THE HAMMER OF HERETICS

SABBATH

 

Today is a very special day forthe Dominican family around the world as they celebrate the feast of their founder and spiritual father, Dominic de Guzman. Dominic lived around the time of St. Francis of Assisi. Legend has it that the two met on at least one occasion. The first reading (not from the actual feast but from the ferial day) reminds us that we have to follow the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. This is what Dominic and the saints did. This is why they are placed before us by the Church as examples of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Dominic had a great love for the Lord to the extent that he shunned all the trappings of the priesthood so as to preach the Gospel with a new purity of heart and lifestyle. The Church had become very distant from the lives of the ordinary people. Because of this, many heretics were having great success because they lived simple lives rather than demanding that the poor people support the extravagant lifestyles of the clergy. Dominic and Francis repudiated such lifestyles and took to the streets as beggars. Their simple lifestyles became a powerful witness to the truth of the Gospel and its power to redeem. The Church needs to constantly go back to its original calling. In some places, it is too caught up in politics; in others, it is identified with the rich and powerful; in still others, it is so self-absorbed that it has lost any witness value. The role of the Church is to stand in solidarity with all men and women and, since most people are just getting by or  poor, this is where the Church must be. Yes, the Church is there for the rich, too, but only as a means for them to attain salvation and not as a means to help keep them in power. Let us be mindful of the lives of saints and seek to imitate them in our own. Let us pray that we will stand in solidarity with God’s poor people.  Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL   Reflection Question: Do I live in solidarity with God’s people or do I deliberately stand apart from them?   Lord Jesus, You left the glory of heaven in order to dwell on earth. Let me follow Your example of identifying Yourself with the poor.   St. Altman, pray for us.