In the Footsteps of St. Dominic - Exploring Dominican Spirituality

[TrueLight]

I purchased and downloaded “Into the Silent Land” onto my Kindle!

 

[TrueLight]

Study in the Life of the Dominican
From the Dominican Province of St Joseph site.

Study is an essential part of the life of the Order of Preachers. The Constitutions of the Dominican Order emphasize the importance of study in saying: St. Dominic included study, ordained to the ministry of salvation, as an essential part of his plan for the Order: in this was no small innovation. He, who himself always carried with him the Gospel of St. Matthew and the Epistles of Saint Paul, directed the brethren to schools, and sent them to the major cities “so that they might study, preach, and establish a convent.”

In the video above, Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, discusses the importance of study in the life of the Order. He addresses the need for study, the difficulties of study, and especially the relation between study and the central purpose of the Order: to preach for the salvation of souls.

Is study important to your life? The Bible says “study to show thyself approved unto God”.

How much time do you spend studying the Bible, reading philosophy or reading spiritual books.

Do you believe that to be important?

 

[uselessbeggar]

I purchased and downloaded “Into the Silent Land” onto my Kindle!

I hope you derive as much out of it as I have. Perserverance does pay off…

I have also adapted the method to my study of the bible and taught my class to do the same. In this busy, distracting world I need all the self helps I can get. all the rest is grace.

Should you care to, I’d like to hear about your opinion of the book when you have gotten into it. I am not often on the Forum but I think there is a way apart of the public view.

God bless you True Light. Your picture has often been my desktop.

uselessbeggar

 

[TrueLight]

God bless you True Light. Your picture has often been my desktop.

uselessbeggar

God bless you too!

But you have to log in more often just to contribute to this thread. Subscribe!

 

[TrueLight]

For those who live in the NYC Tri-State Area:

Father Paul Murray, O.P. is giving three spiritual retreats in Manhattan:

• Fire and Fountain: The Living History of God
• Falling Toward God
• The Art of Contemplation

Father Paul Murray, O.P., an internationally known theologian, writer, and lecturer on the spiritual life, will speak for the first time in New York City on three limited engagements. Father Paul Murray is the Chair of Spirituality at the Dominican Pontifical University of Saint Thomas in Rome. He was conferred with the STM (Master in Sacred Theology) by the Dominican Order. The award of STM is the highest internal honor that the Order can give to one of the brothers for their significant contribution to theology. Fr. Paul is a frequent guest on Vatican Radio and recently gave a talk in the English House of Lords – the first time a Dominican friar has done so to The House of Lords, England.

 

[uselessbeggar]

AH, I see you subscribe to Dominican Friars, NY Province.

If you haven’t already done so you might want to look at this web site which is of the Western Dominican Province ; rosary-center.org. There you can join the Rosary Confraternity and be rewarded with many benefits while praying for peace.

uselessbeggar

 

[TrueLight]

AH, I see you subscribe to Dominican Friars, NY Province.

Yes, I do. I think it’s awesome that we were just speaking of contemplation and voila - one of the lectures is on contemplation.

If you haven’t already done so you might want to look at this web site which is of the Western Dominican Province ; rosary-center.org. There you can join the Rosary Confraternity and be rewarded with many benefits while praying for peace.

I will check it out. I take it you are a member? Would you share what sort of blessings you’ve received?

 

[uselessbeggar]

True Light
The Holy Spirit has graciously allowed you to experience how “awesome” He really is in your experience with the “contemplation” subject. If you remain constant in your faith and love and hope in Christ your life will be filled with just such experiences. I am very happy for you. How I wish I lived close enough to make the retreat on Contemplation! At one time I did.

As for my own benefits of belonging to the Rosary Confraternity I can honestly say that I believe in the power of praying for each other. All members share in each other’s blessings as we pray the rosary daily. Just to think of hundreds of people all over the world praying for me is wonderful and consoling. Another benefit which I believe is partially due to all these intercessors is that over the years I have been taught to see the practice of praying the rosary as a contemplative practice. In meditating on the mysteries Mary leads me through her life with her Son all the while revealing Him to me. .

Belonging to this Rosary Confraternity also entitles me to a publication of the Dominicans of the Western Province called Light and Life. It is full of Catholic teachings.

There are many benefits posted on the web site.

After all, the rosary is a gift to Dominicans and what better way to walk in the footsteps of St. Dominic?

Peace, love and joy to you True Light as you continue on your awe-filled journey.
uselessbeggar

 

[TrueLight]

True Light
The Holy Spirit has graciously allowed you to experience how “awesome” He really is in your experience with the “contemplation” subject. If you remain constant in your faith and love and hope in Christ your life will be filled with just such experiences. I am very happy for you. How I wish I lived close enough to make the retreat on Contemplation! At one time I did.

As for my own benefits of belonging to the Rosary Confraternity I can honestly say that I believe in the power of praying for each other. All members share in each other’s blessings as we pray the rosary daily. Just to think of hundreds of people all over the world praying for me is wonderful and consoling. Another benefit which I believe is partially due to all these intercessors is that over the years I have been taught to see the practice of praying the rosary as a contemplative practice. In meditating on the mysteries Mary leads me through her life with her Son all the while revealing Him to me. .

Belonging to this Rosary Confraternity also entitles me to a publication of the Dominicans of the Western Province called Light and Life. It is full of Catholic teachings.

There are many benefits posted on the web site.

After all, the rosary is a gift to Dominicans and what better way to walk in the footsteps of St. Dominic?

Peace, love and joy to you True Light as you continue on your awe-filled journey.
uselessbeggar

Uselessbeggar,

Thanks so much for your encouraging words. They mean a lot.

 

[TrueLight]

Yesterday was the Feast day of our Holy Father St Francis receiving the stigmata.

"St. Francis and St. Dominic both received visions that allowed them to recognize one another. So when St. Dominic saw St. Francis in one of the churches of Rome, he went to him and embraced him. They both expressed their enthusiasm for the mission each had received and for the fact that they would support one another. This was the embrace of two souls, each one with every reason to hold the other in the highest esteem: on one hand, because their missions were very similar; on the other hand, because they were very different.

According to Catholic criteria, a great similarity leads to friendship, but so also does a great dissimilarity when it is not the dissimilarity of opposition, but rather one that is complementary. One had something that the other was lacking. Together they constituted a harmonic ensemble. For this reason, they admired one another.

Both saints had a profound Marian devotion. St. Francis was a great palatine of the Immaculate Conception centuries before it was defined as dogma. The Franciscans would spread that truth throughout the world. St. Dominic was the great apostle of the Rosary. Through the devotion of the Rosary the Dominicans would effect immediate and spectacular conversions. The Dominican is the Order of the Rosary par excellence. So, from the Marian perspective, there is a great similarity in the Orders.

However, even with this similarity of mission, there are also differences. The two Marian devotions represent in the minds of the faithful two different floods of light. Still, they are convergent lights, because it is not unusual for the person who believes in the Immaculate Conception to pray the Rosary, and vice-versa.

This balance between similarity and dissimilarity can also be noted in another point. The Dominican Order was called to convert persons by speaking to their will through their intelligence. It is clear that part of the Dominican mission is an intellectual work–the study and teaching of philosophy, theology, and apologetics. On the contrary, the dominant note of the Franciscan Order is to move the will through a manifestation of zeal. The great conversions of the Franciscans came about through the consideration of the Wounds of Our Lord, His Passion, His poverty and spirit of sacrifice. Once again, they are harmonic differences that merge in the spirit of the faithful. A Catholic instructed in the arguments of apologetics by the Dominicans should also be touched by the fervor of the Franciscans.

That embrace in a church of Rome, therefore, was not just the embrace of two saints, but something more. It was the missions of the two Orders that embraced in that moment. The two Founders were like the two hands of God uniting their efforts to work on this earth, to bring holiness and happiness to men and glory to the Catholic Church."
Our Holy Father St Francis

 

[GaryTaylor]

Interesting thread.

 

[TrueLight]

This past August, our Holy Father Pope Benedict spoke on St Dominic’s nine ways of prayer.

From CNA

On the Feast of St. Dominic, Pope Benedict XVI praised the founder of the Order of Preachers as “a man of prayer, in love with God” whose nine ways of prayer are an example for Christians’ daily life.

St. Dominic, the Pope said, united the proclamation of the Gospel with “witness to a life of poverty.”

“In every moment, prayer was the force that renewed and rendered fruitful his apostolic works,” the Pope said Aug. 8 at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

Prayer is the “origin of witnessing to the faith” in every aspect of life, he continued. The Pope stressed the need to find moments “to pray quietly everyday for our spiritual life,” particularly during vacations.

Daily prayer, he said, is “a way to help those who are near to us to enter into the luminous rays of the presence of God, who brings the peace and love that we all need.”

The Pope said St. Dominic showed great sociability during the day, but also showed great diligence in prayer at night. This practice reveals the saint’s “harmonious integration” of contemplation and apostolic work.

Pope Benedict then turned his attention to the saint’s nine ways of prayer.

St. Dominic prayed standing, while bowing to express humility, and while lying prostrate on the ground to ask forgiveness for his sins. He prayed on his knees in penance to “participate in the sufferings of the Lord.” He prayed with his arms open while gazing at the crucifix to contemplate God’s “supreme love.”

The Pope particularly lingered on St. Dominic’s final two ways of prayer: personal mediation and prayer while traveling.

In personal mediation, prayer acquires “a more intimate, fervent and soothing dimension.” After the Liturgy of the Hours and the celebration of Mass, St. Dominic “prolonged his conversation with God.”

“He lived these moments of his relationship with God so intensely that his reactions of joy or tears were outwardly perceptible,” the Pope said. Witnesses reported that the saint would enter “a sort of ecstasy” after which he would resume his daily work “recharged by the power that comes on High.”

St. Dominic’s prayer while traveling allowed him to “contemplate the beauty of creation” and sometimes caused him to sing a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God.

The saint especially praised God for what Pope Benedict described as “the greatest wonder of all: the redemption accomplished by Christ.”

How I would love to be described as a “woman of prayer - in love with God”.

I have been thinking about that a lot lately.

To be described as a person of prayer in love with God means:

• You can’t be involved in all types of conversations (aka gossip)
• You have to guard your prayer life jealously. There is a time for fun and relaxation, but you have to keep your appt with God.
• You have to yearn to be with God. I can’t imagine looking forward to going home so that I can pray.

Can anyone think of any other ways of getting to the point of being “a person of prayer - in love with God”?

 

[TrueLight]

I get a publication that lists the Dominican Saints feast days for the month, so I just thought I’d post the feast days for this week (for those who are interested).

10/3 Bl. Dominic Spadafora (1450‐1521)

10/4 - OUR HOLY FATHER FRANCIS OF ASSISI (1182‐1226)

10/5 - Bl. Raymond of Capua (c.1330‐1399)

10/6 - Bl. Bartolo Longo (1841‐1926)

10/7 - OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

10/8 - Bl. Ambrose Sansedoni

Blessed Bartolo Longo apparently was an ex priest of Satan. Whoah!

Bartolo Longo was born into a wealthy family on February 10, 1841 in the small town of Latiano, near Brindisi, in southern Italy. His parents were devout Roman Catholics and taught him to pray the Rosary daily.

In 1851 Longo’s mother died and he slowly began to drift from his childhood faith. As a young man he attended the University of Naples and became involved with a movement that led him into a Satanist cult. After some study and several “spiritual” experiences Longo was ordained as a satanic priest.[1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolo_Longo”]More…

The Saints’ lives are so interesting aren’t they?

 

[choliks]

Here’s my little contribution to this interesting thread. I don’t know if this has been posted before.

EWTN Live: Dominican Life

I pray we all get something from it.

 

[TrueLight]

Wow. This is great! Thanks so much for posting it. I’m listening to it now and here are some pearls I have gleaned so far…

“As Dominicans we are called to pursue truth.”

“A lot of the men are coming to us because they understand there is a great need to understand the faith.”

“The goal and the endpoint is to preach the Gospel for the salvation of souls”.

“Study is not always easy. For the Dominican his desk is also his cross.”

"In studying we can also contribute by uniting our study to the sacrifice of the Lord to the Salvation of the Lord. "

“In seeking truth everywhere, you inevitably are seeking God.”

Love these quotes.

 

[TrueLight]

Happy Feast Day St Louis Bertrand!

More on St Louis Bertrand

 

[choliks]

Wow. This is great! Thanks so much for posting it. I’m listening to it now and here are some pearls I have gleaned so far…

Love these quotes.

You’re always welcome, TL.

 

[TrueLight]

All Souls Day Mass According to the Traditional Dominican Rite.

All Souls Day, November 2nd, 7 P.M., St Catherine of Siena, New York, NY. There will be a Missa Cantata of the Dominican Rite. Pray for all the faithful departed as Saint Catherine’s celebrates the Feast of All Souls with a Sung Requiem Mass in the Dominican Rite. The Schola Dominicana will chant the Dominican Requiem and present William Harris’s “Bring Us, O Lord,” and John Taverner’s “Funeral Ikos.”

 

[TrueLight]

So I noticed in other threads there is a lot of discussion of the New Evangelization and the role of the laity in evangelizing.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the Lay Dominicans and one thing I’ve noticed is that there seems to be a really distinct call for lay people to share their faith and to take action.

St Catherine of Siena, who was a third order Dominican, took action.

So when we see a need in a parish, maybe we should also take action by proposing solutions instead of complaining.

 

[catholicanne]

All Souls Day Mass According to the Traditional Dominican Rite.

All Souls Day, November 2nd, 7 P.M., St Catherine of Siena, New York, NY. There will be a Missa Cantata of the Dominican Rite. Pray for all the faithful departed as Saint Catherine’s celebrates the Feast of All Souls with a Sung Requiem Mass in the Dominican Rite. The Schola Dominicana will chant the Dominican Requiem and present William Harris’s “Bring Us, O Lord,” and John Taverner’s “Funeral Ikos.”

My church is also doing this for All Souls Day. It will be the first time I attend this kind of mass and I’m really excited.