Dominic de Guzman:
Joyful Friar
When
Dominic de Guzman (1170 -1221) founded the Order of
Preachers, or Dominicans,
at the beginning of the 13th century the world he knew
was in turmoil. Europe's agrarian population was shifting
to urban centers, creating waves of change that affected
all of life, including econmoic and social relations,
poititics and religion. Universities established in
these new urban centers were attractiving the interest
of the new generation and the attention of Dominic as
well.
The passion of Dominic's life became
the centerpiece of his way of life -- to
preach the gospel wherever its good news needed to be
heard. He created the vision of an itinerant
Order that would go wherever people needed to hear the
good news. He also believed that for this preaching
to be authentic the preachers needed the support of
a communal life where they could pursue constant
prayer and a mendicant life, begging for the
needs of the community and for the words needed for
preaching. Dominic believed this gathering itself would
be a holy preaching. In every generation since then
others have followed this same path and it is in this
sense that Dominic's charism is a living tradition.
According to the tradition that
has been passed on from those who knew Dominic, he was
a joyful friar. Wherever he
went, he conveyed an enthusiasm for the gospel. People
found this inviting because it offered them hope. Dominic
shared his intense desire to know God more deeply, and
his own devotion to prayer and study gave witness to
this.
Source: excerpt from Dominic's charism, Dominican
Foundations series.
|
A charism is a gift of
God's Spirit given to some for the sake of others. |