Saint Dominic
First Point
In his youth Saint Dominic attained such great perfection that his bishop, desiring to reform his cathedral chapter and to make it more faithful to its regulations, named him a canon and, later, an archdeacon. In these two positions, he led a very exemplary life and gave proof of extraordinary fervor.One of his main virtues was his compassion for his neighbor, especially for the poor. This virtue led him to do penance for the sins of others as well as for his own. It likewise led him to sell all his property to assist the poor, and when he was unable to assist them any further, he wept with compassion. Seeing a woman who was in great sorrow because her son had been captured by the Moors, he offered himself to her to be sold or exchanged for her son.You know that you are responsible for the instruction of the poor. Imitate the tenderness of this saint toward them, and overcome nature when it suggests that you ought to have more consideration for the wealthy. Jesus Christ will look at the good you do to the poor as done to him.1
Second Point
The love this saint had for his neighbor led him to have ardent zeal for the instruction and the conversion of those who were living a disorderly life. This was why he gave up his position as a canon, in which he felt he was of little use to the Church. The Albigensian heresy had started up, and he did all he could to destroy it, sparing neither travel, nor meetings, nor preaching, nor writing; he also suffered all sorts of difficulty and fatigue. To this great zeal he joined fervent prayers, continual and abundant weeping, and great mortification to procure the conversion of these heretics. These means that he employed succeeded so happily that he converted over 100,000 heretics.
It is your duty in your state to combine a life of seclusion and of mortification with zeal for your neighbor’s salvation, because the purpose of your work is to labor continually for the Christian education of children. Do this work with all possible care, because if you do, you will be unable to count how many you have gained for God and made true Christians.
Third Point
This saint’s zeal did not stop short at what he personally could do for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. When some companions had joined him, he asked the Pope to establish a religious order whose members would have as their purpose to preach the Gospel everywhere.2 This is what his disciples have done and continue to do.One of their main practices for promoting piety among the faithful is to inspire them with devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin, especially to her rosary, which they recite daily in choir with much piety.How fortunate you are to have for your purpose to teach children their religion and to do so by teaching them catechism every day! One of the best means you can use to succeed in your work is to have a very special devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin and to communicate this devotion to the hearts of those entrusted to you. Do you recite the rosary every day? Do you lead your students to do the same? With what piety do you recite it and have them recite it? Do you offer this prayer as a tribute that we in our Institute pay to the Most Blessed Virgin and as a powerful way to draw down her help and protection on our Institute and on your work?
Historical Context
Dominic (1170–1221) was born at Caleruega, in Castile, Spain. He studied for ten years at the University of Palencia, and at the age of 24, he joined the reformed canons regular at Osma, eventually becoming the prior. In 1206 Pope Innocent III commissioned him and his bishop, Diego, to the work of preaching against the Albigensian heretics in the South of France. After much hardship, with six companions in 1215, he organized the Friars Preachers, also called the Dominicans. Their constitution was approved a year later by Pope Honorius III, and the Order spread rapidly to such faraway countries as England, Denmark, Hungary, and Greece. Dominic died in Bologna on August 6, 1221, and was canonized in 1234. His feast is now celebrated on August 8.
Scripture Citation
- Mt 25:40
- Mt 24:14