Feast of St Dominic

Today’s Gospel (Matthew 14: 13-21) tells of crowds pursuing Jesus and the disciples even though they had withdrawn to a lonely place after hearing of the death of John the Baptist.  After the Gospel reading Fr Paul shares a little about St Dominic, whose feast day we celebrate today.

St Dominic was born in Spain and became a Canon of the cathedral of Osma.  Dominic spent most of his life living in extreme poverty, one of the charisms he espoused.

In 1216 Dominic saw the need to combat the heresies of the time and so, in that year, he founded an order of preachers that we know today more commonly as the Dominicans.  From that moment on he was dedicated to saving souls by preaching and persuasion. The Dominicans have an emphasis on poverty as well as on the need to live in the world while still experiencing some sense of monastic life.

Dominic and the Dominicans were at the forefront of intellectual life in the Middle Ages. The order is famed for its intellectual traditions and it has produced many leading theologians and philosophers over the years.  The motto of the Dominicans is ‘to praise, to bless and to preach’.
Dominic spent most of his life balancing the need to be a contemplative with being active in apostolic work.

Fr Paul says ,as we celebrate St Dominic’s life, we might look to his example and try to take some time in our own lives for contemplation and reflection while also balancing that with being active in the work of our church.