Dominican Spirituality: The Charism According to Sean

A little over two weeks ago, I was able to speak as a member of the Young Dominican Mission Team, at Ohio Dominican University.  My portion of the talk was about the Dominican charism and spirituality.  In learning about this spirituality, I narrowed it down to a few topics.  Below, I would like to explain these topics as I know them and, sometimes, give a little bit of my personal experiences with these aspects of the Dominican spirituality. (If you see something incorrect or would like to expand upon a topic, please feel free to leave a comment!)

The Four Pillars

Dominican spirituality revolves around four pillars: community, prayer, study, and preaching/mission.  Many other words could be used as well, but I have most frequently heard these used.  These pillars are intertwined.  You can’t remove one of these pillars because, just like a building supported by physical pillars, the Dominican spirituality could not continue to be supported.

Community

Sisters, nuns, and friars all live in communities.  The sharing of community allows Dominicans to share their lives and have a support network that is very strong.

When I first was introduced to the Dominican order and spirituality, this pillar immediately grabbed me.  I was welcomed in with such love and respect.  I was recognized for the talents and skills that I could add to the community.  I felt like I missed out on that community at my home parish throughout my childhood.  I never found my niche.  But once I started spending time with young adults in the Dominican Preaching in Action conference, I felt like I found my place in church.  This is what ultimately led my friends and I to start Dominican Young Adults, USA.  We wanted to continue our newfound community of likeminded individuals in the Dominican tradition.

Now that I am living in an intentional community, living with two fellow Dominican Volunteers, and sharing community with a former Dominican Volunteer, Lisa, the Dominican friars who live upstairs, Fr. Brendan, Fr. Matt, and Fr. Chuck, the Dominican sisters of Springfield, Sr Pat, Sr. Judine, Sr. Judy, and Sr. Beverly, and soon the friars who live across the street in the priory, I am learning the joys of this pillar.  I have such a support network and I can contribute to my community.

Study

Dominicans feel that we must study to gain the knowledge that will bring us closer to the truth.  This is both in the sense of secular and religious knowledge.  This also refers to studying about issues of injustice and oppression. 

Always having done well in school, this pillar made a lot of sense to me.  However, I realize that I need to learn more.  I WANT to learn more (see last post).  But I realize that I will continue to learn throughout my life.  I especially look fondly on the learning I am experiencing as part of this Dominican Volunteer journey. 

Preaching/Mission

“Preach at all times, when necessary use words.” ~St. Francis of Assisi

Dominicans are called upon (actually all Catholics, by baptism, are called upon) to preach the good news of the gospel.  We must share the good news with our brothers and sisters here on Earth.  Many of us think of preaching as preaching from the pulpit.  However, we can preach through all our actions, through art, music, athletics, dance, etc.  We preach in so many ways.  If we live out our lives following Christ, we are preaching to others. 

Many Dominicans are involved in mission work.  This involves working with and for the poor and marginalized, the outcast, those in formation of or lacking in faith, and so many other good works.  When we enter into mission work, we are living out the gospel values and preaching the good news.

I am so blessed to be able to volunteer at St. Pius V School.  Volunteering has allowed me to learn so much about teaching, technology in schools, and the Hispanic culture (99% of the students were Hispanic in 07-08, not sure what the current stats are).  Also, being able to teach in a Catholic school has allowed me to share my religious background and knowledge with the students.  I love the additional aspect of prayer in the classroom and I feel that it attributes to the wonderful atmosphere of the school.  I enjoy being a positive role model for my students and being able to reach out to those students who need help academically, emotionally, or spiritually. 

Prayer

Prayer is key to Dominicans.  While this may be a big “duh!” to people, the close personal relationship to God was very important to St. Dominic.  Known as a man of very few words and an intensely devout relationship with God, St. Dominic developed nine whole body prayer positions.  These were recorded and shared with the world. 

This is a pillar that I am working very hard on this year.  Personal prayer is something that I struggle with.  Whether it is the excuse of not having enough time or not knowing what to do, I often neglect prayer unless it is in a spiritual setting, such as church or retreat or a prayer service.  Thanks to the sisters, I have been able to use “Give Us This Day” which chronicles the daily mass readings, prayers, and a morning and evening prayer service.  It also features saints and other important people in faith as well daily reflections on scripture.  Incorporating this prayer is easy and helps me keep in touch with my personal relationship with God. 

To Praise, to Bless, to Preach

I always feel so scholarly when I can recite laudare, benedicere, praedicare in Latin.  But being able to praise, to bless, and to preach is at the heart of being Dominican. 

Truth

Veritas (see I love Latin)!  Dominicans love being able to learn about the truth.  St. Thomas Aquinas emphasized throughout his studies the importance of finding the truth.  During St. Dominic’s time, there were many heretics called Albigenses, who believed that the body was evil (among other beliefs).  St. Dominic and his followers had conversations with these heretics trying to get them to see how what they believed was straying from the truth of the church.

Contemplate and Share the Fruits of Your Contemplation

I am too lazy to look up the Latin words for this.  The Dominicans believe that we must be willing to contemplate.  We must think, pray, study, and allow ourselves to be open and let God in.  But we can’t just stop there; we have to share the fruits of that contemplation.

As I am living in community, I am continuing to see the wonderfulness of contemplation and the ability of my roommates and I being able to share in those fruits of contemplation.  I believe that the ability to see other people’s points of view on subjects, dilemmas, and issues allow us to come closer to the truth. 

Preach the Signs of the Times

Dominicans believe that we must preach the signs of the times.  We must keep the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other hand.  The oppression and the injustices that happen in our world today must be addressed and intertwined with the gospel. 

In my own life, I constantly struggle with this.  This is what I loved about the campus minister at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sr. Madeleine Murphy, O.P.  In her reflections on the gospel at mass, she would constantly tie her preaching of the gospel into everyday college experiences.  I always try to take the gospel and figure out how it applies to my life.

Bartolomé de las Casas, O.P. spoke out against the mistreatment of the native peoples during the Spanish colonization of the New World.  He and his fellow Dominican friars looked to the gospels and preached a famous sermon about the mistreatment of these peoples.  They are said to have preached:

“Tell me by what right of justice do you hold these Indians in such a cruel and horrible servitude? On what authority have you waged such detestable wars against these people who dealt quietly and peacefully on their own lands? Wars in which you have destroyed such an infinite number of them by homicides and slaughters never heard of before. Why do you keep them so oppressed and exhausted, without giving them enough to eat or curing them of the sicknesses they incur from the excessive labor you give them, and they die, or rather you kill them, in order to extract and acquire gold every day.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomé_de_las_Casas)

The Holy Rosary

Thanks to the wonderfulness of my roommate and fellow volunteer, Stephanie, I was able to re-learn how to pray the rosary.  I don’t remember being formally taught the rosary (though I’m sure they covered it in religious ed.) and I most certainly don’t remember learning about the mysteries.  Previous to this new knowledge, I had always wondered what would be so appealing about praying the same prayers over and over again. I can now see that repetition can lead to this meditative state where you can think about the mysteries or anything else prayerful. 

I still think I prefer other types of prayer, but I am definitely more willing to do the rosary than I was before.

I knew that the Dominicans focused on the rosary, but I didn’t necessarily know why.  While studying a bit of the Dominican Order’s history on Wikipedia, I came across a very interesting part of the article:

“Histories of the Holy Rosary often attribute its origin to Saint Dominic himself through the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady of the Rosary is the title received by the Marian apparition to Saint Dominic in 1208 in the church of Prouille in which the Virgin Mary gave the Rosary to him. For centuries, Dominicans have been instrumental in spreading the rosary and emphasizing the Catholic belief in the power of the rosary.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Order#Rosary)

Wow.  I had no idea.

A Dominican Journey

Throughout my life journey, I am slowly seeing a parallel Dominican journey that I have embarked upon.  My Dominican journey is responsible for my renewal in faith and my continuing spiritual development and I know I am not even close to the end destination – which excites me so much!

Still learning...

26 days since my last entry?! Gosh... sorry.

I feel like I am still learning a lot.

I had an early interest in learning.  I remember really wanting to learn how to read and that sense of accomplishment when I read my first book: "The Foot Book" by Dr. Seuss. I remember finding a fourth grade text book when I was in third grade and challenging myself to complete all the chapters in the book just for fun.

However, I feel like there was a lot of learning because I had to learn.  I was expected to learn and not wanting to disappoint, I did.  I did well in high school to get to college.  I did well in college to get to grad school.  I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, so I went through the motions.  Now don't get me wrong, I learned a lot as a result of all this education.  But I still remember struggling through picking a grad program and landing on something that truly interested me: Education Technology.

For the first time in a long time, I was learning what I wanted to learn.  My one professor exposed us to a myriad of topics, allowing us to explore on our own, pursuing those topics that interested us the most.  One day I stepped aside.  I was floored at how much I was absorbing, all because I really wanted to learn!

I feel like this year, for the first time, I am learning about Catholicism.  I am learning about spirituality.  I am doing so because I am on my own terms.  I have come to a point in my life where I can take the time and learn.  I'm learning how to bring personal prayer into my life.  I am learning more about my religion and the Dominican spirituality.  I am learning how to keep the Gospel alive in my work, in my community life, in my study, and in my life.  And I still have SO much more to learn.

I learn so much every day from my ministry site.  I am finally a teacher.  I am learning how to maintain my effectiveness as an educator.  I am learning because I want to learn.  I signed up for a number of professional development workshops.  I am reading blogs about technological topics and learning how I can apply them to my teaching.  I took online classes on how to use the Promethean boards and the little gadgets that go with them.  I am learning what I have to teach. I am learning how to teach technology/computers, how to be a resource room teacher, how to teach Early Education and Kindergarten and 7th and 8th grade.  I am learning how to teach enrichment.  All skills I didn't learn in school, but am learning through doing.  This volunteer work is shaping up to be a transformative experience.

Everyday I am learning something new.  Not just something.  Many things.  Every day I learn so many things - how to cook, how to get from point A to point B in Chicago, how to promote peace, how to live more simply, how to be environmentally friendly, how to brighten someone's day, how to say something new in Spanish, and so much more.  All of these life lessons are invaluable. And I wouldn't trade them for the world.