On August 8 the Church celebrate the great St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers.  I’m not only a fan of St. Dominic because we share an awesome name; I’m a fan of St. Dominic because of the spiritual tradition he left the Church.  When St. Dominic’s mother was pregnant with him, she had a vision of a dog with a torch setting the world on fire.  That is exactly what her son did and his tradition continues to set the world on fire to this day.  

St. Dominic felt the call from God to start a religious movement, first with women and then with men, who would share the spiritual fruits of their prayer and contemplation with the world.  When it came to the men, St. Dominic didn’t want his brothers and priests to be tied down to a particular monetary.  He wanted them out in the streets preaching and evangelizing.  He wanted them setting the world on fire!

We can learn a lot from St. Dominic: his generous spirit to leave behind all wealth and live in poverty; his discipline of prayer and study; his courage in abandoning his will to follow God’s will for his life; and his faithfulness to the Gospel as a disciple of Jesus.  These are all lessons we can learn from this great saint.  

In a special way, I ask for your prayers for all the members of the Order of Preachers around the world as they celebrate their feast day.  May God continue to richly bless their ministries and preaching.