St. Dominic’s Challenge: Embrace Poverty
Sister Janet Welsh, OP
The community of believers were of one heart and one mind. None of them ever claimed anything as her or his own; rather everything was held in common. With power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus . . . (Acts 4:32–33).
Throughout the centuries, this description of the first century Christian community beckoned Christians to emulate a way of living and preaching the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. The history of the Church reveals that, in times of internal turmoil, followers of Christ search for ways to revive anew the apostolic spirit of the primitive church communities. St. Dominic de Guzman (1170–1221), founder of the Order of Preachers, also saw such a need in the 13th century. He lived in tumultuous times marked by corruption, heresy, and woefully inadequate preaching of the Word of God.
Icon of St. Dominic written by the hand of Sr. Barbara Hubeny
St. Dominic’s friend and mentor, Bishop Diego de Acebo, offered a radical way to amend the troubled Church: gather itinerant preachers who embrace voluntary poverty for the sake of preaching the Gospel. As this vision began to unfold, Bishop Diego died; the realization of this revolutionary movement in the church became the work of St. Dominic.
St. Dominic’s life experiences served him well. His life as an ardent student and as a canon regular imbued him with a love of study, prayer, and the common life. These experiences prepared St. Dominic to gather itinerant preachers who embraced evangelical poverty. They must live like the first apostles, itinerant, going forth two-by-two, carrying neither silver nor gold, possessing nothing, and begging for their daily needs. This mendicant way of life would give them the freedom and opportunities to witness to the world the truth and love of the Gospel.
St. Dominic, a prudent and practical person, understood that life’s necessities were required to ensure an itinerant preaching ministry. Members of this new Order of Preachers would be of one heart and mind; they would not claim anything as their own; rather everything would be held in common. This common life of prayer, study, and evangelical poverty would serve but one purpose—to preach, to teach, and to live the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.
Eight centuries later, Dominicans throughout the world strive to live the ideal of the apostolic and common life. The harsh economic and societal realities of our time call us to deepen our commitment to the meaning and purpose of the common life. As we prepare for our 23rd General Chapter [in 2011], our Constitution directs our aspirations to be Dominican women who hold all in common for the sake of the Gospel.
In a world of imbalance of wealth, our common life of gospel simplicity helps to make us credible ministers of the gospel of justice and love, free to speak out against all forms of injustice. Our simplicity of life and community of goods may be understood as a form of social criticism whereby we witness restraint in consumption, lack of collective greed, and the primacy of the transcendent in human life. As we detach ourselves from preoccupation with goods and security, we become more free to declare our solidarity with the poor and our trust in Providence (Constitution, #16, 36).
Sister Janet Welsh, OP (Margaret Mary)