 Saint Dominic
Preaching the Gospel in Europe
What kind of Europe was Dominic born into? By the end of the twelfth century, it
was a Europe that had made considerable economic, civil and political progress.
Ecclesiastical revival of spiritual and institutional health had been accompanied
by developments in scholarship, science and the arts. The Church had re-established
her authority under the pragmatic and wise leadership of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216)
who took rulers to task if they dared interfere in clerical appointments for political
advantage, and is remembered by the English for releasing them form their allegiance
to King John. However, such advantages had not yet helped the Faith of those who
now dwelt in expanding towns and cities. The parish system was largely rural, and
parish priests had difficulty in taking adequate care of the urban, often impoverished
laity. Into such a world God sent the Friars who followed two remarkable men in
changing the face of mediaeval Christianity.
Francis and Dominic
In Italy, the layman Francis of Assisi saw a need for preachers and, with apostolic
zeal, preached penance and the wonder of Christ’s saving mercy, calling on all to
turn away from sin to praise, love and serve God. The ordained and learned Dominic
in Spain had the wide vision of an organised religious order that would announce
the mysteries of God’s Kingdom, answer Our Lord’s call to make disciples of all
nations, teach them to observe his commands, reveal the truths of the Faith, and
correct departures from that truth. Both men gathered followers to preach the Gospel
in the highways and byways, care for the poor and oppressed, develop the homily
as a parochial feature, call people to follow Christ, teach them the Christian Faith,
and combat heresy. Their Friars described themselves as mendicant because they owned
nothing, relied on alms for their subsistence, and accepted the most basic place
to sleep.
The Franciscans and Dominicans won the confirmation of the Holy See in 1210 and
1216 respectively. They cherished poverty in a search for spiritual riches that
outshines preoccupation with earthly goods, and dedicated their lives to Christ
who advised taking “nothing for the journey, neither staff nor haversack, nor bread,
nor money, nor even a spare coat and footwear.” Like the monks, they were devoted
to liturgical worship, but their separation from the world differed from that of
the monastery as they combined contemplation with social activity. To the Orders
of Friars, Pope Innocent IV added the Carmelites in 1245, and Pope Alexander IV
the Augustinian Hermits in 1245, so that Chaucer, in his Prologue to the Canterbury
Tales, around 1390, can speak of “alle the orders foure.”
How the Orders were organised
The founders of the monastic orders had taken it for granted that each monastery
would be independent under the direction and the care of the Abbot. Francis had
no particular organisation structure in mind for his followers, and Dominic founded
a “Religious Order” in the way that description is now understood. He adopted the
Rule of Saint Augustine that could be modified without neglecting the fundamental
commitment to poverty, prayer and study.
In time, the First Order of priests and brothers, extended into a Second Order of
contemplative nuns, and a Third Order Regular of conventual sisters who teach, nurse
and serve in domestic and foreign missions. There is also a Third Order Secular
for diocesan priests and members of the laity who practice a modified Rule of evangelical
life compatible with their responsibilities.
Importance of learning
Dominic believed his Friars should be scholars versed in the Scriptures and writings
of the early Fathers of the Church so that they could bring the Faith to others
and correct the departures from orthodoxy that imperil members of Christ’s Body.
His evangelization was less by moral exhortation and denunciation than by a cultured
interpretation of the truths of the Faith, the exposition of Christian doctrine,
and an accurate explanation of the Catechism. Cardinal Newman observed that as Benedict
is the symbol of the retreat of learning into the desert, Dominic is the symbol
of its return.
His Friars enjoyed the patronage of successive Popes who valued their ministry in
towns and cities as preachers, confessors, and energetic spiritual directors with
doctrinal knowledge and pastoral skills to help the pastoral clergy. The people
noticed that they were faithful to their vows, did not expect tithes or rents, and
as mendicants were dependent on alms. Enthusiastic crowds came to hear them preach,
and bishops gave the support that renewed religious practice and attracted a steady
flow of aspirants to the Order from all levels of society. Some secular clergy even
resigned their livings to join them, though some others begrudged the popularity
of the well-educated rivals.
The destitution of the first Friars was extreme and heroic, but scholars need manuscripts,
writing materials, and tolerable places in which to work. Gradually, warmer clothing,
adequate food and accommodation were introduced as common-sense necessities. The
Friars became renowned teachers in the universities of Europe, and achieved eminence
in the flowering of theology and philosophy. The Dominican Thomas Aquinas, was the
“Doctor Communis”, the “master of all”, the greatest thinker and theologian of his
and succeeding generations, universally acknowledged as the norm of orthodoxy. Dominic
wanted to experience the truth of God’s Word and share with others the news of His
universal and constant love and compassion for all His people. He was convinced
that he was called to evangelise by his presence in the world and by living a life
that reflects the goodness of the Creator. He founded an Order that is truly Apostolic
in its emulation of Our Lord who went about the land on foot, preaching to the people,
making time for them, being available to His disciples, and gathering disciples
to take the Good News to the corners of the earth. Like the Son of Man who had nowhere
to lay His head, he relied on the kindness of others for survival and, in confronting
the Albigensian theory that God is not yet in total control, he was at one with
Isaiah: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of one who brings good news,
who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation, and tells Sion, ‘Your
God is King’” (Is. 52:7-8)
The word you are to preach
Dominic took to heart what Saint Paul said about “a variety of gifts and the particular
way in which the Spirit is given to each person. One may have the gift of preaching
with wisdom given by the Spirit; another may have the gift of preaching instruction
given by the Spirit” (I Cor 12:4-11). He walked Europe’s often inhospitable and
perilous paths to preach the Gospel and combat heresy with heroic courage and unwavering
certainty. He urged all his brethren to “Go without anxiety, because the Lord will
give you the word you are to preach, and He will be with you so that you will lack
nothing.” His last words to them were that he would be more useful after his death
than when alive. We can be sure that, from his place in heaven, he continues to
offer loving and powerful friendship to those who proclaim the Good News of the
Kingdom by the way they live, to those given the specific mission to preach the
Gospel, and to all who counter contemporary secular undermining of the Christian
Faith, or reverse self-inflicted dilution of its teaching. When Gospel values and
traditions engendered by Christianity come under siege from secular morality, or
state legislation seeks to overrule conscience, Saint Dominic will intercede for
us and be our eager guide.
Saint Dominic, pray for us.
J. B. Midgley.
Downham Market, Lent 2007
© The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society
Reproduced with permission
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