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The OP after our names stands for “Order of Preachers,” the formal name of the religious order founded in 1216 by St. Dominic. As Dominicans, we preach with our lives—in both word and deed—guided by a search for truth (veritas) and a commitment to contemplate and share the fruits of our contemplation (contemplate et aliis tradere).
Our Dominican lives are shaped by the interconnecting movements of study, prayer, communal life, and ministry.
Dominic so firmly believed in the importance of study to the preaching mission that he provided a rule of “dispensation” from other responsibilities in the event they interfered with study. We are women committed to study. Through prayer and contemplation we interiorize our learnings and enter into communion with the Source of all truth. Our communal life orients us to the common good of the whole Earth community. And in ministry, our preaching takes effect.
As women of the Gospel, our preaching is also expressed in word. Read reflections on the Word of God posted by Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates on the Praedicare Blog below.
Sunday, December 29, 2024 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24 Luke 2:41-52
Good morning! Today’s feast of the Holy Family was established by the Church to honor family life in the example of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. In the United States the number of nuclear families such as the Holy Family’s is very low compared to the time that the feast was established. So, I am choosing not to focus on family, but to focus on the strength and trust and promises practiced by two women in today’s readings. As you heard, they are Hannah and Mary who both seem to be the dynamic forces in their families.
Hannah, childless for so long, has prayed for a child and she conceives and gives birth to Samuel. But her story does not end there. Since she has promised to dedicate the child to God, Hannah takes Samuel, when he is three or four years old, to the high priest, Eli, and hands him over to Eli with the words, “He is dedicated to God for life.” As difficult as that must have been, Hannah was a woman of her word; a keeper of the promise she made.
And then in today’s Gospel, Luke relates the story of Jesus who takes it upon himself to remain in the temple where he is captivated by the teachers who were there. Jesus is eventually discovered, appropriately reprimanded, and returns home with his parents. And Mary, according to Luke, “kept all these things in her heart.” She was a keeper of the promise she had made so long ago when she learned of her motherhood and she responded, “How can this be? Let it be.”
These women had made promises and were determined to be faithful and committed to their word even when the results were almost unbearable. Because promises and resolutions are not the same, this preaching is not a precursor to New Year’s Day and our intentions to do or be better.
What are the promises we have made? For most in this chapel, we have “made profession and promised obedience.” Might this be a good day to ponder that in our hearts? For those who have professed marriage vows to each other, might you ponder that in your hearts? Or, what other – very different – promises might each of us have made and what implications have those promises had for you and for others? Maybe it’s a promise that you keep daily, weekly, monthly, annually.
However, the more I prayed about my preaching, the more I realized that we do not live in a perfect world and promises are tricky business. With great deliberation and pain, promises are not kept. It is at those moments that we are reminded of Jesus’ message of forgiveness – of ourselves and others: Something we need to remember and practice.
Our intentions are to be keepers of promises. Our promises are very personal and probably number no more than five – if even that. But promises kept change the world – sometimes in huge ways, sometimes in very small ways. So, keepers of promises, on this day for families – guided so beautifully by the selfless examples of Hannah and Mary – how is it going for you and your promises? Well, I hope.
word.op.org - International Dominican Preaching Page
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