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FRIARS OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS MASS OF THE JULY 25
Celebrating the Apostle James, Patron Saint of Spain and of the Dominican Province in Mexico, necessarily leads us to the trilogy: vocation, immigration, transformation. “While he was walking, Jesus saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and he called them” (Lk 4:14). We have also been called to a radical life. We share the desire for total dedication with other ancient religions, even though we frequently use the famous (self) Dominican dispensation to do our own thing. “They, leaving their nets and their father immediately, followed him” (Mt. 20). What appears to be an instantaneous event was, most likely, a somewhat complicated process. The encounter with Jesus and his mission made them discover the gradual demands of their vocation, which made them able to drink of his same chalice. Today, as General Chapter, we have the task of analyzing what we have done about our vocation as Friars of the Order of Preachers. We must respond to the original question: where is your brother? As well as: where are you going with your brothers? We could hardly hide the fact that the fast scientific and theological transformation of the world throws us into a crisis—which is shown not only in the shortage of new vocations in many provinces or the surprising number of brothers who leave shortly after the Solemn Profession or of the Ordenation—but also in the relativization of the radical nature of the Apostolic Life to which we have been summoned and which is expressed in our Constitutions (IV): “... since we become participants of the mission of the Apostles, we also imitate their life-style according to the model that was designed by Saint Dominic… [common life, evangelical counsels, liturgy, prayer, study, regular observance] ... a fully apostolic life, in which preaching and teaching must emanate from an abundant contemplation.” It is very clear that we recognize vocation as a gift, but sometimes we forget what the Mayan natives warned to those who were entrusted with a specific role in the community: “remember that God is not going to do what He has placed in your hands.” The enthusiasm that we feel in getting together with so many brothers, as well as the richness that we discover in the work of the Order in the world, should not let us forget the problems and challenges that have been reported to the Chapter and which invite us to discover—in a new encounter with Jesus—if we should not leave behind some “nets” in which we may find ourselves entangled: It could be our Theology of the religious life or the weight that our traditions and historical inheritance have; perhaps the “prudence” that we use while dealing with Church authorities or State interests; or perhaps the goods and comfort that we have achieved. And we cannot hide behind Saint Paul’s humility who, in his fecund conflict with the Corinthians, acknowledged that “we carry this treasure in clay vessels.” Jesus invited James and John to follow Him in order to announce –[help others reach] the Kingdom; we have to do the same in the Twenty-First Century. Ours is a great mission: Let us build the freedom that we needed to fulfill it. According to popular belief, in Fifteen Century Spain, the Apostle James took part in the War against the Moors. The Moors had to leave their mosques, their cities, their history of eight centuries, and immigrate to the land of their ancestors. In Mexico, even though we never met the Arabs, we received this tradition and we venerate Santiago Matamoros [killer of Moors]. The religious speech served well to the cause of the kingdom… of Castilla! In the XXI Century, not only hundreds of thousands go on a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Santiago de Compostela, but also millions of people are—for thousand of different reasons—literally “on their way,” looking for new lands; from the country to the city; from South to North and from North to South; from East to West; from poverty to the intense labor; from the dignity of life in community to anonymity; from violence to exile; from ignorance to knowledge; from lack of purpose to spirituality; from a frenzied Capitalism to the tranquility of the retirement. And they take with them their culture, their religion, their hopes, their frustrations, their past and their future. And every day in our globalized world many millions more immigrate "virtually" towards post -modernity, towards a society that values knowledge, towards isolation. And we, itinerant friars, will we know where shall we send our friars? What do we have to learn and offer in this migrating world? Will we be able to discover the promises of a new humanity that is in gestation? Will we be free enough to love the future? In past times, Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together peacefully in the beautiful Iberia, until the very Catholic Majesties, Isabel and Fernando, threw them out. In the first half of the XX Century, many impoverished Spaniards immigrated to Latin America and enriched it. In this XXI Century, the rich and un-believing Spain receives and allows entrance to many people from Africa and Latin America into Europe. These people demand their right to have life, even at the expense of their own lives. And this is repeated in all regions of the world [where] conflict, encounters, misunderstandings, fundamentalism, persecution, questioning and reconciliation, coexistence, and respect are generated. How different the world is becoming! What a complex mosaic is been formed! What multiculturalism is embracing us! What religious pluralism we are facing! Something new is being born, and there, we have to preach the Kingdom. Let us hope that we can cooperate with the God to whom now we implore: Lord, send your Spirit and renew the face of the earth! |
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Capítulo General 2007 - ORDEN DE PREDICADORES |
