Feast Of St. Dominic Our Patron Saint August 11, 2024

Readings: 1Kings 19.4-8, Ephesians 4.30-5.2,Mathew 5.14-16

St. Dominic was born about 1175 in Spain, Dominic hailed from the illustrious Guzman family. First he was Cannon regular at Osma, then he founded the Dominican Order. He challenged the doom and gloom preaching of the Albigensians who saw all creation as evil, who took all joy away from this life. Dominic preached with his life. We refer to Dominic as the “Light of the Church.” But what is so special about him is that he knew he himself wasn’t the light. He was the reflector of the light. It wasn’t about Dominic, it was about Christ. He lived today’s Gospel – “your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Dominic left us very little in instruction or in written form. His aim was to point us to God.

So when we recognize that we are the light of the world – we know it’s not about us. We shine when Christ shines through us. Now, even though the Gospel says you don’t take a bushel basket and place it on a lamp, sometimes we do. Sometimes we let that light of hope and Good News go dim or we cover it – though our own weaknesses, discouragement, over busyness, or relying only on ourselves. At times, we find it hard to continue as witnesses of good news when there is so much bad news.

But that’s why we are together. When Jesus says, “You are the light of the world,” he isn’t talking to one person. He is talking to his closest followers, and that’s us. We, together, are the light of the world. We support each other as brothers and sisters and we reach beyond ourselves to support and encourage others. We join our little flames and keep each other’s burning.

We are all called to shine – to take off any bushel basket that might be dimming our light. On this Feast of St. Dominic we ask his intercession to help us be the Holy Preaching, to be true disciples who bring hope and Good News to our world.

DOMINIC PRAY FOR US.