MASS OF THE AUGUST 2

FRIARS OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS
GENERAL CHAPTER OF PROVINCIALS
Bogotá – 2007

MASS OF THE AUGUST 2
By
Fr. Bonifacio García Solís, O.P.
Provincial Prior
Province of Our Lady of the Rosario

The reading of the letter of the apostle Peter invites us to reflect about a very important aspect in our spirituality, the encounter with God in the simplicity, and the inner and outer silence, so there will be communion with the Father.

Jane of Aza is an example of family mother for us where simplicity comes out when we turn to the Lord asking for the grace of giving birth without problems to his son Dominic, confidence in understanding that God in His providence governs all things and has the power to carry them on and conform them to His will; the prophetic dream of Jane of Aza invites us to meditate upon the light of truth and of the torch of the gospel that we preach. That torch lies on the truth that should illumine the whole world in faithfulness to Jesus’s promise: "That all be one". Gathered together in this Chapter we look for ways and means for promoting unity among brothers for the preaching mission. We cannot forget that the gospel should sanctify also those preaching it. Dominic, enjoyed himself contemplating the Word meant for preaching the truth nourishing his life and preached with absolute dedication in order to get salvation. Yes, Dominic was a man of prayer and, like many of us he learned and discovered the importance of the alliance and the power of dialogue with God through the example of his pious mother. How many of us we have been witnesses of the simplicity, humility, piety and confidence of our mothers?

Jane of Aza has given us an example of love, sacrifice and dedication to all and most especially of her great compassion for the poor. The story of the wine is one more example of her generosity and capacity to share and, at the same time, a testimony of confidence in the power of He from whom she had received the gift of life and faith. That is why she knew that He never abandons those who generously share the gifts received with the poorest of the poor. The dignity of human beings enables her to demand participation in the table of nature, not only to be able to subsist, but also to be able to live with dignity. If each one of us would live with the same generosity and the rulers of the world will seek the common brotherhood of all people, we would be able to enjoy a world that is better, more just, and humane. But how it is to give up the things we consider to be our own, and also to give up the welfare of the world around us.

Jane influences the life of Dominic and he learned from her the gift of generosity by sharing not only the treasure of science consigned in dead skins but the result of hard work of his academic life. There is also another kind of poor, the poor in spirit, to whom he gives his life and service as apostle of the non believers.

Where is rooted our real commitment with the poor and the needy? What are the projects that are carried on for the needy and the poor in the spiritual or material sense? Sharing the Word that gives life and peace cannot be separated from our charisma as preachers. And sharing with the needy the result of our work does it does not mean only availability to be able to share what we have plenty of, or what does not mean renunciation, but also what involves sacrifice and the offering of ourselves.

Jane of Aza offers his son even before he was born and she consecrates him to the Lord driven by that simple, deep, and theological faith that we have witnessed so many times in our own mothers and of which we feel embarrassed for not having that much simplicity and trust. The generosity with which Jane consecrates her son, giving him back to the Lord from whom she had received him, was it turned out in security and confidence that everything is in a mysterious, but providential and divine plan. The generosity of our parents in allowing and encouraging us to abandon everything to follow Jesus is a sign of a faith that the Lord will reward.

I wonder if my charity is deeply rooted in a faith committed completely and never hesitating; if my confidence on the Lord can be compared, although distant to that of Jane of Aza or Dominic. Will I be able to ask with faith and confidence through Dominic as she did when spending the jars of wine in charity? Also our mothers have confidence in us, in our vocation and in our talents. Let us offer this gift to the community, to the Order and to all the people of God.

3. In Today’s reading something was said about prudence. How much gossip and criticism that in so many ways destroy the bonds of peace which compromise the dignity of our brothers and the demands of justice. Let us hope that we, men in love with God, deeply committed with God’s Word and followers of Jesus, won’t fall into the vice of gossiping that creates so much distrust and distances in the human relationships and in the communities.

4. Today’s first reading is inviting us to put our talents at the service of others, who are a gift from the Lord to the community; grace that by itself causes a sanctifying effect; strength of our word with the power of the Word, so that the mystery incarnated and risen we proclaim will sanctify us while we preach; gift of wisdom that illuminates our lives to understand the mystery for which we have been called and chosen. Our vocation is not a personal gift, but a gift to be put with generosity at the service of God’s people by virtue of the power received from God so that all the men will come to know that He is our Father.

I would like to end this reflection with a question: Where and how has the Lord made Himself present in my life?

-The Lord has not shown Himself to me as he did in the Old Testament or in the way the mystics experienced God’s presence in their lives, nor as the chosen people when they crossed the red sea guided by the cloud. Nevertheless in the gospel Jesus says: "the one that does God’s will is my brother, my sister and my mother".

- When I was thinking about these things I was surprised of my own reflection. How can I, a believer be able to speak like that? Isn’t it true that the Lord manifests Himself in His word and in His providence? A word in which I believe and to which I want to conform my life, conscious that God has manifested Himself in many forms to His people and that at the right time He did it through His Son, sign of God’s infinite love.

-We shouldn’t seek the Lord among extraordinary phenomena, and in something extrinsic to our life, nor in strange solutions that we can offer to our brothers in this Chapter. But in the fact that 'we are God’s temple the place where He abides. Let us look for Him in the silence of our faith, in the loving speech of a God that continues to be present on the road of our life and in all the events of it, in our faithfulness, and in our sufferings, in our joys and in our pains. In our successes and in our contradictions. But most especially in that careful and contemplative hearing of His ever new word that whispers into our hearts and ears: God is with you on the way of life. He is your hope! Put all your confidence in Him.

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