“Thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times.” Produce workers and grocery shoppers alike repeatedly heard this hackneyed phrase during the COVID-19 pandemic. This phrase, along with the equally ubiquitous “challenging times,” was used to capture the overwhelming anxiety felt by many during the pandemic. Although the National Emergency Declaration for COVID-19 ended three months ago, causes for anxiety remain. There seems to be a general sense that challenging times are here to stay and that the future is uncertain at best. This fear of the future, when combined with global conflicts, political tensions within society, and stresses within one’s family, can be unsettling.
In the midst of confusion, Christ stands as our firm foundation. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). Christ spoke these words to his Apostles during the Last Supper. That same night, he ordained them priests to carry out his mission of sharing this stabilizing, other-worldly peace. Since that night, Christ’s priests have shared this peace with the world in every age—be they times with precedent or without.
One such priest the Church celebrates today: Saint Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers. He is a perfect saint for our unprecedented and challenging times. His spiritual joy and his radical trust in Divine Providence are two antidotes to our modern ailments of anxiety and fear of the future. St. Dominic stands as an example to achieve peace in unprecedented times.
To those overwhelmed by anxiety, St. Dominic proclaims: “Place your joy in the Lord!” St. Dominic, in spite of (or perhaps, as a result of) his many fasts and vigils, was universally characterized as joyful and friendly. He took to heart Saint Paul’s words to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always! . . . Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:4–7). St. Dominic’s joy was grounded in Christ. When faced by a failing papal mission to convert the Albigensians, he did not give in to despair or sadness. Instead, he confidently preached the truth of the goodness of God’s creation and the reality of God’s all-encompassing and interested love (see Matt 6:25–34). By the world’s standards, St. Dominic’s peace surpassed all understanding, and his confident joy was resultantly undisturbed.
To those who fear the future, St. Dominic proclaims: “Trust in Providence!” When his fledgling group of first followers were just beginning to settle into their convent in Prouille, he decided to send them throughout Europe to preach. Despite their hesitations, St. Dominic stood firm and trusted in God’s providential care for his order. St. Dominic knew the depth of God’s love and that he had a mission to preach it to the whole world. The dispersal of the brethren proved to be a remarkable success as his order grew rapidly and eventually spread throughout the world.
Both the example and the intercession of St. Dominic are needed just as much now as they were 800 years ago. Today, seven men will be clothed in the habit of St. Dominic for the Province of Saint Joseph, and in one week twelve others will make their simple profession. These men, with all the sons and daughters of St. Dominic throughout the world, give their lives to Christ to spread his saving truth to a world starving for it. Let us pray to St. Dominic for his Order, that all may preach, in times with precedence or without, the joy and peace of a life rooted in Christ!
O Wonderful Hope, which you gave to those who wept for you at the hour of your death, promising that after your death you would be helpful to your brethren—Fulfill, Father, what you have said, and help us by your prayers!
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Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)
