October Dominican Reflection

“They will study…they will need no other penance.”

-     Statement attributed to St. Dominic

When the white light of our charism of preaching a just word shows its colors, we speak of common life, common prayer, study, and  mission/ministry. Study is the characteristic that marks our difference among other religious orders. Other orders study when it is helpful. Dominicans study because it is constitutive to their identity. Ask religious orders who they are, and they answer, “We are vowed persons who live community by common life, common prayer, and a common mission.” (The Benedictines might add “stability in monastic life,” and the Jesuits, “faithfulness to the Holy See”) But that’s not how a Dominican will answer. The Dominican man or woman answers, “We are vowed persons who live community by common life, common prayer, common study, and common mission.” So how do we study together? We understand this pillar of our identity to exempt no one – not the Dominican in the laundry, the administrative office, the classroom, or the jail. It is our common penance. We often study in groups. So what is study for us?

Study is intentional engagement in an issue of truth-seeking. As intentional, it is not haphazard. It is something I choose deliberately to explore. It is not just reading. It is engaging what I have read. It means questioning it, critiquing it, respectfully disagreeing, or offering another view. What issue? Well, it might be an issue of justice. It might be a theological issue. It might have to do with health or science or finance or food. Wherever I am drawn to focus my energy and engage in probing, in exploring, that is where I am to seek truth, understanding, insight, the facts. Above all, study for us is “intellectual compassion.” The head rests in the heart.

The Dominican faithfully does this “penance” for the sake of the Church. Dominicans do this together, no one exempted. So I challenge each of us, and our associates, to identify our “area of intentional engagement, our area of intellectual compassion.” Perhaps one that is scriptural/theological, and one that is a service or justice focus. The “OP” once meant “Order of Penance” because the Dominicans were known for their disciplined minds. Never are we more needed in the Church, in the nation, in our cities, and in our struggling world of “alternative truths.” So, where have you chosen to do your penance?

October Dialogue with the Word

“Think of yourself as a tree…”

       Words of God to Catherine of Siena

            Carla Mae Streeter, OP

The full quotation is
“So think of yourself as a tree made for love and living only by love…
There is a circle in which this tree’s root, your love, must grow.
That circle is true knowledge of yourself, knowledge that is joined to me, God,
who like the circle have neither beginning nor end.
You can go round and round with in this circle,
finding neither end nor beginning, yet never leaving the circle…”     Dialogue 10

It is autumn, and the trees are revealing much to us if we have eyes to see. The Church, the Wisdom Woman, is looking for fruit. Yes, a fruitful tree speaks of rich growth, of fertility. Where does this fruit come from? What feeds it? The tree that is myself is fed by the fruit of another tree, the tree of the cross, which blossoms into resurrection. The life comes from the Paschal Mystery, and the Church never ceases to ponder it, year in, and year out.

These weeks of October will find a certain fruit being called forth as the Church shapes the scriptures put before us. She knows what she is after. It is not chancy. She knows what a beautiful tree looks like, and she will settle for nothing less. We have less than ten weeks left in this season of Ordinary Time. The harvest time is here. It’s time to collect and display our delicious fruit…and what are we asked to show?

First, we will be asked for our ID. We belong to the Shepherd. We listen and follow. Then we are shown that our fruit is not for ourselves, but to be given away. Then we must be dressed properly so we can be identified as disciples. Christ Jesus is himself our wedding garment. Then we will be reminded that we have two sets of relationships: to our Shepherd and to our brothers and sisters, who make claim on us. Finally, we will be asked if our fruit is delicious. Love makes it sweet, not bitter and sour. In the end, love covers a multitude of efforts not as successful as we had hoped. So it is harvest time. Check the fruit of your precious tree.

What would I do if I remembered

that I’m planted in the circle of your love?

How would I feel if I got up in the morning

put my feet in my slippers and remembered?

How do you feed me in this circle?

With the water of your tears as you took our DNA in Mary’s womb?

With the fire of your blood as you emptied yourself out to buy us back on the cross?

With that bread that is yourself hidden away in the tabernacles of our chapels and hearts-

your final bending down to wash our feet

so we can go and do likewise?

With Whom do we Pray?

The Spirit-Light that is the Dominican charism reveals beautiful hues like the rainbow. Also called the “pillars” of Dominican life, these mainstays are Common Life, Common Prayer, Study, and Mission/Ministry. We’ve reflected briefly on the vows which set the context for the charism, and on Common Life as a “Widening of the Tent.” What may be a new way to understand Common Prayer as we move forward in time?

Common Prayer has always meant that praying with others is a part of our Dominican life. Usually it meant the Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharist. The importance of this “praying together” can be demonstrated with a simple image. Light a candle. Then invite five others to light a candle too. Your candlelight is piercing the darkness, but the power and beauty of the gathered light is even more beautiful to see. “Where two or more are gathered, there am I…”

But in our times the “others” has suddenly become part of the “Widening of our Tent.” So who are these “others” that I might pray with? For some of us praying the Office is our mainstay, and the “others” are those with whom I live. For some of us who live singly, there are no “others” physically present. But make no mistake, there are “others.” We just have to be more intentional

about bonding with them. Wherever you are, you can surround yourself with a “cloud of witnesses” when you pray. Maybe they are the folks on your block or in your apartment building. You may intentionally link your prayer with those at Siena Center. You may bond with the poor you serve, or those struggling in refugee camps, or who are isolated in prisons. How are you going to exercise your Common Prayer. Nothing need prevent you. The “others” need you…and you need the “others.” Common Prayer in a new key…

“By Their Fruits You Will Know Them…”

“By Their Fruits You Will Know Them…”


We are now in the final ten weeks of ordinary time. It is the time when the Church looks for
the harvest, the fruits of the birth, death, resurrection of her Beloved, and the rich and powerful
results of his life-giving Spirit among us. So what fruits are being fostered? Will we spot them as
the liturgy highlights them?

In September the summer begins to cool down. The liturgy cools us down too…focusing our eyes on
the real struggle that brings forth new life. This month offers us no less than four feasts of the Mother
of God, first of the believers. She shines before us in her birth (Sept. 8), her holy name (Sept. 12), her
sorrows (Sept. 15), and a more hidden ancient feast, Our Lady of Ransom (Sept. 24). Then we are
given the powerful feast of the Holy Cross (Sept 14), a remembrance of the Korean martyrs (Sept. 20),
the Japanese martyrs (Sept. 28), and finally the Feast of the Angels (Sept. 29). This is almost a beginning
of the wonderful colors of autumn.

But what are the fruits that should be showing? First, we are reminded that we deceive ourselves if
we think growth comes without struggle. Peter will get a scolding, and all of us with him. Then we are
shown how to correct one another when we mess up. Next we are shocked to learn that there can be
no limit to forgiving. Finally, we get our values tweaked when we think about payback time. So the
skies must cry before the harvest comes.

The core of this liturgical time is the Feast of the Holy
Cross. It holds a great mystery. We are invited to stare at it
a bit. It might then reveal the true face of God. For the cross
is the most profound revelation of the Triune Mystery.

Not the abstract Three-in-One of doctrine, but the concrete
revelation of Love-in-three-dimensions. The hidden Father
is revealed to us in the Word, pinned to our human struggle,
never to be parted. The healing life-giving Spirit is
released into that time-and-place-bound struggle in the
released breath and flowing redemptive blood. They are all
there. You may want to pray this month with your crucifix
on your lap. Let it speak to you of the real God with arms
outstretched and open heart, where you can always hide out
and be comforted.

I catch my breath

When I look.

Is it really You?

My mixed-up mind has to smash all its idols.

The Real Thing takes my breath away.

I will send you the Spirit of Truth...

As Dominicans, we are flexible indeed. We move like dancers taught by a founder who chose white for the color of the religious habit for his Order, symbol of grace, light, and the baptismal garment. Dominic is also the Doctor of Truth.

But what is Truth? (We sound like Pilate!) First and most important, for the Dominican, Truth is a
person, not a proposition. Truth is not a statement of belief about God, about Jesus. It is far more. We
are referring to the One who is Truth itself, the fullness of Truth. Once we realize our Dominican life isall about a relationship with a person, then we can ask again, “Risen Lord, what are you the Truth about?

Let’s take it step by step…

Truth is the real…as known by the mind. Now what is real is real, whether we know it or not. But when we do know it, it gets inside us. We are bonded with it. Our mind is bonded with it. When we come to know this One who is the fullness of Truth, then we are in him, and he is in us. So John is spot-on in putting these words into the mouth of Jesus in his gospel.
There is nothing as real as this One who is Divine Love itself in our skin. There is nothing more concretely real than God, even if God is not material. We Dominicans have Truth as our motto: veritas! Wonder of wonders, we are talking about our relation with this Christ as the motto, the focus of our Dominican life.

This is no airy-fairy head trip. This is no abstraction. We are referring to our ever-deepening relationship with the One who is the realist of the real. No wonder then, that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of Truth.” He’s talking about sending us the Spirit of his very self. The Risen One, who is the very Truth about himself and the life he has restored to us, becomes the gate, the door, and the way in. Into what? Into the very heart of God.

So is that what you are the Truth about, Jesus? You are my way, my truth, and my unending life? And you are giving me your own Spirit so I don’t ever forget it? Then I think I get it. You’re all I’ll ever really need.

                                               Fire to burn away my resistance
                                                   Tongue to give me a voice
                                              Water to wash away my arrogance
                                                    Oil to smooth my response
                                                 Dove to calm my fear in the dark
                                                          Blood to give me life
                                                      Wine to intoxicate my soul
                                                      Wind-breath to lift me up…
                              Brand me with the Truth that is my Jesus who has found a home in me.

Being Really Real

In the world of fake news and compromised truth, how do we sift through the pseudo-world that surrounds us? As one example, integrative medicine is expanding by leaps and bounds beyond the American Medical Association model in its discoveries. We welcome the return to health solutions that are natural and an alternative to prescriptions and/or surgery. We’re looking for the authentic, for the really real, and it’s not Coca Cola!

To being with, we need a way to sift through data, and if Lonergan is right, we have a consciousness made to do just that. So let’s stick to our integrative medicine example to explore how we can really be real.

Physically, the human person needs to consider three areas in seeking health. First, the structure of the human person, second the brain and nerve extensions, and third, the chemistry of the body’s hormones, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. If the bone structure is out of alignment, then the nerves and brain are affected. To use drugs alone to address these problems may be overlooking the real causes of the problem. The approach needs to be integrative. Healing can be psycho-somatic, or it can be psycho-spiritual. The first refers to our “body,” and the second to our “soul.” But the data of sense is not enough. We need to probe the data that comes from our consciousness itself. So let’s dig deeper, from outside in. The “real” includes it all.

Holistically, the human person is a physical organism, psychic energy, and a spiritual being. Each of these dimensions has distinctive functions. The organism is most familiar with its digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems to name only a few. 

The psyche is more mysterious, because it is subconscious. Its functions include imaging, imagining, dreaming and eleven powerful emotions. Love is one of these powerful emotions. When it is wounded, our spiritual functions can be crippled. Psychology can be helpful here. 

Our spiritual functions are the most wonderful of all, and they distinguish us from the animal realm because they reveal a self-reflexive consciousness. They include the experience of wonder and awe (the base of contemplation); the ability to question for understanding; arriving at a judgment of fact or truth; and evaluating the worth of something to make a decision. Our spiritual functions are open to Mystery, thus we are made for relationship with the Holy. A second look will identify our spiritual functions in the language of intellect and will, the very image of God in our humanness.

So as we continue to explore the reality of integrative wellness of our total person, we weave together the data our senses give us, and more importantly the data our consciousness reveals. The function of our consciousness reveals the process by which we sift out fact from fiction…about anything. It also identifies us as a spiritual being in a material and historical world of complex emotions and moral choices. Anything left out?  If not, we’ve taken a step toward being really real…it works!