should be taught not to be sad if they do not enjoy the
divine consolations they hear others have; but they should know the
loving Father for some reason sometimes withholds these. Again, they
should learn that if they lack the grace of compunction or devotion they
should not think they are not in the state of grace as long as they
have good will, which is all that God regards". The English Dominicans took this to heart, and made it the focal point of their mysticism, as seen below.
Albertus Magnus
 |
| Albert Magnus |
Another who contributed significantly to the spirituality of the Order is Albertus Magnus,
the only person of the period to be given the appellation "Great". His
influence on the brotherhood permeated nearly every aspect of Dominican
life. Albert was a scientist, philosopher, theologian, spiritual writer,
ecumenist, and diplomat. Under the auspices of Humbert of Romans,
Albert molded the curriculum of studies for all Dominican students,
introduced Aristotle to the classroom and probed the work of Neoplatonists, such as Plotinus.
Indeed, it was the thirty years of work done by Thomas Aquinas and
himself (1245–1274) that allowed for the inclusion of Aristotelian study
in the curriculum of Dominican schools.
One of Albert's greatest contributions was his study of Dionysus the Areopagite,
a mystical theologian whose words left an indelible imprint in the
medieval period. Magnus' writings made a significant contribution to
German mysticism, which became vibrant in the minds of the Beguines and
women such as Hildegard of Bingen and Mechthild of Magdeburg.
Mysticism, for the purposes of this study, refers to the conviction
that all believers have the capability to experience God's love. This
love may manifest itself through brief ecstatic experiences, such that
one may be engulfed by God and gain an immediate knowledge of Him, which
is unknowable through the intellect alone.
Albertus Magnus championed the idea, drawn from Dionysus, that
positive knowledge of God is possible, but obscure. Thus, it is easier
to state what God is not, than to state what God is: ". . . we affirm
things of God only relatively, that is, casually, whereas we deny things
of God absolutely, that is, with reference to what He is in Himself.
And there is no contradiction between a relative affirmation and an
absolute negation. It is not contradictory to say that someone is
white-toothed and not white".
Albert the Great wrote that wisdom and understanding enhance one's
faith in God. According to him, these are the tools that God uses to
commune with a contemplative. Love in the soul is both the cause and
result of true understanding and judgement. It causes not only an
intellectual knowledge of God, but a spiritual and emotional knowledge
as well. Contemplation is the means whereby one can obtain this goal of
understanding. Things that once seemed static and unchanging become full
of possibility and perfection. The contemplative then knows that God
is, but she does not know what God is. Thus, contemplation forever
produces a mystified, imperfect knowledge of God. The soul is exalted
beyond the rest of God's creation but it cannot see God Himself.
Charity and meekness
As the image of God grows within man, he learns to rely less on an
intellectual pursuit of virtue and more on an affective pursuit of
charity and meekness. Meekness and charity guide Christians to
acknowledge that they are nothing without the One (God/Christ) who
created them, sustains them, and guides them. Thus, man then directs his
path to that One, and the love for, and of, Christ guides man's very
nature to become centered on the One, and on his neighbor as well. Charity is the manifestation of the pure love of Christ, both for and by His follower.
Although the ultimate attainment for this type of mysticism is union
with God, it is not necessarily visionary, nor does it hope only for
ecstatic experiences; instead, mystical life is successful if it is
imbued with charity. The goal is just as much to become like Christ as
it is to become one with Him. Those who believe in Christ should first have faith in Him without becoming engaged in such overwhelming phenomena.
The Dominican Order was affected by a number of elemental influences.
Its early members imbued the order with a mysticism and learning. The
Europeans of the Order embraced ecstatic mysticism on a grand scale and
looked to a union with the Creator. The English Dominicans looked for
this complete unity as well, but were not so focused on ecstatic
experiences. Instead, their goal was to emulate the moral life of Christ
more completely. The Dartford nuns were surrounded by all of these
legacies, and used them to create something unique. Though they are not
called mystics, they are known for their piety toward God and their
determination to live lives devoted to, and in emulation of, Him.
Dartford Priory was established long after the primary period of
monastic foundation in England had ended. It emulated, then, the
monasteries found in Europe—mainly France and German—as well as the
monastic traditions of their English Dominican brothers. As already
stated, the first nuns to inhabit Dartford were sent from Poissy Priory
in France.
Evidence for the strength of the English Dominican nuns' vocation is
strong itself. Even on the eve of the Dissolution, Prioress Jane Vane
wrote to Cromwell on behalf of a postulant, saying that though she had
not actually been professed, she was professed in her heart and in the
eyes of God. This is only one such example of dedication. Profession in
Dartford Priory seems, then, to have been made based on personal
commitment, and one's personal association with God.
Rosary
Throughout the centuries, the Holy Rosary has been an important element among the Dominicans. Pope Pius XI stated that:
- The Rosary of Mary is the principle and foundation on which the very Order of Saint Dominic rests for making perfect the life of its members and obtaining the salvation of others.
Histories of the Holy Rosary often attribute its origin to Saint Dominic himself through the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady of the Rosary is the title received by the Marian apparition to Saint Dominic in 1208 in the church of Prouille
in which the Virgin Mary gave the Rosary to him. For centuries,
Dominicans have been instrumental in spreading the rosary and
emphasizing the Catholic belief in the power of the rosary.
On January 1, 2008, the Master of the Order declared a year of dedication to the Rosary.
Missionary activity of the Dominicans
The Dominican Order came into being in the Middle Ages at a time when
religion began to be contemplated in a new way. Men who gave themselves
and their souls completely into the keeping of God were no longer
expected to stay behind the walls of a cloister. Instead, they traveled
among the people, taking as their examples the apostles of the primitive
Church. Out of this ideal emerged two orders of mendicant friars: one,
the Friars Minor, was led by Francis of Assisi; the other, the Friars Preachers, by Dominic of Guzman.
The man who established the Dominican Order offered his followers a
lofty and abiding cause. Dominic inspired his followers with loyalty to
learning and virtue, a deep recognition of the spiritual power of
worldly deprivation and the religious state, and a highly developed
governmental structure. He also produced a group people who succeeded in converting Albigensians to the orthodox faith. At the same time, Dominic inspired the members of his Order to develop a
"mixed" spirituality. They were both active in preaching, and
contemplative in study, prayer and meditation. The brethren of the
Dominican Order were urban and learned, as well as contemplative and
mystical in their spirituality. While these traits had an impact on the
women of the Order, the nuns especially absorbed the latter
characteristics and made those characteristics their own. In England,
the Dominican nuns blended these elements with the defining
characteristics of English Dominican spirituality and created a
spirituality and collective personality that set them apart.
St. Dominic
As the father of the Order of Preachers, Dominic had a lasting
influence on a group of people who sought to fulfill his ideals. As a
young adolescent, he had a particular love of theology and the
Scriptures became the foundation of his spirituality.
Dominic studied in Palencia for a decade and maintained a dedication to
purpose and a self-sacrificing attitude that caused the poor of the
city to love him. During his sojourn in Palencia,
Spain experienced a dreadful famine, prompting Dominic to sell all of
his beloved books and other equipment to help his neighbors.
Dominic
was also noticed by important members of the religious community of
Spain. After he completed his studies, Bishop Martin Bazan and Prior
Diego d'Achebes appointed Dominic to the cathedral chapter and he became
a regular canon under the Rule of St. Augustine and the Constitutions
for the cathedral church of Osma. At the age of twenty-four or
twenty-five, he was ordained to the priesthood.
In the spring of 1203, Dominic joined Prior Diego on an embassy to
Denmark for the monarchy of Spain. Dominic was fired by a reforming zeal
after they encountered Albigensian Christians at Toulouse. He set about reconverting the region to Roman Christianity.
On the return trip to Spain, the two brethren met with a group of papal
legates who were determined to triumph over the Manichean
menace. Prior Diego saw immediately one of the paramount reasons for
the spread of the unorthodox movement: the representatives of the Holy
Church acted and moved with an offensive amount of pomp and ceremony. On
the other hand, the Cathars
lived in a state of apostolic self-sacrifice that was widely appealing.
For these reasons, Prior Diego suggested that the papal legates begin
to live a reformed apostolic life. The legates agreed to change if they
could find a strong leader. The prior took up the challenge, and he and
Dominic dedicated themselves to the conversion of the Albigensians.
Dominican convent established
As time passed, Prior Diego sanctioned the building of a monastery
for girls whose parents had sent them to the care of the Albigensians
because their families were too poor to fulfill their basic needs. The monastery was at Prouille and would later become Dominic's headquarters for his missionary effort there.
Prior Diego died, after two years in the mission field, on his return
trip to Spain. When his preaching companions heard of his death, all
save Dominic and a very small number of others returned to their homes.
Founding of the Order of Preachers
In July 1215, with the approbation of Bishop Foulques of Toulouse,
Dominic ordered his followers into an institutional life. Its purpose
was revolutionary in the pastoral ministry of the Catholic Church. These
priests were organized and well trained in religious studies. Many men
influenced the shape and character of the Dominican Order, but it was
Dominic himself who combined the available components into a vital and
vigorous, whole existence.
Dominic needed a framework—a rule—to organize these components. The
Rule of St. Augustine was an obvious choice for the Dominican Order,
according to Dominic's successor, Jordan of Saxony, because it lent
itself to the "salvation of souls through preaching".
By this choice, however, the Dominican brothers designated themselves
not monks, but canons-regular. They could practice ministry and common
life while existing in individual poverty.
Dominic's education at Palencia gave him the knowledge he needed to
overcome the Manicheans. With charity, the other concept that most
defines the work and spirituality of the Order, study became the method
most used by the Dominicans in working to defend the Church against the
perils that hounded it, and also of enlarging its authority over larger
areas of the known world.
In Dominic's thinking, it was impossible for men to preach what they
did not or could not understand. When the brethren left Prouille, then,
to begin their apostolic work, Dominic sent Matthew of Paris
to establish a school near the University of Paris. This was the first
of many Dominican schools established by the brethren, some near large
universities throughout Europe.
Mysticism
By 1300, the enthusiasm for preaching and conversion within the Order
lessened. Mysticism, full of the ideas Albertus Magnus expostulated,
became the devotion of the greatest minds and hands within the
organization.
It became a "powerful instrument of personal and theological
transformation both within the Order of Preachers and throughout the
wider reaches of Christendom.
Although Albertus Magnus did much to instill mysticism in the Order
of Preachers, it is a concept that reaches back to the Hebrew Bible. In
the tradition of Holy Writ, the impossibility of coming face to face
with God is a recurring motif, thus the commandment against graven
images (Exodus 20.4-5). As time passed, Jewish and early Christian
writings presented the idea of 'unknowing,' where God's presence was
enveloped in a dark cloud. These images arose out of a confusing mass of
ambiguous and ambivalent statements regarding the nature of God and
man's relationship to Him.
Other passages attest to the opposite circumstance: that of seeing
God and talking with Him. Obviously, the conflict between seeing and
not-seeing exists in early texts as well as later ones. It also
permeates the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The consequence is a
paradox that emerges repeatedly throughout Christian Scripture and the
mysticism found in the early foundations of the Church.[62]
All
of these ideas associated with mysticism were at play in the
spirituality of the Dominican community, and not only among the men. In
Europe, in fact, it was often the female members of the Order, such as
Catherine of Siena, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Christine of Stommeln,
Margaret Ebner, and Elsbet Stagl,
that gained reputations for having mystical experiences. Notable male
members of the Order associated with mysticism include Meister Eckhart
and Henry Suso.
Women
 |
| St Catherine of Sienna |
Although Dominic and the early brethren had instituted female
Dominican houses at Prouille and other places by 1227, some of the
brethren of the Order had misgivings about the necessity of female
religious establishments in an Order whose major purpose was preaching, a
duty in which women could not traditionally engage. In spite of these
doubts, women's houses dotted the countryside throughout Europe. There
were seventy-four Dominican female houses in Germany, forty-two in
Italy, nine in France, eight in Spain, six in Bohemia, three in Hungary,
and three in Poland. Many of the German religious houses that lodged women had been home to communities of women, such as Beguines,
that became Dominican once they were taught by the traveling preachers
and put under the jurisdiction of the Dominican authoritative structure.
A number of these houses became centers of study and mystical
spirituality in the 14th century. There were one hundred and fifty-seven
nunneries in the Order by 1358. In that year, the number lessened due
to disasters like the Black Death.
In places besides Germany, convents were founded as retreats from the
world for women of the upper classes. These were original projects
funded by wealthy patrons, including other women. Among these was
Countess Margaret of Flanders who established the monastery of Lille,
while Val-Duchesse at Oudergern near Brussels was built with the wealth
of Adelaide of Burgundy, Duchess of Brabant (1262).
Female
houses differed from male Dominican houses in a lack of apostolic work
for the women. Instead, the sisters chanted the Divine Office and kept
all the monastic observances.
Their lives were often much more strict than their brothers' lives. The
sisters had no government of their own, but lived under the authority
of the general and provincial chapters of the Order. They were compelled
to obey all the rules and shared in all the applicable privileges of
the Order. Like the Priory of Dartford,
all Dominican nunneries were under the jurisdiction of friars. The
friars served as their confessors, priests, teachers and spiritual
mentors.
Women
could not be professed to the Dominican religious life before the age
of thirteen. The formula for profession contained in the Constitutions
of Montargis Priory
(1250) demands that nuns pledge obedience to God, the Blessed Virgin,
their prioress and her successors according to the Rule of St. Augustine
and the institute of the Order, until death. The clothing of the
sisters consisted of a white tunic and scapular, a leather belt, a black
mantle, and a black veil. Candidates to profession were tested to
reveal whether they were actually married women who had merely separated
from their husbands. Their intellectual abilities were also tested.
Nuns were to be silent in places of prayer, the cloister, the dormitory,
and refectory. Silence was maintained unless the prioress granted an
exception for a specific cause. Speaking was allowed in the common
parlor, but it was subordinate to strict rules, and the prioress,
subprioress or other senior nun had to be present.
Because the nuns of the Order did not preach among the people, the
need to engage in study was not as immediate or intense as it was for
men. They did participate, however, in a number of intellectual
activities.
Along with sewing and embroidery, nuns often engaged in reading and
discussing correspondence from Church leaders. In the Strassburg
monastery of St. Margaret, some of the nuns could converse fluently in
Latin. Learning still had an elevated place in the lives of these
religious. In fact, Margarette Reglerin, a daughter of a wealthy
Nuremberg family, was dismissed from a convent because she did not have
the ability or will to learn.
As heirs of the Dominican priory of Poissy in France, the Dartford
sisters were also heirs to a tradition of profound learning and piety.
Sections of translations of spiritual writings in Dartford's library,
such as Suso's Little Book of Eternal Wisdom and Laurent du Bois' La
Somme le Roi, show that the "ghoostli" link to Europe was not lost in
the crossing of the Channel. It survived in the minds of the nuns. Also,
the nuns shared a unique identity with Poissy as a religious house
founded by a royal house. The English nuns were proud of this heritage,
and aware that many of them shared in England's great history as members
of the noble class, as seen in the next chapter.
Devotion to the Virgin Mary was another very important aspect of
Dominican spirituality, especially for female members. As an Order, the
Dominicans believed that they were established through the good graces
of Christ's mother, and through prayers she sent missionaries to save
the souls of nonbelievers. All Dominicans sang the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin each day and saluted her as their advocate.
English Province
In England,
the Dominican Province began at the second general chapter of the
Dominican Order in Bologna during the spring of 1221. Dominic dispatched
twelve friars to England under the guidance of their English prior,
Gilbert of Fresney. They landed in Dover on August 5, 1221. The province
came officially into being at its first provincial chapter in 1230.
The English Province was a component of the international Order from
which it obtained its laws, direction, and instructions. It was also,
however, a group of Englishmen. Its direct supervisors were from
England, and the members of the English Province dwelt and labored in
English cities, towns, villages, and roadways. English and European
ingredients constantly came in contact. The international side of the
province's existence influenced the national, and the national responded
to, adapted, and sometimes constrained the international.
The first Dominican site in England was at Oxford, in the parishes of St. Edward and St. Adelaide. The friars built an oratory to the Blessed Virgin Mary
and by 1265, the brethren, in keeping with their devotion to study,
began erecting a school. Actually, the Dominican brothers likely began a
school immediately after their arrival, as priories were legally
schools. Information about the schools of the English Province is limited, but a
few facts are known. Much of the information available is taken from
visitation records.
The "visitation" was a section of the province through which visitors
to each priory could describe the state of its religious life and its
studies to the next chapter. There were four such visits in England and
Wales—Oxford, London, Cambridge and York.
All Dominican students were required to learn grammar, old and new
logic, natural philosophy and theology. Of all of the curricular areas,
however, theology was the most important. This is not surprising when
one remembers Dominic's zeal for it.
English Dominican mysticism in the late medieval period differed from
European strands of it in that, whereas European Dominican mysticism
tended to concentrate on ecstatic experiences of union with the divine,
English Dominican mysticism's ultimate focus was on a crucial dynamic in
one's personal relationship with God. This was an essential moral
imitation of the Savior as an ideal for religious change, and as the
means for reformation of humanity's nature as an image of divinity. This
type of mysticism carried with it four elements. First, spiritually it
emulated the moral essence of Christ's life. Second, there was a
connection linking moral emulation of Christ's life and humanity's
disposition as images of the divine. Third, English Dominican mysticism
focused on an embodied spirituality with a structured love of fellow men
at its center. Finally, the supreme aspiration of this mysticism was
either an ethical or an actual union with God.
For English Dominican mystics, the mystical experience was not
expressed just in one moment of the full knowledge of God, but in the
journey of, or process of, faith. This then led to an understanding that
was directed toward an experiential knowledge of divinity. It is
important to understand, however, that for these mystics it was possible
to pursue mystical life without the visions and voices that are usually
associated with such a relationship with God.
They experienced a mystical process that allowed them, in the end, to
experience what they had already gained knowledge of through their faith
only.
The center of all mystical experience is, of course, Christ. English
Dominicans sought to gain a full knowledge of Christ through an
imitation of His life. English mystics of all types tended to focus on
the moral values that the events in Christ's life exemplified. This led
to a "progressive understanding of the meanings of Scripture--literal,
moral, allegorical, and anagogical"--that
was contained within the mystical journey itself. From these
considerations of Scripture comes the simplest way to imitate Christ: an
emulation of the moral actions and attitudes that Jesus demonstrated in
His earthly ministry becomes the most significant way to feel and have
knowledge of God.
The English concentrated on the spirit of the events of Christ's
life, not the liberality of events. They neither expected nor sought the
appearance of the stigmata
or any other physical manifestation. They wanted to create in
themselves that environment that allowed Jesus to fulfill His divine
mission, insofar as they were able. At the center of this environment
was love: the love that Christ showed for humanity in becoming human.
Christ's love reveals the mercy of God and His care for His creation.
English Dominican mystics sought through this love to become images of
God. Love led to spiritual growth that, in turn, reflected an increase
in love for God and humanity. This increase in universal love allowed
men's wills to conform to God's will, just as Christ's will submitted to
the Father's will.
Concerning
humanity as the image of Christ, English Dominican
spirituality concentrated on the moral implications of image-bearing
rather than the philosophical foundations of the imago Dei. The process
of Christ's life, and the process of image-bearing, amends humanity to
God's image.
The idea of the "image of God" demonstrates both the ability of man to
move toward God (as partakers in Christ's redeeming sacrifice), and
that, on some level, man is always an image of God. As their love and
knowledge of God grows and is sanctified by faith and experience, the
image of God within man becomes ever more bright and clear.
Reference:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
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Today's Snippet II: Beatitudes
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| Beatitudes by Litany Lane |
The Beatitudes describe eight blessings in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Each is a proverb-like proclamation, without narrative, "cryptic, precise, and full of meaning. Each one includes a topic that forms a major biblical theme". Four of such "blessings" also appear in the Sermon on the Plain in Luke, and are followed by four woes that mirror the blessings.
Each Beatitude consists of two phrases: the condition and the result. In almost every case the condition is from familiar Old Testament context, but Jesus teaches a new interpretation.
Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of Christian ideals that focus on a spirit of love and humility different in orientation than the usual force and exaction taken. They echo the highest ideals of the teachings of Jesus on mercy, spirituality, and compassion.
Biblical basis
While opinions may vary as to exactly how many distinct statements into which the Beatitudes should be divided (ranging from eight to ten), most scholars consider them to be only eight. These eight of Matthew follow a simple pattern: Jesus names a group of people normally thought to be unfortunate and pronounces them blessed.Matthew
Blessed are..
- ....the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)
- ....those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
- ....the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
- ....those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
- ....the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
- ....the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
- ....the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
- ....those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
- Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Beatitudes unique to Matthew are the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, and the peacemakers. The other four have similar entries in Luke, but are followed almost immediately by "four woes".
Luke
The four Beatitudes in Luke 6:20–22 during the Sermon on the Plain. Verse 20 introduces them by saying, "Looking at his disciples, he said:" Then parallel to Matthew, each Beatitude begins with:Blessed are you...
- ...who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
- ...who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
- ...who weep now, for you will laugh.
- ...when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of man.
The four woes that follow these in Luke 6:24–26 each begins with:
Woe to you...:
- ...who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
- ...who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
- ...who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
- ...when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
These woes are distinct from the Seven Woes of the Pharisees that appear later in Luke 11:37-54.
Analysis and interpretation
Each Beatitude consists of two phrases: the condition and the result. In almost all cases the phrases used are familiar from an Old Testament context, but in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus elevates them to new levels and teachings. Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction. They echo the highest ideals of Jesus' teachings on spirituality and compassion.The term the meek would be familiar in the Old Testament, e.g., as in Psalms 37:11. Although the Beatitude concerning the meek has been much praised even by some non-Christians such as Mahatma Gandhi, some view the admonition to meekness skeptically. Friedrich Nietzsche in On the Genealogy of Morals considered the verse to be embodying what he perceived as a slave morality.
In Christian teachings, the Works of Mercy, which have corporal and spiritual components, have resonated with the theme of the Beatitude for mercy. These teachings emphasize that these acts of mercy provide both temporal and spiritual benefits.The theme of mercy has continued in devotions such as the Divine Mercy in the 20th century.
The peacemakers have been traditionally interpreted, not only live in peace with others but do their best to promote friendship among mankind and between God and man. St. Gregory of Nyssa interpreted it as "Godly work", which was an imitation of God's love of man.
References
- Easwaran Eknath. Original Goodness (on Beatitudes). Nilgiri Press, 1989. ISBN 0-915132-91-5.
- Kissinger, Warren S. The Sermon on the Mount: A History of Interpretation and Bibliography. Metuchen: Scarecrow Press, 1975.
- Twomey, M.W. "The Beatitudes". A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. David Lyle Jeffrey, general editor. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1992.
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Today's Snippet III: Church of the Beatitudes
History
Located on a small hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and built on the traditional site of Jesus' delivery of the Sermon on the Mount,[1] pilgrims are known to have commemorated this site since at least the 4th century. In her itinerary of the Holy Land, after describing the Church of the Loaves and Fishes, the pilgrim Egeria
(c.381) writes, "Near there on a mountain is the cave to which the
Savior climbed and spoke the Beatitudes." The current church sits near
the ruins of a small Byzantine era church dating to the late 4th century,[2] which contains a rock-cut cistern beneath it and the remains of a small monastery to its southeast. Part of the original mosaic floor has also been recovered and is now on display in Capernaum. Both Popes Paul VI and John Paul II celebrated Mass at the church during their pastoral visits to the Holy Land.[2]
Design and construction
The modern church was built between 1936 and 1938 near the site of the fourth century Byzantine ruins. The floor plan is octagonal, the eight sides representing the eight Beatitudes.[2]
The church is Byzantine in style with a marble veneer casing the lower
walls and gold mosaic in the dome. In front of the church are mosaic
symbols on the pavement representing Justice, Prudence, Fortitude,
Temperance, Faith, Hope, and Charity.
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor
describes the selection of the site thus; "It was perhaps inevitable
that this well-watered area with its shade trees on the shore of the Sea
of Galilee, where Byzantine pilgrims ate their picnics, should have
been identified as the location of two episodes involving the
consumption of food, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and the
conferral on Peter of the responsibility of leadership after a fish
breakfast. Then it became convenient to localize the Sermon of the Mount
on the small hill nearby." (The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological
Guide from Earliest Times to 1700, p. 277) Regardless of whether this is
the very spot, the Church of the Beatitudes stands in the general area
and in a very similar setting to where Jesus would have stood as he
delivered his famous sermon. As Murphy-O'Connor puts it, "from here one
can see virtually all the places in which Jesus lived and worked"
(p. 280).
Architect
Biography
Barluzzi was born in Rome, the thirteenth child of Camillo Barluzzi and Maria Anna Busiri-Vici; his maternal grandfather Andrea Busiri-Vici was the architect responsible for the maintenance of St. Peter's Basilica. As early as five years old Barluzzi would create remarkable sketches of churches. His family lived close to the Vatican and historically were workers there. Barluzzi attended the Liceo Umberto I di Roma, where he was instructed by Giulio Salvadori. After leaving school in 1902, he began to pursue his calling, however he was persuaded to delay his entry into the priesthood only on the advice of his advisor and confessor Father Corrado, who wanted Barluzzi to further his education first. From 1902 until 1907 he attended the Sapienza University of Rome, successfully attaining a degree in Engineering. Barluzzi spent several years working with his brother, Giulio, on building projects in the Middle East. He was unsure whether to enter the priesthood and whilst discerning his vocation worked in Jerusalem on a 100-bed hospital for the Italian Missionary Society. While in Jerusalem he was asked by Father Razzoli, head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, to submit plans for a basilica on Mount Tabor.World War I
With the outbreak of World War I in 1914 he was obliged to return to Italy. There, in 1915, on the recommendation of his confessors he joined the Seminario Romano di S. Giovanni on the Sunday after Easter. However he never attended any lectures and left after only a few weeks. After leaving seminary he joind the Italian army as a Sergeant and began his military service with the Fortifications Office overseeing archaeological excavations at the second century Castel Sant'Angelo. In 1918 he joined the Palestine detachment and took part in the allied entry into Jerusalem.While in Palestine he met Father Custos Ferdinando Diotallevi, the new head of the Custody of the Holy Land, who had the plans Barluzzi had previously drawn for Mount Tabor during his first visit. He requested Barluzzi start work simultaneously on this and another church at Gethsemane. Worried by this new responsibility Barluzzi returned to Italy to take advice, but ultimately returned to Jerusalem decided and determined. By 1924 he had completed The Church of All Nations at Gethsemane and the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor.
World War II
During the Second World War Barluzzi was in Sardinia doing building works for the Franciscan and Capuchin fathers. He remained in Italy until 1947. During this time he planned a great temple at the Holy Sepulchre and what he thought was his final work in the holy land, a Shrine to the Incarnation in Nazareth.Death and legacy
Barluzzi died on 14 December 1960 in a small room at the Delegation of the Holy Land in Rome. His funeral was celebrated at the Basilica di Sant'Antonio and was attended by Cardinal Gustavo Testa, the procurator General of the Franciscan Order. There is a likeness of him near his church on Mount Tabor (pictured) and oddly he also appears in a fresco on the wall of the church he designed at Ein Karem. Barluzzi himself never wore his medals or spoke of his awards and was a simple monk in his behaviour whenever possible. Of his designs, the architecture writer H.V. Morton wrote "They are remarkable for their originality and the variety of their design... Barluzzi will be recognised as a genius in years to come."Religious affiliation
The church is maintained and overseen by the Franciscan Order.
References
- "Church of the Beatitudes - Pilgrimage to the Holy Land". wordbytes.org. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- Rebecca Harrison (2008-01-10). "FACTBOX: Five facts about the Church of the Beatitudes". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
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Catholic Catechism
Part Three: Life in Christ
Section Two: The Ten Commandments
Chapter Two: Seventh Commandment
Article 7:3 The Social Doctrine of the Church
CHAPTER TWO
YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS
YOURSELF
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Love one another as I have loved you."1 Jn 13:34
2196
In response to the question about the first of the commandments, Jesus says:
"The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind, and with all your strength.' the second is this, 'You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than
these."2 Mk 12:29-31; cf.
⇒ Deut 6:4-5; ⇒ Lev
19:18; ⇒ Mt 22:34-40;
⇒ Lk 10:25-28
The apostle St. Paul reminds us of this: "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."3 Rom 13:8-10
The apostle St. Paul reminds us of this: "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."3 Rom 13:8-10
Article 7
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not steal.185 EX 20:15; ⇒ Deut 5:19; ⇒ Mt 19:18.
2401 The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one's neighbor and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods. It commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men's labor. For the sake of the common good, it requires respect for the universal destination of goods and respect for the right to private property. Christian life strives to order this world's goods to God and to fraternal charity.
III. The Social Doctrine of the
Church
2419
"Christian revelation . . . promotes deeper understanding of the laws of
social living."198 The Church receives from the Gospel the full
revelation of the truth about man. When she fulfills her mission of proclaiming
the Gospel, she bears witness to man, in the name of Christ, to his dignity and
his vocation to the communion of persons. She teaches him the demands of
justice and peace in conformity with divine wisdom.
2420
The Church makes a moral judgment about economic and social matters, "when
the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires
it."199 In the moral order she bears a mission distinct from that
of political authorities: the Church is concerned with the temporal aspects of
the common good because they are ordered to the sovereign Good, our ultimate
end. She strives to inspire right attitudes with respect to earthly goods and
in socio-economic relationships.
2421
The
social doctrine of the Church developed in the nineteenth century when the
Gospel encountered modern industrial society with its new structures for the
production of consumer goods, its new concept of society, the state and
authority, and its new forms of labor and ownership. the development of the
doctrine of the Church on economic and social matters attests the permanent
value of the Church's teaching at the same time as it attests the true meaning
of her Tradition, always living and active.200
2422
The Church's social teaching comprises a body of doctrine, which is articulated
as the Church interprets events in the course of history, with the assistance
of the Holy Spirit, in the light of the whole of what has been revealed by
Jesus Christ.201 This teaching can be more easily accepted by men of
good will, the more the faithful let themselves be guided by it.
2423
The Church's social teaching proposes principles for reflection; it provides
criteria for judgment; it gives guidelines for action: Any system in which social relationships are determined entirely by
economic factors is contrary to the nature of the human person and his
acts.202
2424
A
theory that makes profit the exclusive norm and ultimate end of economic
activity is morally unacceptable. the disordered desire for money cannot but
produce perverse effects. It is one of the causes of the many conflicts which
disturb the social order.203
A system that "subordinates the basic rights of individuals and of groups to the collective organization of production" is contrary to human dignity.204 Every practice that reduces persons to nothing more than a means of profit enslaves man, leads to idolizing money, and contributes to the spread of atheism. "You cannot serve God and mammon."205
2425
The
Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in
modem times with "communism" or "socialism." She has
likewise refused to accept, in the practice of "capitalism,"
individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human
labor.206 Regulating the economy solely by centralized planning
perverts the basis of social bonds; regulating it solely by the law of the
marketplace fails social justice, for "there are many human needs which
cannot be satisfied by the market."207 Reasonable regulation of
the marketplace and economic initiatives, in keeping with a just hierarchy of
values and a view to the common good, is to be commended.
198 GS 23 # 1.
199 GS 76 # 5.
200 Cf. CA 3.
201 Cf. SRS 1; 41.
202 Cf. CA 24.
203 Cf. GS 63 # 3; LE 7; 20; CA 35.
204 GS 65 # 2.
205 ⇒ Mt 6:24; ⇒ Lk 16:13.
206 Cf. CA 10; 13; 44.
207 CA 34.
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