Today, on the Memorial of Saint Dominic, we remember a man who was not only a gifted preacher but also a visionary founder of a religious order that would forever change the course of Church history. Born in Caleruega, Spain, around 1170, Dominic de Guzmán was a man of prayer, learning, and deep compassion for the salvation of souls. He lived during a time when the Church faced confusion, heresy, and spiritual indifference, yet he saw clearly that the answer was not condemnation but a renewed proclamation of the Gospel. Dominic recognized the need for a new kind of evangelization—one that united deep theological knowledge with apostolic zeal, a preaching rooted in both truth and love. In response, he founded the Order of Preachers, known today as the Dominicans, with the mission of proclaiming the Gospel through preaching, rigorous study, and a life marked by poverty, prayer, and fraternity.
One of the most striking and inspiring aspects of Saint Dominic’s life was his friendship with Saint Francis of Assisi. Though their paths to holiness were different—Dominic through the pulpit and the schools, Francis through poverty and the embrace of the poor—they were bound by a shared and burning love for Christ and a deep desire to renew the Church from within. This spiritual kinship laid the foundation for a remarkable bond between their two communities—the Dominicans and the Franciscans—a relationship that has endured for over eight centuries. It was never a rivalry, but a partnership in the Gospel: each bringing different gifts, yet serving the same mission. Even today, Dominican and Franciscan friars often stand side by side in parishes, academic halls, and mission fields, carrying forward that alliance forged in humility, mutual respect, and love.
Today’s readings remind us that the heart of the Gospel is not in human eloquence or worldly power, but in the mystery of Christ crucified. Saint Paul’s words in the First Letter to the Corinthians echo the spirit of Dominic’s vocation: “We preach Christ crucified.” For Dominic, preaching was never simply a matter of delivering a sermon; it was about making Christ known in every possible way—through word, through scholarship, through personal witness, and through the holiness of life itself. His preaching was a work of love, aimed at opening hearts to the truth that sets us free.
As we continue our own mission of proclaiming the Word—whether in pulpits, in classrooms, or through the modern tools of digital media—we are walking in the footsteps of Saint Dominic. He understood that preaching is not a task to be checked off, but a way of life, a vocation that flows from a heart in love with God. It is a calling to bring others into the beauty, the wisdom, and the transforming power of the Gospel.
Let us, then, like Saint Dominic, take seriously the call of Christ in today’s Gospel—to follow without hesitation, to proclaim without compromise, and to live always in the light of the One who has nowhere to lay his head, yet dwells in every heart that longs for the Kingdom. And may our Dominican brothers and sisters, with their love for truth and clarity of teaching, continue to inspire us to live and preach with courage, humility, and joy. Amen.
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