Passion for the Word
Dominican Missionary Preaching Team
Celebrates 35 Years
by Helen Marie Raycraft, OP
The Mystery of God unfolds in each of our lives as we listen, ever deepening into God’s Love and then as we follow along the paths of life’s journey. It is with profound gratitude that I recall many memories and events in these 35 years as a member of the Dominican Missionary Preaching Team. What led me to embrace my call as a preacher, my desire to spend many years of my ministerial life focused on the Word and breaking open the Word for others? What continues to energize me to be on the road, to pack and unpack my suitcase, to live with families and eat other people’s food? It is my passion for the Word.
One evening in about 1970 while ministering in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, I was meeting with the local neighborhood association in the barrio. I was very uncomfortable because the leader of the assembly was speaking negatively about another leader who was not present. For the first time I took out my pocket New Testament, opened to 1 John 4:8 on love and read the passage aloud. My action split the group in two. The next day many members were affirming what I did and others were furious. I experienced the power of the Word as a two-edged sword and from that time I grew in conviction to use the Word freely in my ministry. “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you” (Acts 18:9).
Pondering the Word of God with the people in thousands of lectionary-base small faith communities has led me to see the transformative power of Scripture in people’s lives. The Word of God heals and gives people the courage to forgive and to begin anew. One day Olivia and her husband returned home from work to discover their youngest teenage daughter missing. Several days later she was found buried in their own backyard. In her overwhelming grief, Olivia immersed herself daily in Scripture and eventually was able to forgive the distant relative who had murdered their daughter.
As a spiritual companion, opening the Word in one-to-one relationships has given me the privilege to witness many sacred moments with others. I continue to be amazed at the wisdom and courage of people when they are open to God’s gracious mercy and boundless love. As a preacher I am invited to discern God already present among the people and to journey with them in their mutual discovery of God’s faithfulness. Sharing a Word of healing in parish missions and retreats invites the participants to be bathed in the Compassion of Jesus. Moments of silence deepen this experience and lead to a freedom within. Johnny’s healing from drug addiction began when as a young adult he heard his Mother say for the first time, “My son, I love you.” Since he has been freed from the slavery of drugs, he has dedicated his life to work in parishes with young adults on the Texas/Mexico border for 30 years.
Visiting the homebound while giving parish missions continues to teach me so much about the faith of the sick and elderly. John, a single man who lives in Central Texas, has been bedridden from arthritis for many years. When I walked into his one-room home and looked into his eyes, I saw the face of Jesus. Peace and love radiated as he told me that he offers all his pain for the people of his parish and the poor throughout the world. He receives courage through Scripture tapes that he listens to regularly. What a profound lesson for me!
As Dominicans we are called to preach a prophetic Word of hope, a Word of consolation, a Word of wisdom that transforms lives. For me, that can only happen if I grow in becoming a compassionate listener and a woman of prayer. Personally, it is very important for me to come home, to be with my community, to have times of gardening, silence, and solitude. Living in a simple neighborhood, I know that the poor in their daily struggles form me as a preacher. Their joys and sorrows, their dependence on God, and their celebration of life are my theology.
Our sister, Catherine of Siena, said, “Cry out as if you had a million voices as it is silence that kills the world.” We, as preachers, are charged to cry out, to proclaim with passion from our hearts, the compassionate, merciful presence of God. This is the incomprehensible mystery of God we live as Dominicans.