Memorial of St. Dominic

 

Imagine a young man preaching on the campus of Catholic University in Washington DC, or at Notre Dame, proclaiming the word of God with such fervor that dozens of students and many professors—like the dean of theology, and the head of the law school—decide then and there to give up their careers and classes to join this preacher.  Picture Archbishop Jackels resigning his office to go with him.  Include the sons of several state governors along with the presidents of General Motors and IBM, plus a renowned opera singer giving up their wealth to be members of a new order called Dominicans.  All that the young man promises them is poverty and martyrdom by preaching Christianity there and in the Middle East.  Say that within twenty-five years he had 30,000 followers.  If such a thing were to happen today it would be an exact reflection of the impact that St. Dominic Guzman had on Europe in the 13^th century.  He founded the Order of Preachers to combat error with the word of God and the power of the Holy Rosary.  And true to his promise, within the first hundred years over 13,000 Dominicans were martyred. 

Very few are called to be great preachers like St. Dominic. But like him, we can pray the Rosary every day for our good and the conversion of the whole world.