I really esteem St. Dominic de Guzman. I’m tempted to share the story of his life here, but that can be found on the web (of the Dominican Order). I’m tempted to try to figure out how best to reflect about him, but I think the story of Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:51) speaks in light of Dominic’s story. Bartimaeus is one of those characters in the Gospel that spur me on. His insistence, even when the crowd wanted to shut him down, is a mark of courage. He was much focused and knew what he wanted. His request to Jesus is brief: “That I may see.” What a wonderful request to make of our Lord!
Dominic de Guzman was confronted by the murky shadows of his time through the ‘Albigensian Heresy’, which diluted the sound theological teachings of the church and gave a wrong hermeneutical approach to what prevailed. This could be best described as the blindness which lured many astray. Like the blind Bartimaeus who pleaded to Jesus to restore his sight, Dominic through the inspiration of God was endowed with a new vision to fight the heresy through the VERITAS which is TRUTH; Dominic aspired to preach what was in opposition of the ‘blind’ doctrines and theology of the Albigensians. Dominic knew that he was a loved sinner. That filled him with such gratitude that he desired with all his being to know (through study and contemplation), love and serve the one who loved him so mercifully. Once his heart was on fire with a passionate desire to be with Jesus, he came to a spiritual freedom that was quite powerful, liberating him to serve others with all his heart, and this is projected in the VERITAS.
Dominic learned to acknowledge, distinguish, reflect upon, and discern the origin of the various movements within and around him. He wasn’t afraid of contradicting even those who were seen as the ‘gurus’ and ‘academics’ of his time, because he spent time and much effort to discover what was the TRUTH which illumines all darkness. He found great power in embracing those deep challenges which confronted the Church. Dominic could find intimacy with God in all things, particularly in his quest to study, his love for community life and ardent love for preaching.
Perhaps because he found grace in the messiest parts of his life especially in his ‘fight’ with the Albigensians, and because he wasn’t afraid to wade around in his preaching, Dominic always trusted God was available to him in any experience. Anything at all, no matter how busy or troubling, good or bad, secular or simple, embarrassing or exhilarating any experience could be the occasion and the means for an experience of intimacy with God.
Dominic had a passion for others, and found it incredibly easy to be with others. It was all integrated for him. If Dominic loved Jesus and wanted to be with Jesus through his preaching and his love to stand for the TRUTH, it was simply natural to be committed to others, as Jesus is.
It is quite obvious that the Heresy propagated by the Albigensians and the work undertaken by Dominic and his friars to correct the anomaly might have created a dichotomy in comparison with darkness and light. Like the blind Bartimaeus who cried to Jesus to restore his sight in these simple words “I want to see”, Dominic might have made a similar petition in the following: I want to see people return to God; I want to see people rejoicing in living out God’s word; I want that I myself can rejoice when I suffer for the sake of the Lord; I want to understand how Jesus Christ is my High Priest and intercedes for me; I want to see how Jesus Christ is always present in His Church even when there is so much sinfulness in the members of the Church; I want to see how Christ loves me even when bad things happen to me; I want to see our political leaders live as agents of TRUTH, JUSTICE and PEACE not channels of hooliganism, corruption and embezzlement of public funds; and I want to see everything which concerns me turning around for my good! Bartimaeus’ prayer was rewarded with an immediate answer, just like that of Dominic through the establishment and the success of the Order of Preachers, popularly known and called the Dominicans.
The experience of Dominic de Guzman during the time of the Albigensian Heresy is not different from today’s world characterised by various forms of abuse, terrorism, crimes ranging from broad-day light robbery to the various forms of assassination (character and physical) and lies which have been misrepresented as ‘eloquence’. The experience of Dominic and the Blind Bartimeaus should teach us a very simple lesson: when we are focused, we definitely will say precise and short prayers truthfully (VERITAS), but when we are not, we babble as Jesus said the Jews do in their prayers (Mt. 6:7). May Jesus not only open our eyes to see all we desire to see, but also open our hearts and minds to decipher the TRUTH from FALSEHOOD as Dominic de Guzman did.
