A Novice was Sent to Preach: “Many were Converted and Three Entered the Order”
May 24, 2011
UPDATE: Translation of St. Dominic Pilgrimage 2012
Today (May 24) is the Feast of the Translation of the Body of our Holy Father, St. Dominic.
“[…]The blessed father was very humble, loving, kind, compassionate, patient, sober, zealous for poverty and for the salvation of souls, and a lover of all religious and religious orders. In himself he kept the Rule strictly. He never returned curse for curse, but blessed those who cursed (1 Pet. 3:9).
When the podesta of Bologna and a great number of the citizens of Bologna together with the Master of the Order and the Provincial of Lombardy opened the new tomb and the coffin where the bones of the blessed Dominic were, a wonderful fragrance came out, such that they all said that nobody had ever smelled anything like it. ‘I smelled it myself and was present when this happened.’
The witness said that when he was a novice and had no skill in preaching, because he had not yet studied Scripture, the holy father told him to go to Piacenza to preach. He excused himself, but he spoke so charmingly that he induced him to go, saying that the Lord would be with him and would put words in his mouth. God did in fact give him such grace in his preaching that many people were converted and three entered the Order.” (from Canonization Process of St. Dominic: Testimony of Brother Buonviso, 13th c.)
Yes, even the novices were sent to preach! Such is the confidence in God’s grace for the Order. A Dominican itinerant preacher once told me when I was a student friar in California: “Take every opportunity you have to preach. You must exercise the charism of the Order of Preachers!”
You can click on the image to the right to catch the various posts on the Dominican History blog. You also will find an audio excerpt from the homily of our Provincial, Fr. Brian Mulcahy OP at St. Vincent Ferrer on the Translation of St. Dominic.
The only thing I will add to these inspirations, in case you missed it, I did a recent post on St. Dominic about his relics and some more recent discoveries concerning his physical characteristics which I pray will help you to know our founder better.
See also the English friars at Godzdogz who have a post on St. Dominic for today’s feast.
