Friday, August 8, 2025
Preaching by Sister Lorraine Réaume, OP
Isaiah 52:7-10
2 Timothy 4:1-8
Matthew 28:16-20

Most of us here probably don’t consider our feet to be very beautiful! Some may have a bunion, or maybe your heels are dry. Your feet might not work so well anymore. No, I don’t think most of us would see ourselves as having beautiful feet.

But what about our messenger in Isaiah? We hear that they have beautiful feet. But think about it. What would a messenger’s feet be like in ancient Israel? Calloused, for sure. Covered in dirt and sand, definitely. Probably pretty scratched up from running through a rough desert landscape.

But yet, they ARE beautiful. Why? Because of what they bring. Because of the message. Because they bring Good News. They announce peace, salvation, hope, and wholeness for all of creation – all the ends of the Earth.

This Isaiah passage is often used on this feast day because it describes St. Dominic so well. We all know that wonderful image of him walking the fields of Europe, carrying his sandals on a pole over his shoulder.

Just think of what his feet must have looked like, journeying all over Europe, barefoot! But they were beautiful because they brought a beautiful message. Remember, this was the time of the crusades, of terrible brutality. Dominic also kept encountering people who thought the body was bad and who devalued our earthly life and creation. They were living a very somber, austere form of life.

But they were drawn to Dominic – drawn by his kindness, his willingness to engage with them, his deep love for them, and by his message of the goodness of God’s creation and God’s love, care, and mercy for all. He brought them joy. He witnessed another way of living than was being practiced by many around them – both the extreme Albigensians and the violent Catholic leaders. Dominic’s news truly was good.

Doesn’t our world today need messengers of good news – messengers who remind us of the sacredness of all creation, who assure us that every single being matters to God, who call us to live out the values of the reign of God, and who assure us that God ultimately holds all in deep love and wholeness?

We need to hear this message, and we need to be this message. Some of us may bring it to those we encounter in our ministries and volunteer commitments. Some may bring it to our families. We can certainly bring the good news to our coworkers and to each other. Every single way we interact can be a preaching, can be good news for someone who is having a hard day, or who is lonely, or who is struggling with grief, transition, or health changes.

I have heard many Sisters say that they were drawn to the congregation by the joy and laughter of the Adrian Dominican Sisters they saw in their schools. There was something attractive in who they authentically were. We are still those same people who are drawn by joy, joy in the midst of challenges and struggles, joy that trusts in the goodness of God.

We never stop being Dominicans, so we are still called, like Dominic, to be preachers of grace. To do our best to let others know they are included and welcome, valued and appreciated, even by something as simple as greeting someone on the elevator or expressing gratitude to a nursing assistant.

It’s not always easy, and sometimes we may not feel up to it. Hopefully at those times, others can be the bearers of good news for us. But the call remains, our commitment to live our Dominican life does not end.

As we celebrate this Feast Day we can renew our own commitment to be preachers of Good News to those we encounter and to our world, trusting that our feet are indeed beautiful.