He Spoke with God or
about God
Dominic possessed such great integrity and was so strongly
motivated by divine love, that without a doubt he proved to be a bearer of
honour and grace. He was a man of great equanimity, except when moved to
compassion and mercy. And since a joyful heart animates the face, he displayed
the peaceful composure of a spiritual man in the kindness he manifested
outwardly and by the cheerfulness of his countenance.
Wherever he went he showed himself in word and deed to be a man of
the Gospel. During the day no one was more community-minded or pleasant toward
his brothers and associates. During the night hours no one was more persistent
in every kind of vigil and supplication. He seldom spoke unless it was with
God, that is, in prayer, or about God, and in this matter he instructed his
brothers. Frequently he made a special personal petition that God would deign
to grant him a genuine charity, effective in caring for and obtaining the
salvation of men. For he believed that only then would he be truly a member of Christ,
when he had given himself totally for the salvation of men, just as the Lord
Jesus, the Saviour of all, had offered himself completely for our salvation.
So, for this work, after a lengthy period of careful and provident planning, he
founded the Order of Friars Preachers.
In his conversations and letters he often urged the brothers of
the Order to study constantly the Old and New Testaments. He always carried
with him the gospel according to Matthew and the epistles of Paul, and so well
did he study them that he almost knew them from memory.
Two or three times he was chosen bishop, but he always refused,
preferring to live with his brothers in poverty. Throughout his life, he
preserved the honour of his virginity. He desired to be scourged and cut to
pieces, and so die for the faith of Christ. Of him Pope Gregory IX declared: “I
knew him as a steadfast follower of the apostolic way of life. There is no
doubt that he is in heaven, sharing in the glory of the apostles themselves.”
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings
From various Writings on
the History of the Order of Preachers
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