What is the Spirituality of the Order of Saint Dominic?
Perhaps this can be restated as: What characterizes the life of a member of the Dominican Order?
Our Four Pillars (Prayer, Study, Community, Apostolate) can provide a good indication of what this would entail.
However, looking at the life of our founding father, Saint Dominic of Guzman, may add even more of a complete picture…
“... the Dominican life is the image of Saint Dominic”
The life of Saint Dominic could be characterized by many things — literally enough to fill many books (hundreds of which exist, indeed). However, it can be said that one of his major driving forces was his love of neighbor—the supernatural virtue of Caritas — willing the good of his brothers and sisters.
His love was for all, especially those who did not know of God and those that were wrapped up in erroneous ideas of Him and the Catholic faith, for Saint Dominic saw the real suffering that these caused them, and knew of the spiritual consequences these would lead to.
All of this stirred in him such a deep, loving concern for their souls. It was enough for him to have been witnessed many times, spending hours in prayers and in tears, crying out…
“What will become of them?
A Dominican lay member, brother, sister, friar all share a deep hunger for learning the Truth — Veritas — found in Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the Fathers of the faith, and the doctors of the Catholic Church. This hunger impels us to know more of God, for the more we know Him, the more we love Him! However, we come to realize that our hunger doesn’t end there…
As lay members, we are reminded daily of the world in which we live — we are surrounded by friends, family, acquaintances, and headlines that tell of so many that are truly suffering and are lost in the darkness of ignorance of God and contemporary ideologies that cause further separation from Him … and deeper pain.
Just as our founding father Saint Dominic, we too feel compelled to do something about this, to share the light that we have attained by our own experiences, our study, and our contemplative prayer life — so that we may give unto others the fruits of our contemplation (Contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere). Supported by a community of like-minded brothers and sisters, called to a life dedicated to helping set the whole world on fire with God’s love, we go out to the world every day and preach for the sake of the salvation of all souls.
