St. Dominic

In every family there are stories told of individuals who have left an irrevocable mark on their history, Dominic, which means “Man of God” was no stranger to making such historical ‘dents.’ Dominic de Guzman was born around 1170 in the little village of Caleruega, in Old Castle, Spain. His parents were of noble blood. His mother Joan of Aza, was a woman known for her compassion, charity to the poor, her miracles and holiness. When Joan was pregnant, she had a vision, that her unborn child was a dog, with a torch it carried in its mouth, who would set the world on fire with the preaching of the gospel. The dog with the torch in its mouth would later become a symbol for the Order which he founded nicknamed ‘Dominicans.’

At Dominic's baptism his God mother saw a star shining from his chest, which became another of his symbols in art. Dominic’s father, Felix de Guzman was a Spanish solider that believed that the best thing that he could give his children was a good education. Their eldest son Anthony would become a Canon of Saint James, and their second, Mannes, would eventually follow his younger brother in the Order of Preachers. Mannes was later beatified by the Catholic Church. Dominic spent the first seven years of his life with his parents. He was reared in an atmosphere of sanctity and surrounded by his two brothers, was known for their extraordinary holiness.

As a child, Dominic avoided games and denied himself the comfort of a bed; he opted to sleeping on the floor. However, he would climb the near by hill and gaze on the horizon and there would be moved with compassion for all the suffering in the world. Dominic learnt this from his mother. Dominic’s boyhood proved to be but a preview of his mature and heroic sanctity. As a young man with his unwearied diligence, he became a model to follow. His assiduousness for study was a trait, which later served Dominic in good stead when he so bitterly opposed the false learning of the Albigensians. As a boy, Dominic was sent to his mother's brother to receive instruction for seven years. His uncle was a parish priest in Gumiel d'Izan. Having thus grown in wisdom and understanding and having a well-balanced mind in general knowledge, it came time for him to move on to further studies at Palencia. At the age of 14, Dominic went to the university in Palencia, in the kingdom of Leon, modern day France. At the university Dominic devoted himself to the studies of humanities, dialectic and theology.

Because Dominic spent seven years with his uncle learning from the manuscript Psalter and the Psalms, he was able to unravel the difficulties of the Scriptures with the help of the commentaries of the early church fathers, which he copied into the margin of his parchment bible. In this way, his knowledge of the sacred text grew and flourished. Around that time, a terrible famine swept through the land. Dominic gave alms to the poor, he sold his possessions, even his precious annotated books, thinking that the living skins of the famished were more important than the dead skins of his books. Dominic spent seven long fruitful years at Palencia where he became knowledgeable in the natural sciences. During this time, Dominic was known for his great acts of heroic charity to the poor and those with other needs. Sometimes Dominic charity led him to extremes. He once wanted to sell himself into slavery as a ransom for captives, so far the offered was not accepted. After studies in Palencia, he went back to his home diocese in Osma to further his theological studies. About the age of 20, Dominic pursued theological studies at Osma.

He joined the Canons Regular –a community of clerics who followed the rule of St. Augustine. Five years later, he was ordained to the priesthood. During his late night vigils, Father Dominic grew in holiness as he wept for sinners. At the age of 31, Dominic became Sub-Prior under Bishop Diego in the Cathedral in Osma which was very early for the Canon-Regulars of St. Augustine community.

In 1205, Bishop Diego was commissioned by King Alphonso VIII of Castile to negotiate a marriage between his son and a Dutch princess. Dominic was asked to accompany Bishop Diego on his first diplomatic mission to Denmark, which took them to the south of France. The journey proved to be a turning point in Dominic’s life, opening his five senses and his heart to a world full of fear, hate, intolerance and injustice; a world with all its pain suffering and problem. While on their travels Bishop Diego and Dominic were confronted with an ignorance of understanding the Faith among a group called the Albigensians.

Dominic saw that there was a need to address the matter, and it was by preaching that the true message of the gospel was heard. The ‘heretics’ lived a life of poverty and practiced what they preached though their understanding of God was false. The Albigensians denied what we known to be the principal mysteries of our Catholic faith: the unity and tri-unity of God, the Incarnation, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to them, all created things were divided into two distinct categories: body and soul, spirit and matter, thus saying, spirit was good and matter was evil.

Dominic later converted a group of Albigensian women in Prouille and established a monastery of prayer for the preaching mission to the ‘heretics.’ Dominic became their father and spiritual guide; this job was entrusted to him by Bishop Diego. Dominic visited the sisters from time to time, which became a high point for them. One night on his travels to Toulouse in the south of France having visited the sister he stop at an inn. The innkeeper trued out to be a support of the dualist anti-church of the albigansians. Dominic sat up all night into the early morning in dialogue with him eventually convincing him of the truth of the faith.

For the next nine years Dominic laboured in the back roads of southern France, Rome and Europe, preaching and teaching the faith with the gospel of Matthew and the epistles of Paul in his pocket. He won and lost a lot of battles, but in the end, he was victorious in spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ beyond the boundaries of Christianity and Catholicism. Popular piety tells of 1208, while Saint Dominic knelt in the little chapel of Notre Dame de La Prouille, and implored the great Mother of God to save the Church, that our Blessed Lady appeared to Dominic and gave him the Rosary, bidding him to go forth and preach it. During the famous battles in southern France against the Albigensians, with his rosary in hand, he revived the courage of the Catholic armies, led them to victory against overwhelming numbers, and finally subdued the heresy.

In 1213, Dominic and his companions began to seriously discuss the Order. In 1215, they were established as a brotherhood by the Bishop Fulk of Toulouse. Later that year, Bishop Fulk set out for Rome with Dominic and his companions to attend the fourth Lateran Council. It was at this council that Dominic met Francis of Assisi. They both were not indifferent to the crisis of their day; preaching and poverty. There they petitioned Pope Innocent for an order of Preachers.

On his way to Rome in 1215, he heard that Pope Innocent had died in July. This did not stop Dominic; he continued on his journey to Rome. When he arrived on December 22nd 1215, he obtained the Bull of confirmation of Canons Regular. A second Bull was issued in January 1216, recognizing the newness of Dominic’s ideas and approved his foundation as an Order of Preachers. Pope Honorius III addressed its members as: “Christ unconquered athletes, armed with the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. Fearing not those who can kill the body, you valiantly trust the word of God which is keener then any two-edged sword, against the foes of the faith.” The Order rapidly matured in faith, growth and virtue. The example of their lives along with the anointing that was upon them because of the powerful preaching brought many to join the Order. The Faith grew and flourished in their sight. Dominic and his followers gave their all in the correct preaching and evangelizing of God’s people. But this soon wore out Dominic.

One day, suffering from severe exhaustion and high fever, he refused to be put on a bed. He asked, instead, to lie on the floor of a borrowed cell, in a borrowed habit – for he had none of his own. He spoke to his spiritual children final words emphasizing charity, poverty and prayer. He said to them, "Do not weep, my children. I shall be more useful to you where I am going than I have ever been in this life." Then, he turned to the elders of his Order and revealed to them that he had kept his vows including the vow of virginity all of his life.

He asked to be carried back to Bologna, that he might be buried ‘under the feet of his brethren.’ Thus, with a life of tireless effort and unusual sanctity in the service of God behind him, Dominic died at 6 pm on Friday, August 6, 1221, at the age of 51 years – on the Feast of the Transfiguration (a feast for prophets & apostles) leaving his order firmly planted in Europe. He had conquered himself before he attempted to reform others; these are the ways of the saintly. He was canonized on July 13, 1234 by Pope Gregory IX.

In summing up the man, Dominic; is to say with out question that Dominic was an acute and extraordinary person, admired and revered by history. He took to the road and discovered a way to the kingdom, a way of life, a preacher’s way, and the apostolic way. His life was a living gospel message of the scriptures. Dominic compassion for souls still echo’s in the history of the church. His act of mercy for those who were led in the wrong pathway; and most of all his gift of dialogue with the innkeeper. All these attributes of Dominic sum-up his desire to be one with God. One of his favorites quote is, “We must be always thinking and taking about God.” That is why Pope John Paul the Great said to a group of Dominicans that “only one who has experienced God can speak about him convincing way to others” and this was Dominic, the man of God.

Let us pray for the Dominican family throughout the world, that God will continue to bless us in our preaching mission for the salvation of souls and enkindle in the hearts of young men and women the ability and faculty to answer the Call of the Preacher, Dominic who was called Light of the Church, Teacher of Truth, Rose of Patience, Ivory of Chastity. Dominic, you freely offered the waters of wisdom; you were the Preacher of Grace. Unite them with the blessed in heaven.