Jn 14, 23-29: “Do not let your heart be troubled, or afraid… I’ll be with you alwaysâ€
My dear Brother and Sisters, Friends. We Dominicans: Nuns, Sisters, Lay members of the Dominican Family and Brothers, promise to live everyday depending on God’s mercy and the mercy of the other members of the Community. As a poor mother begs the food to be able to feed her children, so we, preachers, have to beg for the Word of God, to be able to love Him more, and to feed our fellow men and women with it. How could we preach if we have not begged along the ways of this world the food of God’s Word?
Begging the Good News of the Gospel with the “soul of a poor†is the starting point for all true preaching, so seriously and urgently needed today. Thanks to his contemplative experience, Dominic de Guzmán, our founder, knew well that it was not possible “to speak about God†without first “speaking with Godâ€. It is not possible to preach without first receiving the Word of life as a gratuitous gift from God.
Some years ago, a close friend of mine, also Dominican, told me an anecdote in which he was involved, when still a young priest, in Guatemala: he was assigned to preside, early morning, the daily Eucharist for the people of a nearby village. On the way to the Church he used to pass near by the humble house of an elderly man, whom he found daily seating at the entrance of his house, with the Bible open on his knees. After a few days, my friend thought of approaching him and greet him in a more personal manner. “Good morning, Sirâ€, he greeted, “I’m fr. Ricardo and I see that you read the Bible every day. What are you reading today?â€. “Good morning to you, too, ‘Padrecito’†(affectionate way to address the priest), the aged man said. “I am Rubén Wamán, at your service!†“Look, ‘Padrecito’, it so happens, that I do not know how to read. But every day I ask “mi Diosito†–dearest God- for a Word for me and, already for many years, He has never failed me; everyday He gives me one word to mediate during the dayâ€â€¦ That was his main food, and his grace.
On another occasion, and in a different place, I attended an exhibition of pictures regarding the poor children of that nation: orphan, abandoned children, boys and girls of the street, soldier boys and victims of war, etc. I was particularly impressed by a young boy holding the picture –in black and white- of himself, at the foot which this legend could be read: “They know that I exist, but nobody sees me!â€
It is really painful what is happening in our present, tortured world, sometimes just in front of our own eyes. One is tempted to say, that it is better to have a heart of stone. And yet we know that it is not enough to limit ourselves to hear and see those places of suffering, and pass by as tourists of the crucifixion of the world. These are the places where theology should be made. It is in these places of Calvary where God can be found and a word of hope can be discovered… (T. Radcliffe, O.P.)
Unfortunately, similar anecdotes can be found almost anywhere. And somehow, we feel incapable of doing anything relevant, to make this our world more human, not to say more fraternal, as it is God’s will.
In today’s gospel, Jesus in his Farewell discourse, clearly states that, despite their being afraid to be left without their Teacher, they will not feel his absence: they will not be left alone, “I will come back to you…†Not only that, repeatedly Jesus tells them that they may count on his “Holy Spiritâ€, who will: a) teach them everything, b) make them remember everything that He had told them, c)tell them not to be worried or upset; not to be afraid d) defend them in the future from confusion and cowardice, e) give them peace: not just as a mere desire, but as a gift for them to keep; not as the world does, but as God does. If they obey, guided by the Spirit, keeping His Words, they will know peace, His peace.
And we should never forget, that to be a preacher of peace, an instrument of God’s peace, we need first to pacify our own heart, where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit want to dwell.
My dear Brothers and Sisters: Here, in front of you, we have some young ladies, who for already more than one year and a half, and always accompanied by Sister Malou Blanca, O.P., have been considering to join the lay branch of our Dominican Family, to share in our mission of preaching Jesus’ Word to this our world of today; mixed in the middle of the people, like the yeast in the dough, to be real witnesses of the Lord with their way of life – for after all, what really preaches is our life!-, and their joy, wanting to know more and more about Him every day, and living not only to love Him more, but within their own possibilities, also to share that love with their fellow sisters and brothers. Definitely, they have rejected the idea of the heart of stone, willing to dedicate their lives to the joyful and affectionate task of announcing the Good News brought about by Jesus with His promise of remaining, in His own way, with us until the end of time. That is the alternative of Jesus: a heart of compassion and tenderness; of salvation.
In a few more minutes, they will ask to join the 800 year old, yet- always-young, Dominican Family, thus adding the thousands of Lay Dominicans spread throughout the world. They are already much involved in pastoral work, catechetical instruction, etc. Now they will do their best to fortify the Community dimension of the Christian faith, sharing somehow in the life and mission of the whole Dominican Family, in their secular commitment with the Gospel.
In their name I beg you to say a little prayer to the Lord for them, so that their new experience of life, about to be started, become a radiant reality, and they may contribute to give much glory to the Good Lord, and bring peace and hope to our world.
José Luis de Miguel, OP
Macau, May 1, 2016