Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers. His life offers an important lesson for every Christian: our faith is not something we practice apart from the rest of our lives. Faith is meant to transform the way we live, work, serve, and love.
Dominic lived during a time when the Church faced significant challenges to the truth of the Gospel. His response was not simply to work harder, but to become more deeply rooted in God. His preaching flowed from prayer, contemplation, study, and a deep love for Christ.
There is something here for all of us.
We can easily separate our lives into categories: my faith, my family, my work, my responsibilities. But for the Christian, these are not separate worlds. Our relationship with Christ should gradually enter every part of our lives.
Our work can make us impatient or patient, proud or humble, self-centered or generous. It can become an obsession with achievement and recognition or it can become an opportunity to serve others and offer something of ourselves to God.
St. Dominic reminds us that work becomes a part of our spiritual life when we allow God to shape the way we do it.
Dominic’s life can therefore challenge us to see our daily responsibilities differently. We don’t have to leave ordinary life behind to become holy. We can allow God to enter our ordinary lives and transform the way we work, speak, serve, and love.
Where is Christ asking me to bring more patience, humility, truth, courage, forgiveness, or love into the work of my day?
Perhaps our greatest work is not simply what we accomplish.
Perhaps it is the person God is forming us to become while we are accomplishing it.
St. Dominic, pray for us, that our prayer may shape our work, our work may become service, and our service may lead others closer to Christ.