St. Dominic and the Dominican Laity

St. Dominic and the Dominican Laity
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegone.com – Solemnity of St. Dominic – Sunday, August 8, 2010

St. Dominic was the founder of the Dominican Order. He was patient, loved everyone, and was an amazing saint. He talked to God and talked about God. He lived the life of prayer, study, community and mission. These became the four pillars of the Dominican Laity; to build up each one’s spirituality.

“About 800 years ago, a poisonous heresy arose in southern France. Left unchecked, it could have threatened the very existence of the human race. Its adherents saw the human body as a prison for the soul, and thus adopted an anti-life philosophy. They forbade procreation, applauded divorce, and openly encouraged suicide.

“The Church called these beliefs Albigensianism.

“Seeking good men to fight the Albigensian heresy, Pope Honorius III approved the founding of the Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. St. Dominic and his preachers (including St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Albert the Great) rose to the Pope’s challenge, using Truth (Veritas) to blot out heresy. They did their job so well that, nowadays, you’ll never meet an Albigensian.

“Yet, with God’s grace – and your support – I believe we will prevail once again… Answering the Call to Arms … from Pope Benedict XVI: “What is this latest, most ferocious attack on Christian truth and morality? Pope Benedict XVI calls it the Dictatorship of Relativism. Relativism is the “universal heresy” because it dissolves all truth and eliminates all categories of good and evil. This deranges the mind and morals of modern man to a dangerous – indeed frightening – degree.

“For example, relativism not only dictates that abortion is merely a personal choice, but also dictates that the government must guarantee the “right’ to this choice. This warped philosophy leads to evil schemes such as the Freedom of Choice Act – which, in a cruel irony, could eliminate the choice of doctors and nurses not to participate in abortions.

“Relativism can also cause people to take a good thing – such as holy matrimony – and tamper with its very definition to fulfill their own selfish purposes. Relativism is profoundly irrational – anything that denies objective truth denies reason. Despite this, modern relativistic man thinks of himself as supremely rational. But that is a good thing… And our advantage. I won’t go so far as to say we Dominicans invented rational discourse, … our order’s great saint and master – St. Thomas Aquinas – perfected it… we introduce students to the thinking of St. Thomas Aquinas and teach them to relate it to the perennial challenges of maintaining the faith in a secular culture…” Dominican Foundation – Dominican Friars - Province of St. Joseph – New York, N.Y. 800-850-5228 – www.Op-ST.JOSEPH.ORG

Learn about the Dominican Laity at our Day of Recollection: Incarnation and Saint Dominic – Guest Speaker – Fr. Antoninus Wall, OP – Saturday, August 21st, 2010 – 12 noon to 4:30pm followed by 5:30pm Mass – Cost is free - Small lunch provided – Saint Joachim Church Annex (across the street from the Church on Orange Ave.) 1964 Orange Ave., Costa Mesa, Ca. 92627 – info – (949)-574-7400

In Saint Dominic, George H. Kubeck OPL