From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

June 10th - Bl John Dominic, OP
(Also known as Blessed Giovanni Dominici, John Dominici de Banchini,
John Dominici)
(1356-1419)

=E2=80=9CMy guess is that this morning when you woke up, you probably turne=
d
off the alarm and thanked God for the feast of Bl. John Dominic. Wait
=E2=80=A6 you didn't? You mean, you've never even heard of =
him?

John Dominic met St. Catherine of Siena, OP, when he was young,
entered the Order of Preachers, and was an integral part of a major
reform movement. This reform helped to revitalize the Order after its decimation by the plague and general laxity of observance. Not only
was he a major force in the Dominican Order, but he became a cardinal
in the Church, and an official legate for the Pope. Most importantly,
he worked to resolve the Great Western Schism. He also brought Fra
Angelico, the world famous painter, and St. Antoninus, a brilliant
theologian and reformer, into the Order.

So if he was such a major player in the world and in the Church, then
it seems like we would hear more about him today. On the other hand, I
think our collective ignorance of an important figure like Bl. John
Dominic is not necessarily a tragedy, but rather is typical to all but
a small group of people. We are not remembered for very long after our
death. And even for those select few who are remembered, the details
that we =E2=80=9Cknow=E2=80=9D about their lives are limited.

With the fact of our transience so clearly evident, what then should
we make of the common cry these days for being on the right side of
history? How can we ensure our historical justification before men and
women who have not yet been born and who are likely never to hear our
names?

Historical scholarship can be a fickle thing. Winston Churchill was to
have said, =E2=80=9CHistory will be kind to me for I intend to write it!=E2= =80=9D Real
events happen in history, but our historical recording of those events
can be less than fully accurate. The project of historical research is
a human endeavor to reach into the past, and as such, it is subject to
the contingencies and finitude that humans must confront. We don't
have access to a great deal of evidence. We can know certain
historical truths of black and white, but in between there is often a
lot of gray. Persons of the past can get lost in the proverbial
historical fog. What's more, even the very choice of what persons a=
nd
events to research and write about can signify some sort of bias. The
historian must always seek to be objective and impartial, removing
himself from any motive of propaganda.

The desire to be on the =E2=80=9Cright side of history=E2=80=9D can presume=
the myth
that history just keeps getting better every day. According to this
view, creation is on a constant upward trajectory. The reality has
been quite different. A simple survey of the horrors of the 20th
century overwhelms the soul. Technological mastery in the hands of
adolescent spirits has just allowed greater acts of destruction. This
was the greatest age of technological progress and simultaneously the
age of the most sinister manifestation of =E2=80=9Cman's inhumanity=
to man.=E2=80=9D

Why should we worry what future generations think of us? That seems
pretty insecure, to worry about what others who don't even exist ye=
t
think. It seems much better to worry about whether or not we are doing
the right thing. That's not easy in our culture, because there is n=
ot
widespread agreement on precisely what that right thing is.

Most of us will fade into the past without much comment by future
generations. That shouldn't frighten us; it should motivate us. Doi=
ng
the right thing for people of faith=E2=80=93acting according to the demands=
of
our human nature and according to the commands of God=E2=80=93should be the primary motivation: not some imagined stamp of approval down the road,
but the approval of our loving Maker. For people who don't believe =
in
God or an afterlife, it is even more critical to do what is right,
because it doesn't seem like being on the right side of history
matters much if you're not going to exist.

Historical hindsight can be 20/20, but too often our rearview mirror
gives a picture that is not so clear. Bl. John Dominic knew not to
worry about the vicissitudes of human chroniclers, agonizing about his
place in the historical annals. Instead, he acted according to his
well-formed conscience and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. That is
why he is a great saint. He was a world-famous celebrity, now mostly
forgotten, except by the One Who truly matters.=E2=80=9D


Saint Quote:
Penance to be sure must be used as a tool, in due times and places, as
need may be. If the flesh, being too strong, kicks against the spirit,
penance takes the rod of discipline, and fast, and the cilice of many
buds, and mighty vigils; and places burdens enough on the flesh, that
it may be more subdued. But if the body is weak, fallen into illness,
the rule of discretion does not approve of such a method.
--St. Catherine of Siena

Bible Quote:
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the
earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust
thou shalt return. (Genesis iii, 19)

<><><><>
Canticle 1 Peter 2

Christ's passion, freely chosen

Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, to follow in his path.

He committed no sin, in his speech there was no deceit;
when they cursed him, he did not curse them;
when he suffered, he did not threaten retribution, but committed them to th=
e
one just judge.

He endured our sins in the sufferings of his body on the tree,
so that we would die to our sins and live for righteousness -
and by his bruises you have been healed.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)