“I Will Restore You” by Jim Bayne
With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again, I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel (Jeremiah 31:3-4)
At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour. (MT 15: 21-28)
Piety
Prayer for the Feast of St. Dominic
May God the Father, who made us, bless us.
May God the Son, who redeemed us, send healing into our midst.
May God the Holy Spirit, who gives us life, move within us.
May God give us eyes to see God, ears to hear God,
and hands to bring God’s work into the world.
May we walk with God and preach the word of God to all.
May the angel of peace watch over us and lead us at last by God's grace to the eternal Kingdom.
- Prayer of St. Dominic
Study
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers (OP). Dominic was born in Spain. He studies theology for six years and the arts for four. In 1191, a famine left many people desolate and homeless across Spain. Dominic sold everything he had, including his furniture and clothes and bought food for the poor. When he sold his manuscripts, required for study, he replied, "Would you have me study from these dead skins when people are dying of hunger?"
In 1194, Dominic joined a Benedictine order, the Canons Regular in Osma. He became the superior, or prior of the chapter in 1201.
In 1204 he and his bishop, Diego de Acebo, were asked to go to southern France, the region of Languedoc, to convert heretics back to the true faith. Previous efforts had failed because according to writings from the period, some of the monks who had been assigned the task had become worldly and even pompous in their approach, surrounding themselves with material artifacts which repulsed the Albigensians.
Diego and Dominic were austere by comparison to some of these worldly monks and this austerity and personal self-discipline appealed to many of the heretics who had been deceived in their thinking. As has often been said, people would rather see a sermon than hear one. Diego and Dominic were walking, breathing sermons.
In today's reading from Jeremiah, God promises to restore us and rebuild us. That was the work of Dominic and Diego.
In the Gospel, Jesus in his role as "Son of David" comes to restore and rebuild the House of Israel. In this role, he tells the woman asking that a demon be driven out of her daughter that "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But when she addresses him as "Lord," that is Lord of the Universe, sent to restore and rebuild the universe, Jesus responds "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."
The followers of St. Dominic continue today to be men and women sent to restore and rebuild the universe.
Action
As disciples of Jesus, we too are sent out in pairs to restore and rebuild our world.
What ways have you found to restore faith to those in your world?
What ways have you found to restore civility in our troubled society?
What ways have you found to rebuild our world through efforts to combat climate change?
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