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Dear brothers and sisters,
he Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) "was founded,
from the beginning, especially for preaching and the
salvation of souls ". Because of this, we, the sons and
daughters of Saint Dominic, offer ourselves in a new way
to the universal Church, dedicating ourselves entirely
to the complete evangelization Word of God to all men
and women, groups and communities, believers and
non-believers and especially the poor . We are conscious
that history and the world of humanity are the places
where salvation is achieved. Because of this, attentive
to the dynamism of modern society, we insist on the
necessity of establishing our preaching on the new
experiences and realities that contemporary men and
women daily bring to the Christian faith. Reading the
Acts of the most recent General Chapters, we can sketch
the new "Areopagus" or "frontiers" to which we are
called; which are priorities for the Order and how we
can portray our proclamation of the Gospel.
I. THE MISSION OF THE ORDER FROM ITS ORIGINS: "MISSION
WITHOUT FRONTIERS"
The emphasis on the missionary and evangelizing
character of the Church in Vatican II, in Evangelii
Nuntiandi - which Brother Damian Byrne called the "Carta
Magna of the preacher" - makes singularly clear the
foundational project of Dominic. It is the
responsibility of the whole Dominican Family, "men and
women together in mission," to realize that project and
to set in motion the specific mission of the Order in
the world. Some features that have characterized the
Dominican mission from the beginning are:
The mission of the Order was and must continue to be a
mission beyond frontiers.
This mission, situated at the - as Bro. Pierre Claverie
OP, bishop of Oran in Algeria, called them, "lignes de
fracture" of humanity, which go across our globalized
world so often marked by injustice and the violence of
racial, social and religious conflicts.
It demanded and demands of the Dominican community the
attitude and practice of itinerancy, mobility, the
continuous displacement towards the new frontiers to
which the priorities of our mission guide us.
II. THE FRONTIERS ON WHICH WE ARE CALLED TO EVANGELIZE:
1. The frontier between life and death:
The great challenge of justice and peace in the world
The most dramatic and urgent problems that confront
contemporary men and women are of a historical
character. They deal with the systems, structures,
social practices, politics and economies that put a
great mass of people between life and death. So, the
dedication to justice and peace - analysis, reflection
and actions of solidarity - is a criterion of the
validation of any Dominican mission, and must accompany
any sphere or modality of our preaching. The example of
Bartolomé de las Casas, Antonio de Montesinos and Pedro
de Córdoba in
Latin America,
like the example of Domingo de Salazar in the east and
the works of Brother Louis Joseph Lebret in our time are
illuminating.
2. The frontier between humanity and inhumanity:
The great challenge of the emarginated
The marginalizing structure of today's society produces
an ever-increasing number of emarginated men and women,
who come close to the frontier of an inhuman or
sub-human life. Among the categories of emarginated can
be found many peoples that suffer from material poverty
and a cultural, social, economic and political
marginalization. There are still today, in various
forms, victims of "apartheid": emigrants, dissidents,
workers, women, the sick, the young, the old. These are
manifest signs of the absence of the reign of God, and
as such, a challenge that takes priority in our
reflection, study and evangelization. The mission of the
Dominican community is to inaugurate and show a new
model of communion and participation among all men and
women.
3. The Christian frontier:
The challenge of the universal religions
The universal religious traditions give us the
experience of God. Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam
are situated nevertheless, beyond the frontier of the
Christian experience of God. Some of these religious
traditions exert a strong influence on contemporary men
and women. The dialogue with other religions brings into
question the traditional conceptions of the evangelizing
mission of the Church as well as inauthentic attitudes
and models of evangelization. The dialogue must be at
once analytical and self-critical; this presupposes a
listening attitude and an inculturated presence, free of
any hint of colonialism, imperialism or fanaticism.
Dominic's ideal was to be in mission beyond the
frontiers of established Christianity, among the Cumbans
(this was his dream). The placing of convents in cities
and the presence of the friars in universities for
intercultural and inter-religious dialogue give priority
to this challenge of Dominican evangelization.
4. The frontier of religious experience:
The challenge of secular ideologies
Contemporary men and women find themselves in a deeply
paradoxical situation: there is a lack of religion and a
yearning for the religious. Secular ideologies explain,
in part, this lack and question the old models of the
transmission of Christ's message. Many of these
questions, planted by contemporary thought, remain to be
answered. Present in all of these is the interrogative
about the person and his or her future and the critical
question about the truth. Atheism, unbelief,
secularization, indifference and laicism are questions
that deal strongly with these ideologies. Dialogue on
these very subjects can serve as a critical corrective
to the varied manifestations of religious and Christian
actions and, at the same time, suggest a priority area
of Dominican evangelization. An important lesson from
the origins of Dominican history has been the capacity
of the Order to establish a dialogue between Christ's
message and both classical and emerging cultures. Some
examples are: Saint Dominic, who incorporated study in
his foundational project: Thomas Aquinas in the 13th
century; the Dominican professors and theologians of the
16th century; the Dominican theologians at Vatican II.
Theology has been creative and prophetic in the
Dominican Family in so far as it has been allowed to be
clarified by cultural coordinates. It has been
life-giving in the measure that it has taken as its
point of departure the pressing quæstiones disputatæ of
each time.
5. The frontier of the Church:
The challenge of the non-Catholic confessions and other
religious movements
The plurality of confessions is a scandal for believers
and non-believers. The hidden riches in the diverse
Christian traditions are an invitation to ecumenical
dialogue and reconciliation. The theological reflection
of the Order, faithful to its tradition, addresses this
challenge. With other overtones, the frontier of the
Church also goes to the phenomenon of the "new religious
options". In certain countries and regions of the world,
the growing presence of these "movements" constitutes a
challenge for evangelization. Simple denunciation and
anathemas are insufficient. The first ideal of Dominic
was to be in mission beyond the frontiers of
"Christianity". The immediate needs of the Church
impeded him, and he carried out his mission among
heretics, in the frontiers of the Church. From them he
learned and took models of the evangelical and apostolic
life. With them, he was in dialogue without rest. He
questioned them with his witness and fidelity to the
communion of the Church.
III. PRIORITIES OF THE ORDER THAT CORRESPOND TO THESE
FRONTIERS:
The Order of Preachers, which participates in the
Apostolic Life of the Church, must be always in mission
and position itself on the frontiers. The highest
priority of all for us is preaching, "dedicating
ourselves entirely to the complete evangelization of the
Word of God". To realize this end, the Order has
reaffirmed four priorities in recent years. These
priorities can not be separated one from the other nor
can one be emphasized while diminishing the importance
of the others; on the contrary, they are complementary;
each one responds in a different way to the more
pressing needs of contemporary peoples with regard to
preaching the Word of God. Neither are they new, but
belong wholly to the charism and tradition of the Order:
in the life of Saint Dominic, in the life of the
brothers of the 13th century, in the life of the
brothers of the 16th century who arrived in
Latin America and the Far East, in the modern epoch. The
four priories are certainly the fruit of our original
grace. They are:
1. Catechesis in a dechristianized world: the world of
those who grew up in the context of a Christian
tradition, but in fact live on the fringes or outside;
indifferent or hostile to the visible community of
believers. This catechesis should be Pascal, to call
people to a personal conversion and bring about the
transformation of the world; also, it should promote lay
ministries.
2. Evangelization in the context of diverse cultures:
oriented towards a philosophical and theological
investigation of cultures, intellectual systems, social
movements and religious traditions operative "outside of
historical Christianity". The Order is called to help to
give birth to a new way to be Christian on the various
continents. The local communities must identify with the
people in a positive attitude of dialogue and
appreciation of their cultural values.
3. Justice and Peace: critical analysis of the origins,
forms and structures of injustice in contemporary
societies; evangelical praxis for the liberation and
promotion of the whole person. Actions for Justice and
Peace, that they may be prophetic signs in the world,
need to be integrated into projects of local, provincial
or regional communities; they must be based in social
analysis and biblical and theological sources; they must
support the brothers and sisters who participate at the
risk of their lives in associations and movements in
favor of human dignity.
4. Human communication through mass media: in the
preaching of the Word of God. The media has very
evidently shown us "the drama of our times": the
fracture between human culture and the evangelical
message, between the human word and the word of faith (Evangelii
Nuntiandi 20); the media today constitutes a privileged
instrument to provide a culturally intelligible and
effective word to the efficacious proclamation of the
whole Gospel. Immersed in a world in which the whole
person is communicative of life or death. This occurs in
a process in which there are no spectators; all are
actors; the vocation of the Order calls us, then, to be
preachers, that is, communicators with these
characteristics: conviction, new vision, liberty.
IV. CHARACTERISTICS OF PREACHING AND ATTITUDES OF THE
PREACHER
Evangelization in these frontiers and in accord with
these priorities has certain characteristics and
requires some personal and communitarian attitudes :
1. THEOLOGICAL Preaching
This implies a total openness to the whole truth,
wherever it is to be found. It demands a profound
reflection and disposition for dialogue (ecumenical,
inter religious and cultural). Our preaching has always
been rooted in a profound and scientific study of
theology. "Our study must be directed principally,
ardently and diligently to this: that we can be useful
to the souls of our neighbors." Since then our study has
been intimately related to the apostolic mission of
preaching of the Order. To dedicate ourselves to study
is to respond to a call to "cultivate the human search
for the truth". Saint Dominic encouraged his friars to
be useful to souls through an intellectual compassion,
to share with them misericordia veritatis, the mercy of
the truth. The crisis of today's world, the scandal of
growing poverty and injustice, confrontation of
different cultures, contact with dechristianized
peoples; all of this is a challenge for us. Our practice
of theological reflection must prepare us to penetrate
profoundly into the significance of these subjects in
the mystery of Divine Providence. Contemplation and
theological reflection give us the capacity to seek ways
more suited for today's preaching of the Gospel. This is
the true path we follow so that our preaching be
doctrinally true, and not an abstract, intellectual
exposition of some system.
2. COMPASSIONATE Preaching
This demands an attitude of profound compassion for
people, especially for those who find themselves
"distant". Only compassion can cure our blindness and
make it possible that we see the signs of the times.
Compassion brings humility to our preaching - humility
for which we are willing to listen and speak, to receive
and give, that we may influence and be influenced, to be
evangelized and to evangelize. Compassion and humility
come only from a profound union with God in Christ. We
are united to God when we imitate the compassion and
humble service of Christ. Compassion and humility are
fountains from which emanate the knowledge of the signs
of the times, pervading prayer and contemplation. This
is how we contemplate God, who has revealed himself to
us through Sacred Scripture and who manifests his will
in the signs of the times.
3. INCULTURATED AND INCARNATED Preaching
This demands a profound sensibility to the diverse
visions of reality that other religions, cultures and
philosophies (incarnation and inculturation) have. It
implies an education in order to know how to hope, to
learn, to come to conversion, to be part, integrate and
help to purify and elevate that which we find in these
religions, cultures and philosophies.
4. PROPHETIC Preaching
It is the proclamation not of our own knowledge, but of
the Word of God, living and life-giving, integral
pronouncement of the revealed Gospel that contains words
of eternal life. It is not possible to omit the serious
analysis of the "signs of the times", which proceeds
from supernatural principles and is illuminated through
prayer. To discern the signs of the times, we must
attend diligently to the cry of the poor, the oppressed,
the emarginated and the tortured, and all those who,
because of race, religion and denouncing injustice,
suffer persecution. God talks to us through these cries
and also through the silence of those who have no voice
and live in apathy, loneliness and depression.
5. Preaching IN POVERTY
Poverty is not only a form of self-denial, but also a
testament and appropriate means that lends credibility
to our preaching; it is a sign of its authority and
sincerity. We live in a world that augments the division
between the rich and the poor - as much in rich and poor
nations as in rich and poor groups and people. Moreover,
the poor today have a better knowledge of national and
international structures that are the cause of this
state of servility and poverty. If in a world such as
this we were to present ourselves as living more with
the rich than with the poor, our preaching would not be
credible.
6. ITINERANT Preaching
We are men and women in journey. Itinerancy is, in the
first place, a spatial concept that implies a
disposition to go on journey, to travel; but our
preaching asks of us a social, cultural, ideological and
economic itinerancy. It is an aspect of Dominican
spirituality that must inform the whole of our lives and
that is nurtured from diverse biblical experiences from
the Hebrew Scriptures as well as those of Jesus, "The
Way" whom Dominic longed to follow as a true evangelical
son.
7. COMMUNITARIAN Preaching
Our preaching is not the solitary effort of isolated
individuals. And so, it demands a disposition to
collaborate, to work in groups, to support the efforts
of others with a demonstrated interest, vivaciousness
and effective aid. These attitudes have their roots in
the essential elements of our Dominican life: the common
life, contemplative prayer, assiduous study, a fraternal
community and consecration through our vows. The
communion and universality of the Order also inform its
government in which are exceptional the organic and
proportioned participation of all of the parts to attain
the correct ends of the Order. It is a communitarian
government in its way and is certainly appropriate for
the promotion of the Order and its frequent revision.
8. SHARED Preaching: THE DOMINICAN FAMILY
The Order was born as a Family. Friars, contemplative
nuns, sisters, members of secular institutes and lay and
clerical fraternities and other groups in some manner
associated with the Order (among these: Dominican Youth
Movement - IDYM ; Dominican Volunteers International -
DVI ) inspire us in the charism of Dominic. This charism
is one and indivisible: the grace of preaching. It is a
shared preaching with our brothers and sisters of the
Order who through their baptism live the same common
priesthood and who are consecrated through the same
religious profession and through their promise to the
same mission. Our global identity is better manifested
through our collaboration with one another. This
collaboration includes: praying together, planning,
making decisions and completing projects from a mutual
complementarity that respects equality. These projects
include very diverse themes such as ministries of
prayer, teaching, preaching, pastoral animation, justice
and peace, the mass media, investigations and
publications, as well as promotion of vocations and
formation.
Conclusion: These frontiers, priorities and
characteristics of our proclamation of the Gospel are
not "new tasks" that are added to others like a kind of
"categorical imperative" or "new way" that excludes
others of yesterday. On the contrary, they express a
path of joy and freedom; they express the vocation of
many men and women that have given and give their lives
making their own the words of the Apostle:
"Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1
Corinthians 9, 16) |
