"Bring To Others What You Contemplate"

St. Dominic, the dynamic preacher of the early 13th century, whose Order of Preachers is still effectively evanglizing, chose the motto, "Bring to others what you contemplate", for his followers. The Dominicans stress contemplation and study as the foundation of their teaching, but others, like St. Marcellin and St. John Mary Vianney, were also effective preachers because their simple but powerful sermons were based on a life of prayer and contemplation in action. People saw in them what they heard them say. We might not have the same propensity for deep theological study as St. Dominic, but we all are capable in the most simple ways to "walk our talk" and thus be effective preachers as well. Radiating truth and sincerity, we can be instruments of hope and peace by our genuine efforts to live what we've heard from other spiritual leaders or read in the Bible or other spiritual books. When as a young curate, St. Marcellin organized a clean-up and repair day for the parish church, and got out there with his hammer and tools himself, he won the hearts of the parishoners by these mundane actions that came so natural to him. In being "who we are" we touch others more convincingly than by what we say. May our times of prayer bring us the message that will overflow into our everyday interactions. Thus we too will be living out the motto of the Dominicans.
Bro. Rene