Dominican Preaching
Dominican Preaching Archive ADVENT: a call to move from darkness to Light.
by Sr. Brenda Walsh, Racine Dominican
The Scripture readings for the liturgy during the Advent season remind us that we are called to be light-bearers in our world often shrouded in darkness. Paul asked his followers to walk as people of the light. He was sensing that his own time on earth was limited and he called on those who would come after him, including us, to be torch-bearers. As Dominicans, we are to bring the Good News of God’s Word to the end of the earth. In this season of Light, we are asked to let the light of God’s presence shine on in our world and help dispel the darkness so prevalent in our time. The darkness includes death and destruction, wars, violence, neglect, disease and hunger. Even a single candle can shed some light in a time of darkness.
What does it mean to live as people of the light?
We recall that the Light of Christ is all around us, and ready to pierce the darkness. Our call as Dominicans is to let that light shine over all the earth. In Romans 13: 12, Paul urges us to put on the armor of light and help get rid of works of darkness, to accept the Light and share it day after day.
We are also called to bring the light of truth to our place and time. “Veritas”, our motto, calls us to speak and live the truth. Where do we begin?
Prayer, contemplation and a deep awareness of God’s presence that never fails us must be the center of our daily lives.
We start with ourselves. Let Jesus lead us on a path of truth and light. Then we will discover our own God-given worth and see ourselves as people with potential for good. We can also look at the dark side in ourselves and remove the obstacles to letting the Light of Christ shine through us. They could be selfishness, greed, undue anxiety, a need to be at the center of things and a lack of forgiveness.
The institutions that we govern such as school, hospitals and nursing homes must reflect our mission in our care and concern for the impoverished of our day and in our commitment to racial and economic justice. Does our ministry lead to the empowerment of the impoverished that goes beyond meeting basic human needs?
Where can we find objective truth today? Often people ask whether our culture shaping religion and faith. Do we have the courage to address the ethical and moral issues of our time? Will we speak out against ongoing wars, violence of every kind, a global economic system that often leave millions homeless, dying of hunger and disease, human trafficking and mistreatment of immigrants? We are now in a growing culture of violence that needs to be stopped and transformed by God’s light. By claiming and living the truth, we can be light for people in darkness and become people of hope in a time of great chaos. light and hope based on the fidelity of God’s promise will never let us walk alone. We also believe that another world is possible and we can be part of making it a reality.
Faith communities and churches can gather groups of people to pray and call on the Spirit to guide them in their response. In that divine presence, they will bring hope and well-being to their own lives and to the world close by and reach out even to the ends of the earth.
We ask ourselves, “What price are we willing to pay to be part of this plan as truth and light bearers in our world?” Some time ago, we heard the story of our Dominican brother, Bishop Pierre Claverie, who was assassinated in Algeria in 1996 by a bomb planted and intended to kill him and his Muslim friend and co-worker. He knew his life was on the line but he refused to go into hiding or play it safe. His life-story is available in a book called “A Life Poured Out.” He said “The church accomplishes its vocation and mission when it is present in the ruptures which crucify humanity in its flesh and its unity.”
This means that we pay attention to the millions around the world that are deprived of basic human rights and urge leaders to do something about it. There is a crisis of truth in our culture, our nation and world. Let us pray and work that with God’s help, we will be able to diminish the darkness around us and beyond us and bring the light of God’s love and peace to our broken and bleeding world.
Preaching is at the heart of the Dominican vocation. The Dominican Leadership Conference claims for all members of the Dominican Family the right to preach, and commits itself to the struggle this claim entails. The injustices of our day compel us to place the charism of preaching at the service of the poor and powerless. The Dominican prophetic message, rooted in experience, study and prayer, will move both preachers and hearers of the word to act for the transformation of oppressive structures. The Conference on its part will act corporately, confronting evil with the Gospel and working for the construction of a just world order.
We embrace the mission of preaching for justice with a commitment to act in collaboration with one another and all those with and among whom we minister
------Dominican Leadership Conference
(The latest additions are shown first. Click on an article title below to view it.)
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ADVENT: 2011 •
•Reclaiming the Gift of Prophetic Preaching •
•Called To Create A Culture Of Forgiveness •
•Living With Integrity •
•United Nations •
•Searching For A Contemplative Way of Life •
•Moving from A Culture of Revenge To A Culture of Forgiveness •
•Preaching Hope In A Time Of Despair •
•Dominic, Preacher of Grace •
•Inside Darkness - The Film •
•Acquiring Legal Status Under Fedral Immigration Law •
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