DOMINI CANES (From Latin:Dogs of the Lord)

A Gospel Reflection for August 7, 2014

Matthew 16: 13-23

An art by Augusta Curelli

“ ‘But you, who so you say that I am?’ Peter answered,

‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.’ ”

-Mt. 16: 15-16

“Do not weep my children.

I shall be more use to you where I am going than I ever did in life.”

-St. Dominic de Guzman

These were the words of our Holy Father Dominic before he laid to rest. He was majestic, brilliant, joyful and humble even to his last breath. But who is really St. Dominic in our lives today as preachers of the Word of God?

I can remember the days when my batch mates and I were still aspirants and we had this subject “Saint Dominic and His Times” by Marie-Humbert Vicaire. It was a thick book composed of more than 20 chapters and you barely see photos between the pages. We consider it as the most effective “sleeping pill” of all time. It is a must for us to read it chapter-by-chapter or else we won’t be able to answer our professor’s quizzes. It may just be an elective course but it has been a blessing because I was able to know our founder better.

Saint Dominic is a man of great virtue and zeal to the Gospel. His missionary spirit lifted up the self-esteem of the brothers of the Order of Preachers as he inspired them in his way of life even to this day. We can relate Saint Dominic to St. Peter whom Christ had chosen to be the “Rock” from where He will build His Church (Mt 13:18). Saint Dominic was born at the time when the Church was coming near to its great fall because of the Albigensian heresy spreading all over Europe. It was a very big challenge for him to enlighten people who seem to be closing their minds to the Truth. But his preaching was a very big gift to the Church because as St. Peter who became the “Rock”, Saint Dominic who saw the Church being divided came as the “Rebuilder”.

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in Heaven.” (Mt 13: 19) would not only speak about the sinners who do not repent or reconcile with God but would also speak about the Truth which we must unravel or proclaim instead of being hidden or being bounded. During the vocation promotions or recruitment of brothers aspiring to enter as Dominicans, they would be told about the Four Pillars of Dominican Life namely: Prayer, Study, Community and Apostolate. All these four are interrelated to one another. Taking one away would distort our understanding of the Truth that we are here in the Dominican Order praying together as one community composed of brothers who journey with us in our apostolic missions by yearning, studying, discovering the Truth for the salvation of the souls of God’s people. [All rights reserved! I’m proud that the Holy Spirit is guiding me proclaim. Thank you, Father Dominic for your prayers!]

There are interesting stories about Saint Dominic. First, is his journey to different countries on foot to the point that he would even travel barefooted with calloused and wounded sole. And funny to know that considering that not wearing his shoes is his own penance, he would cry because he has to wear the pair during rainy seasons. His prayers are very much appreciated for the salvation of souls. He did not consider this as “an obstacle in his path” (Mt 13: 23) because he gave himself up to the will of God. We are also invited to give ourselves up to God’s will. Yes, it is easier said than done but God never forgets His promise that He told us “not to be afraid, for I, myself, will be with you.” Second, is selling his books for the victims of war in which case his companions in the monastery reprimanded him. But then he replied that he “cannot study on dead skins while living skins are dying.” As Dominicans, we are not required to do the same because we need the books for our studies for preaching but there is a clear message in this act of kindness which Saint Dominic showed to those people. He wanted his sons and daughters in the Order to treat their studies as leisure and mortification. That we study not for our own benefit but for the benefit of others. And last but not the least, is the conversion of the Cathar Perfect, a heretic, whom he engaged with in a whole-night debate. We, as preachers, are not expected to be able to win souls for the Catholic Church but to be able to win souls for the One True God. Saint Dominic, who was fasting and tired, did not give up on that man. So we must also never back out if by chance we won’t be able to “make the lame walk, the blind see or the deaf hear” (Mt 11: 5). Keep on persevering and love this vocation as instruments of the Gospel.

Domini Canes – The Dogs of the Lord. Indeed, that is our duty as Dominicans. Because the Shepherd must be accompanied by his dogs in leading the flock. We are God’s companions and heralds. Our Holy Father Dominic did so to bring the people out of darkness and with that he is known today as the “Light of the Church” and he did not betray us with his promise that he will be more use to us in Heaven than he ever did in this life.

Kapatid, who do people say you are? You are a “Dog of the Lord”. Let us journey together as Dominicans and go by the motto VERITAS!

O, That Beauty!

“There in their presence he was transfigured:

his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light.”

–Matthew 17: 2

“O, that beauty!” (Grabe! Angganda!) That word comes out of my mouth whenever I see the person who makes my heart beat faster and the temperature of my body higher. I know that I’m not alone; you also do. Am I right? But what more if we see before us the source of Beauty himself? It will be eye-popping expressions of “O, MY GOD!” for sure.

Of course it does not end there! We do our best to know the person better. It will start from smiling at each other, acquaintance, sharing of stories, revelation of interests, friendship, intimacy and once you know each other very well it will be up to you if you want to pursue that lovely lady or gentleman who was once a wallflower. Same goes to our friends and brothers. We dig deeper to discover who they really are as we listen to them and accept them.

The transfiguration of the Lord revealed his Divine Nature to His apostles Peter, James and John. Have you asked yourselves why there are only three out of the twelve? Aside from Jesus does not want to show a lot of people whom he knows will be surprised, it is because He chooses people who would open themselves up to witness this beatific vision. He knew these three very well and so he made them witnesses. For Christ, he knew that it’s time for them to see Him not in his human flesh but in his Glorified Body as God. “O, that beauty!” [Even if those apostles cannot fully comprehend.]

We can relate to the Lord’s transfiguration in our everyday lives as well. Have you realized how you are growing as a better and nicer person? Have you discovered talents or gifts which you’ve never expected that were in you? Have you seen Jesus in every person, both rich and poor, whom you rise up for just to serve them each day? If all these, you can say “yes”, you are friends with Jesus and are witnesses of the Transfiguration yourselves because you are changing. O, my God, that Beauty!

“If you, yourselves, have realized how you are growing as a better and nicer person, have discovered your core gifts that you never expected in you, and have seen Jesus in every person, both rich and poor, to whom you rise up for to serve each day, you are friends with Jesus and are witnesses of the Transfiguration yourselves because you are changing.

O, that Beauty!”

What I've Been Looking For

Is there something that you discovered in yourself lately? Something you did not expect that you’ll be able to do? At first you might find those extraordinary and far beyond your reach, talents, skills, abilities, you name them! I bet your absorbent mind when you were a child is still continuing its journey of leading you to your passion.

Art is my hobby as a kid. I would draw anything that catches my interest even until now. I do not practice it so much but it is a God-given talent which from birth I was able to appreciate. I have been trained as a public speaker under the tutelage of Aphrodite de Guzman. She’s so great and she made me perform on stage with bizarre facial expressions to merit myself a standing ovation. I was able to develop this talent in speaking and it became my training ground for preaching, catechizing and giving recollections to young people like me. But the most unforgettable thing that Aphrodite de Guzman taught me is how to seek my passion. As I was growing up with this teacher of mine, I always listened to her pieces of advice. Her wisdom can even surpass that of some theologians’. In fact, she told me that if she were a guy she would become a priest but she’s contented with her life right now and a very proud mother of three beautiful children. The Eureka moment of my life does not end in that story. My greatest achievement so far is that I found out that I can give love and give justice to others especially to the poor and the humble. Aphrodite must have handed down to me what she learned from her Rabbi, Jesus Christ.

My awards in my high school and college will be useless today if I did not find in the depths of my heart god’s greatest gift to us – LOVE. Yes, that is my passion, to give justice and love especially to the poor, the humble, the oppressed and the silenced. Although I am still guilty that I do not carry out that charity every time I am doing my best to show to my neighbors that God’s love dwells in the hearts of each and every one of us.

So lonely before, I finally found what I’ve been looking for.