
...................	Why is it worthwhile and important to lead a Lay Dominican life? First let us look at the contrary: - What would be the effect of the absence of the Lay Dominicans? - What would be the effect of the absence of the Dominican Order? - What would be the effect of the absence of the religious orders? - What would be the effect of the absence of the Catholic Church? - What would be the effect of the absence of the Christian churches? * - Why is it important to have every small brick in its place? - What would be the effect of the absence of some bricks in the church building? - What would be the effect of the absence of the cement between the bricks? - What would be the effect of the absence of some of the walls walls in the church building? - What would be the effect of the absence of some of the rooms in the church building? - What would be the effect of the absence of the church building? I don’t think that we need to answer all of these questions. It is enough to imagine it. Then we can understand why it is important and worthwhile for every member to remain firmly in his / her own place. God is the masterbuilder who builds the building. He needs each of us to keep on being there, where He put us intentionally. We, the small bricks, are not able to see his whole plan, but we must trust him and be sure that He puts us into our best places. A piece of tile for the roof is unusable when building the inside part of a room; it must be on the roof, and then the room will be safe. Or a piece of wooden floor is unusable on the roof, but it is necessary for the floor. A piece of wonderful marble from Carrara cannot be used for building a chimney but is very good for a pillar. All of the materials have their importance only in certain areas. We ourselves can fulfil our different tasks in different areas as well. We cannot judge the different vocations neither within nor outside the Order. Each one is different, but valuable if fulfils its own requirements. I would like to quote a few sentences from the POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION CHRISTIFIDELES LAICI OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II ON THE VOCATION AND THE MISSION OF THE LAY FAITHFUL IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE WORLD "The participation by so many persons and groups in the life of society is increasingly pursued today as the way to make a desired peace become a reality. On this road we meet many lay faithful generously committed to the social and political field, working in a variety of institutional forms and those of a voluntary nature in service to the least.” (Intr. 6) “In referring to the apostolate of the lay faithful the Second Vatican Council writes: "For the exercise of the apostolate the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the People of God through the ministry and the sacraments gives the faithful special gifts as well (1 Cor 12:7), 'allotting them to each one as he wills' (cf. 1 Cor 12:11), so that each might place 'at the service of others the grace received' and become 'good stewards of God's varied grace' (1 Pt 4:10), and build up thereby the whole body in charity (Eph 4:16)” "By a logic which looks to the divine source of this giving, as the Council recalls, the gifts of the Spirit demand that those who have received them exercise them for the growth of the whole Church." "The charisms are received in gratitude both on the part of the one who receives them, and also on the part of the entire Church. They are in fact a singularly rich source of grace for the vitality of the apostolate and for the holiness of the whole Body of Christ, provided that they be gifts that come truly from the Spirit and are exercised in full conformity with the authentic promptings of the Spirit. In this sense the discernment of charisms is always necessary." "The lay faithful participate in the life of the Church not only in exercising their tasks and charisms, but also in many other ways. Such participation finds its first and necessary expression in the life and mission of the particular Church, in the diocese in which "the Church of Christ, one, holy, catholic and apostolic, is truly present and at work" "The lay faithful have an essential and irreplaceable role in this announcement and in this testimony: through them the Church of Christ is made present in the various sectors of the world, as a sign and source of hope and of love." "The "world" thus becomes the place and the means for the lay faithful to fulfill their Christian vocation, because the world itself is destined to glorify God the Father in Christ.” “They are not called to abandon the position that they have in the world. Baptism does not take them from the world at all, as the apostle Paul points out: "So, brethren, in whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God" (1 Cor 7:24). On the contrary, he entrusts a vocation to them that properly concerns their situation in the world. The lay faithful, in fact, "are called by God so that they, led by the spirit of the Gospel, might contribute to the sanctification of the world, as from within like leaven, by fulfilling their own particular duties. Thus, especially in this way of life, resplendent in faith, hope and charity they manifest Christ to others". Thus for the lay faithful, to be present and active in the world is not only an anthropological and sociological reality, but in a specific way, a theological and ecclesiological reality as well. In fact, in their situation in the world God manifests his plan and communicates to them their particular vocation of "seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God". QUOTATION ENDS HERE The ways of our forebears Let us look at 3 examples: Saint Dominic, Saint Catherine of Siena and Blessed PierGiorgio Frassati. I am sure you all know their lives. I would like just to highlight some special characteristics. Why was it worthwhile for them to do what they did? Why was it important for them? We can say that all of them led a consciously committed Christian life in order to fulfil God’s will among people. What is the purpose of the consciously committed Christian life? Saint Dominic The 21st century and the 13th century look similar from many points of view. Saint Dominic’s program can be very much on today’s agenda. He would not today live differently from how he did then. Many heretics returned to the church due to Saint Dominic’s gentle words and his life of faith that proved his preaching. He was motivated by compassion for sinners. He used to say: „Lord, what will happen to the sinners?” He worked for the salvation of souls. He knew that this is the only important aim in the world worth working for. Saint Dominic did not waste his time: he only spoke with God or about God. The flame of love coming from Jesus’ heart lit his heart and urged him to do his best for the salvation of souls. We can follow him. Saint Catherine of Siena Our forebear was born in 1347 and belonged to the group of penitents called Mantellatas. Munoz di Zamora Master of the Order published the rule for them as for the Third Order of the Dominicans in 1285. In Catherine’s time the Lay Dominican Third Order and The Religious Third Order were not separated. Both of them originate from the same source. Nowadays as lay Dominicans we live with our families and the religious branch lives in the Congregations’ convents. Catherine lived with her family, but she created a cell in her heart to be able to live together with Jesus there. Anything that was done by her was done together with Jesus. She became the mistress of contemplation. Her secret was to focus on Jesus’ will. To open her heart and to choose not her own will, but God’s will. We can read her Dialogue with Jesus. After having understood God in contemplation it was important for her to work for God’s kingdom. It was not a question for her whether it was worthwhile or not. She was sure it was worth saving souls from eternal death. The flame of Jesus’ love coming through Saint Dominic lit her heart and urged her to do her best for the salvation of souls. She managed to resolve many troubles between different people. She was a peacemaker. We can read hundreds of her letters which all prove that her life was not in vain. We can follow her. Blessed PierGiorgio Frassati (1901-1925) He took care of the poor people of his city, Turin without telling others. He was a university student when he became a Lay Dominican at the age of 21. Three years later he died during an epidemic of poliomyelitis, which he contracted among the poor. Despite this fatal illness he considered what he had done was worthwhile and important. He managed to have a good balance between contemplation and activity in his life. He used to go skiing and climbing the mountains. He loved being in silence with God on the mountains. PierGiorgio attended Mass every day. He spent hours regularly in adoration before the Sacrament before leaving for the mountains. He worked with huge energy for God’s kingdom in various church and political organizations. He did not build a carreer, but instead wanted to guide everyone to God. We can follow him. The flame of Jesus’ love through Saint Dominic lit up his heart and urged him to do his best for the young and especially for the poor. The three above-mentioned Dominicans were able to bring a positive change in people’s mentality, because they led a valuable committed life and their acts bore witness to their words. Today Today we also need committed people who consider Christian preaching life important and who are able to change the mentality of our senseless, consumeristic, egotistic world and help people find real joy in God. Our tasks towards other people are: to show the real values of life, to lead them on the right path, to reconcile for sins, to feel compassion and to provide spiritual support. And our task towards God is: to praise him and fulfil what we promised in our profession. In other words: to find the joy in God. Commitment means that we preach not only when it is comfortable and suitable, but also that we desire to remain always devoted to our Rule. I do not say that I always succeed in this, but at least I try to. I know the Rule and I want to fulfil it for the glory of God and for the peace of my soul. Saint Paul says: „yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2,20) This world needs apostles. Saint Dominic was an apostle. We can also be apostles in our neighbourhood and our workplace. We need to continue in our fraternities what our founder began: preaching in a gentle, but confident way, studying our faith and being in permanent prayer. We read in the Bible that the faithful are the leaven in the world. It is important not to run out of leaven, because then there will be no new bread at all. Our ’leaven’ role is important, but we do not need to measure how much leaven there is. It is not part of our task. We often hear it said it is not worth doing this or that good thing, because only very few people do it. In reality the contrary is true: we should recognize that the value of our work increases if there is a lack of it. It can be our vocation to become the small team of the “blessed remnant” who continue following Jesus. We do not need to concern ourselves whether our way of life is popular or not – it is not important. We need only to trust in Jesus. Changing a mentality We have the possibility to study in our fraternity and then it will form our mentality and conscience and later we will be able to form others as well. Let us demonstrate with a parable what the main problem is with the mentality of this world. A game of cards Life is like a game of cards. When we play, we collect cards following certain rules and the suits. The winner is the one who manages to follow suit successfully. But the winner does not keep the cards, he only uses them, and then returns them to the dealer. Sooner or later everyone can win who joins the game and keeps the rules. God wrote “card suits” into our souls, making us know what is good and beautiful. And alongside this He created a huge desire in our soul, a space for goodness and beauty, that can be lastingly filled only by Him. We can try to fulfil our desires through different good and beautiful things: good relationships with people, clothes of the latest fashion, fast cars, exciting TV films, exotic food, but all of these will make us happy only for a short time. An empty space always remains in the soul. We can use these things, but we should not wish at all costs to own them, because they are unable to bring real joy. The person who wants to own the cards will be disappointed, because the prize is not that. The things of this world are only tools, the ‘prize’ is God himself. When we play cards, we do not own them, we just use them. Afterwards they are returned and others may use them. Our longing can only be satisfied by God, which is why He created inside us the desire. Saint Paul says: ‘I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.’ (1Cor7,29-31) Material things of this world are required for life, but we need to remain free of them. Not because they are bad, but because they are not everlasting. All the beautiful and good things in the world are a reflection of God, but a hazy one, and cannot be compared to the joy that awaits us. * In this materialistic world, where only the pampering of the body is practised, it is important to show that the meaning of our life is more than this. We can show in our everyday life that e.g.: not TV series are the centre of our evenings, but instead invite our family members or neighbours to have discussions and shared prayers. Such people are needed who are able to accept everything as the gift of God and to be grateful for whatever happens to them, be it good or bad.. We need to take responsibility for our lives. It is worth having the courage to pray and to bear witness to its great importance. We need to keep on doing it despite troubles and exasperating circumstances. Our vocation is to be persistent till the end of our lives, in spite of our circumstances. We believe that God carries us in his palm (in his hand). Various Dominican vocations We belong to the Dominican Family. We respect all types of vocations, because all of them are the gift of God. We love and need each other. We add different values to build up the Family as a whole one. There are a lot of beautiful art styles among different painters. We don’t have to love all of them. Everyone can choose which style he prefers. It is impossible and pointless to judge which style is of higher value. Each of them is worthwhile but different. If I don’t like the Impressionists it does not mean that their style has less value. It means only that another style maybe closer to me. Looking at the vocations there are many different but valuable ways. Each of them can lead towards God. It does not mean that I must follow all of them for my salvation. It is sufficient to choose one way for myself. The life of our branch is of the same great value as other branches’ of the Family. We are in good friendship with the other branches: with the sisters of the congregations, the contemplative nuns and the friars. Our lives are not easier than their lives. They are of different characters. Community life possesses a great power, it gives energy to keep the rule. On the other hand I accept that it cannot be always easy for the nuns or for the friars to live in a community living in a house with many different people. But for example: at the end of the day a friar can go into his own cell and lock the door to stay alone. But Lay Dominicans live with their families. So, it is impossible at the end of the day to lock ourselves and stay alone. We do not own separate cells, we cannot say good-bye to our family members at 8.00 in the evening, when we would like to have silence for meditation, but we must tolerate others every minute of our lives. So from this aspect we have more opportunities in our lives to bear witness or to fail. It is not part of our vocation to leave our families and remain alone (Except for some days or weeks a year for spiritual retreats --- see the picture.) We can offer every second to God and only He knows how much persistence we need every day. Our lives are of great value for this reason. The fraternity can help us much as standing behind us as a place of sharing and providing spiritual support. It is worth giving our energy to building up a good fraternity. Then it will be a source of spiritual energy for the members. Take care: it is never finished. If we stop giving from our own gifts into the common spiritual treasure, and only want to take out from it, then it will not work. It will sonn become empty. It needs unceasing work to maintain the balance, but it is worth it. We will see the results of a living fraternity. We should remember that it is not a group of friends, but rather a group of people who love Saint Dominic and are invited to follow the same way together. God provides beautiful gifts now and will give much more afterwards. It is worth responding to his call and working for his kingdom. There are friars who assist in our fraternity life. Sometimes they attend our meetings and we listen to each other, pray and work together. The relationship within the Dominican Family and among the fraternities is important for us. We are not isolated teams, but rather members of a huge family, where we feel we belong together despite our different lifestyles. As you know, Saint Dominic preached in inns and at markets. He reached people at every possible place and the result was that they converted. The converts did not attend church, so they did not hear Saint Dominic’s homilies. Instead they took part in personal discussions about faith or listened to him during public preaching on the streets, at markets. It is worth trying to have gentle personal discussions with our neighbours, colleagues or friends on different religious subjects. For this we need to be prepared. So we need to study the sources of our faith: the Bible, the Catechism and other important contemporary documents of the Church, like the letters of the Popes. Our vocation will not be judged based on our level of knowledge, but on our faithfulness in fraternity life. This kind of study is not to pass exams or build a carreer, but to become able to respond to the questions of our world. For non-believers and for average Christians the nuns, sisters and friars are far away at an unreachable distance. Their real life style is unknown to most people and there are not too many opportunities to meet them. Here we have a great opportunity to be ’on the border of religious and lay’ to be able to meet both sides. Our task is to reach non-believers and average Christians through compassion, sharing, discussion and using the modern technological means of our age, where possible. Good and open positive communication about church life is important. Shared prayer I love praying the divine office, because I know that then I join the official prayer of the whole Church, including all the branches of the Dominican Family. We are committed to pray it at least once a day. It is recommended because it lifts up our souls to God. It is worth joining this shared prayer and feeling that we are not alone, but united with the saints, with the angels and with the living God himself. The ’Our Father’ is included in the morning and evening office, and in the rosary, which is also a very important part of Dominican prayer. I always remind myself that Jesus himself taught the ‘Our Father’ to the disciples. His heart is full of love towards his Father and towards us, sinners. He longs to fulfil us with his love. If we want to belong to him, then we need to join his prayer to the Father in heaven. He intends to purify us. It is worth using time well and spending it with Him in prayer. It is not a waste of time as it will bear fruit. The only joy that can begin now and can last forever is unity in God in contemplation. We can pray together with our fraternity members while having meetings and we can also be together with them in our souls when we are alone. Shared prayer has a special power as Jesus said: „For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt 18,20) It is important to not only pray alone, then we can receive the mercy that God wants to distribute among us for our common prayers. It is also our task to pray in every situation in order to reconcile ourselves to God for sins and also to obtain his blessing for the world. It is possible to pray not only in the time devoted to prayer, but while travelling, queuing in a shop, before starting work or even when lying helpless in hospital. We can pray for the souls of those who are present there and who maybe never pray. It is worth following Saint Dominic in his continuous prayer that bore good fruits. The most valuable gifts of God are the peace of our hearts in Him and the permanently increasing desire for the salvation of souls at the same time. It is worth living in this way, because we will feel the joy and hope given by God despite any troubles and suffering. God is present in the whole created world and He longs for us. There should be people who want to fulfil God’s plan in the world that “When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will (also) be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.” (1Cor 15,28) It is a privilege for us if we can be those who can work together with his Son, Jesus Christ. In general we can say that we live our Lay Dominican vocation in our circumstances of life, where we try to create a balance between Dominican contemplation and activity. Our activities Some examples: We lead rosary and other prayer groups, join prayers of reconciliation, organize programs as members of the parish council, work as sacristan, repair things at the parish church based on our skills, educate catechumens, do social and charity work and we are teachers of religious education, we write parish newsletters and publish Dominican writings both in printed form and on the internet, translate texts of Dominican spirituality, write articles for the local governments’ newspapers, lead scout groups, we maintain a wide-ranging relationship with members of other Lay Dominican fraternities by correspondence, visit old people, we take the Sacrament to the sick, and there are several members among us who suffer much due to their sickness and are able to offer their sufferings. And a few special activities that are undertaken according to Dominican spirituality - A blind member, who is the leader of the local organization of blind people in his town does his best for his fellows, and endures suffering and humiliation. - Another member every Sunday takes an elderly religious sister to Mass and afterwards invites her for lunch to his home. - There are teachers among us, teachers even for handicapped and blind children, and they all do their work as part of the Dominican mission. The above concrete examples are from the Hungarian vicariate, but Lay Dominicans live their vocations in a similar way all over Europe and in other parts of the world as well. Lay Dominicans for a new Europe This was the title of the last European Assembly of the Lay Dominican Fraternities in Europe that took place in 2004, in Germany. Thanks to the initiative led by a few brave, committed Lay Dominicans there have been European assemblies every 3 years since 1989. The first European Council was elected by the European Assembly in 1998. Now the structure is complete and the statutes have been written. The purpose is to build a relationship between the provinces, to feel that we belong together and that we are part of an international organization. The International Council of Lay Dominican Fraternities was established in 2001 with 1 member from each continent. The first International Assembly is planned for 2007. There are approximately 10,000 members in Europe, 63,000 in Asia-Pacific and 2,500 in Latin America, and altogether there are approximately 100,000 in all parts of the globe. Nikolett Muranyi Lay Dominican

Why is it worthwhile and important to lead a Lay Dominican life?

First let us look at the contrary:

- What would be the effect of the absence of the Lay Dominicans?

- What would be the effect of the absence of the Dominican Order?

- What would be the effect of the absence of the religious orders?

- What would be the effect of the absence of the Catholic Church?

- What would be the effect of the absence of the Christian churches?

- Why is it important to have every small brick in its place?

- What would be the effect of the absence of some bricks in the church building?

- What would be the effect of the absence of the cement between the bricks?

- What would be the effect of the absence of some of the walls walls in the church building?

- What would be the effect of the absence of some of the rooms in the church building?

- What would be the effect of the absence of the church building?

I don’t think that we need to answer all of these questions. It is enough to imagine it. Then we can understand why it is important and worthwhile for every member to remain firmly in his / her own place.

God is the masterbuilder who builds the building. He needs each of us to keep on being there, where He put us intentionally. We, the small bricks, are not able to see his whole plan, but we must trust him and be sure that He puts us into our best places. A piece of tile for the roof is unusable when building the inside part of a room; it must be on the roof, and then the room will be safe. Or a piece of wooden floor is unusable on the roof, but it is necessary for the floor. A piece of wonderful marble from Carrara cannot be used for building a chimney but is very good for a pillar. All of the materials have their importance only in certain areas. We ourselves can fulfil our different tasks in different areas as well. We cannot judge the different vocations neither within nor outside the Order. Each one is different, but valuable if fulfils its own requirements.

I would like to quote a few sentences from the
POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
CHRISTIFIDELES LAICI
OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
ON THE VOCATION AND THE MISSION OF THE LAY FAITHFUL IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE WORLD

"The participation by so many persons and groups in the life of society is increasingly pursued today as the way to make a desired peace become a reality. On this road we meet many lay faithful generously committed to the social and political field, working in a variety of institutional forms and those of a voluntary nature in service to the least.” (Intr. 6)

“In referring to the apostolate of the lay faithful the Second Vatican Council writes: "For the exercise of the apostolate the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the People of God through the ministry and the sacraments gives the faithful special gifts as well (1 Cor 12:7), 'allotting them to each one as he wills' (cf. 1 Cor 12:11), so that each might place 'at the service of others the grace received' and become 'good stewards of God's varied grace' (1 Pt 4:10), and build up thereby the whole body in charity (Eph 4:16)”

"By a logic which looks to the divine source of this giving, as the Council recalls, the gifts of the Spirit demand that those who have received them exercise them for the growth of the whole Church."

"The charisms are received in gratitude both on the part of the one who receives them, and also on the part of the entire Church. They are in fact a singularly rich source of grace for the vitality of the apostolate and for the holiness of the whole Body of Christ, provided that they be gifts that come truly from the Spirit and are exercised in full conformity with the authentic promptings of the Spirit. In this sense the discernment of charisms is always necessary."

"The lay faithful participate in the life of the Church not only in exercising their tasks and charisms, but also in many other ways. Such participation finds its first and necessary expression in the life and mission of the particular Church, in the diocese in which "the Church of Christ, one, holy, catholic and apostolic, is truly present and at work"

"The lay faithful have an essential and irreplaceable role in this announcement and in this testimony: through them the Church of Christ is made present in the various sectors of the world, as a sign and source of hope and of love."

"The "world" thus becomes the place and the means for the lay faithful to fulfill their Christian vocation, because the world itself is destined to glorify God the Father in Christ.”

“They are not called to abandon the position that they have in the world. Baptism does not take them from the world at all, as the apostle Paul points out: "So, brethren, in whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God" (1 Cor 7:24). On the contrary, he entrusts a vocation to them that properly concerns their situation in the world. The lay faithful, in fact, "are called by God so that they, led by the spirit of the Gospel, might contribute to the sanctification of the world, as from within like leaven, by fulfilling their own particular duties. Thus, especially in this way of life, resplendent in faith, hope and charity they manifest Christ to others". Thus for the lay faithful, to be present and active in the world is not only an anthropological and sociological reality, but in a specific way, a theological and ecclesiological reality as well. In fact, in their situation in the world God manifests his plan and communicates to them their particular vocation of "seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God".

QUOTATION ENDS HERE

The ways of our forebears

Let us look at 3 examples: Saint Dominic, Saint Catherine of Siena and Blessed PierGiorgio Frassati. I am sure you all know their lives. I would like just to highlight some special characteristics. Why was it worthwhile for them to do what they did? Why was it important for them?

We can say that all of them led a consciously committed Christian life in order to fulfil God’s will among people. What is the purpose of the consciously committed Christian life?

Saint Dominic

The 21st century and the 13th century look similar from many points of view.

Saint Dominic’s program can be very much on today’s agenda. He would not today live differently from how he did then. Many heretics returned to the church due to Saint Dominic’s gentle words and his life of faith that proved his preaching. He was motivated by compassion for sinners. He used to say: „Lord, what will happen to the sinners?” He worked for the salvation of souls. He knew that this is the only important aim in the world worth working for. Saint Dominic did not waste his time: he only spoke with God or about God.

The flame of love coming from Jesus’ heart lit his heart and urged him to do his best for the salvation of souls. We can follow him.

Saint Catherine of Siena

Our forebear was born in 1347 and belonged to the group of penitents called Mantellatas. Munoz di Zamora Master of the Order published the rule for them as for the Third Order of the Dominicans in 1285. In Catherine’s time the Lay Dominican Third Order and The Religious Third Order were not separated. Both of them originate from the same source. Nowadays as lay Dominicans we live with our families and the religious branch lives in the Congregations’ convents.

Catherine lived with her family, but she created a cell in her heart to be able to live together with Jesus there. Anything that was done by her was done together with Jesus. She became the mistress of contemplation. Her secret was to focus on Jesus’ will. To open her heart and to choose not her own will, but God’s will. We can read her Dialogue with Jesus. After having understood God in contemplation it was important for her to work for God’s kingdom. It was not a question for her whether it was worthwhile or not. She was sure it was worth saving souls from eternal death.

The flame of Jesus’ love coming through Saint Dominic lit her heart and urged her to do her best for the salvation of souls. She managed to resolve many troubles between different people. She was a peacemaker. We can read hundreds of her letters which all prove that her life was not in vain. We can follow her.

Blessed PierGiorgio Frassati (1901-1925)

He took care of the poor people of his city, Turin without telling others. He was a university student when he became a Lay Dominican at the age of 21. Three years later he died during an epidemic of poliomyelitis, which he contracted among the poor. Despite this fatal illness he considered what he had done was worthwhile and important.

He managed to have a good balance between contemplation and activity in his life. He used to go skiing and climbing the mountains. He loved being in silence with God on the mountains.

PierGiorgio attended Mass every day. He spent hours regularly in adoration before the Sacrament before leaving for the mountains.

He worked with huge energy for God’s kingdom in various church and political organizations. He did not build a carreer, but instead wanted to guide everyone to God. We can follow him.

The flame of Jesus’ love through Saint Dominic lit up his heart and urged him to do his best for the young and especially for the poor.

The three above-mentioned Dominicans were able to bring a positive change in people’s mentality, because they led a valuable committed life and their acts bore witness to their words.

Today

Today we also need committed people who consider Christian preaching life important and who are able to change the mentality of our senseless, consumeristic, egotistic world and help people find real joy in God. Our tasks towards other people are: to show the real values of life, to lead them on the right path, to reconcile for sins, to feel compassion and to provide spiritual support. And our task towards God is: to praise him and fulfil what we promised in our profession. In other words: to find the joy in God. Commitment means that we preach not only when it is comfortable and suitable, but also that we desire to remain always devoted to our Rule. I do not say that I always succeed in this, but at least I try to. I know the Rule and I want to fulfil it for the glory of God and for the peace of my soul.

Saint Paul says: „yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2,20)

This world needs apostles. Saint Dominic was an apostle. We can also be apostles in our neighbourhood and our workplace. We need to continue in our fraternities what our founder began: preaching in a gentle, but confident way, studying our faith and being in permanent prayer.

We read in the Bible that the faithful are the leaven in the world.

It is important not to run out of leaven, because then there will be no new bread at all. Our ’leaven’ role is important, but we do not need to measure how much leaven there is. It is not part of our task. We often hear it said it is not worth doing this or that good thing, because only very few people do it. In reality the contrary is true: we should recognize that the value of our work increases if there is a lack of it. It can be our vocation to become the small team of the “blessed remnant” who continue following Jesus. We do not need to concern ourselves whether our way of life is popular or not – it is not important. We need only to trust in Jesus.

Changing a mentality

We have the possibility to study in our fraternity and then it will form our mentality and conscience and later we will be able to form others as well.

Let us demonstrate with a parable what the main problem is with the mentality of this world.

A game of cards

Life is like a game of cards. When we play, we collect cards following certain rules and the suits. The winner is the one who manages to follow suit successfully. But the winner does not keep the cards, he only uses them, and then returns them to the dealer. Sooner or later everyone can win who joins the game and keeps the rules.

God wrote “card suits” into our souls, making us know what is good and beautiful. And alongside this He created a huge desire in our soul, a space for goodness and beauty, that can be lastingly filled only by Him.

We can try to fulfil our desires through different good and beautiful things: good relationships with people, clothes of the latest fashion, fast cars, exciting TV films, exotic food, but all of these will make us happy only for a short time. An empty space always remains in the soul. We can use these things, but we should not wish at all costs to own them, because they are unable to bring real joy.

The person who wants to own the cards will be disappointed, because the prize is not that. The things of this world are only tools, the ‘prize’ is God himself. When we play cards, we do not own them, we just use them. Afterwards they are returned and others may use them. Our longing can only be satisfied by God, which is why He created inside us the desire.

Saint Paul says: ‘I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.’ (1Cor7,29-31) Material things of this world are required for life, but we need to remain free of them. Not because they are bad, but because they are not everlasting. All the beautiful and good things in the world are a reflection of God, but a hazy one, and cannot be compared to the joy that awaits us.

In this materialistic world, where only the pampering of the body is practised, it is important to show that the meaning of our life is more than this. We can show in our everyday life that e.g.: not TV series are the centre of our evenings, but instead invite our family members or neighbours to have discussions and shared prayers. Such people are needed who are able to accept everything as the gift of God and to be grateful for whatever happens to them, be it good or bad..

We need to take responsibility for our lives. It is worth having the courage to pray and to bear witness to its great importance. We need to keep on doing it despite troubles and exasperating circumstances. Our vocation is to be persistent till the end of our lives, in spite of our circumstances.

We believe that God carries us in his palm (in his hand).

Various Dominican vocations

We belong to the Dominican Family. We respect all types of vocations, because all of them are the gift of God. We love and need each other. We add different values to build up the Family as a whole one.

There are a lot of beautiful art styles among different painters. We don’t have to love all of them. Everyone can choose which style he prefers. It is impossible and pointless to judge which style is of higher value. Each of them is worthwhile but different. If I don’t like the Impressionists it does not mean that their style has less value. It means only that another style maybe closer to me. Looking at the vocations there are many different but valuable ways. Each of them can lead towards God. It does not mean that I must follow all of them for my salvation. It is sufficient to choose one way for myself.

The life of our branch is of the same great value as other branches’ of the Family. We are in good friendship with the other branches: with the sisters of the congregations, the contemplative nuns and the friars.

Our lives are not easier than their lives. They are of different characters. Community life possesses a great power, it gives energy to keep the rule. On the other hand I accept that it cannot be always easy for the nuns or for the friars to live in a community living in a house with many different people. But for example: at the end of the day a friar can go into his own cell and lock the door to stay alone. But Lay Dominicans live with their families. So, it is impossible at the end of the day to lock ourselves and stay alone. We do not own separate cells, we cannot say good-bye to our family members at 8.00 in the evening, when we would like to have silence for meditation, but we must tolerate others every minute of our lives. So from this aspect we have more opportunities in our lives to bear witness or to fail. It is not part of our vocation to leave our families and remain alone (Except for some days or weeks a year for spiritual retreats --- see the picture.)

We can offer every second to God and only He knows how much persistence we need every day. Our lives are of great value for this reason.

The fraternity can help us much as standing behind us as a place of sharing and providing spiritual support. It is worth giving our energy to building up a good fraternity. Then it will be a source of spiritual energy for the members. Take care: it is never finished. If we stop giving from our own gifts into the common spiritual treasure, and only want to take out from it, then it will not work. It will sonn become empty. It needs unceasing work to maintain the balance, but it is worth it. We will see the results of a living fraternity. We should remember that it is not a group of friends, but rather a group of people who love Saint Dominic and are invited to follow the same way together. God provides beautiful gifts now and will give much more afterwards. It is worth responding to his call and working for his kingdom. There are friars who assist in our fraternity life. Sometimes they attend our meetings and we listen to each other, pray and work together. The relationship within the Dominican Family and among the fraternities is important for us. We are not isolated teams, but rather members of a huge family, where we feel we belong together despite our different lifestyles.

As you know, Saint Dominic preached in inns and at markets. He reached people at every possible place and the result was that they converted. The converts did not attend church, so they did not hear Saint Dominic’s homilies. Instead they took part in personal discussions about faith or listened to him during public preaching on the streets, at markets. It is worth trying to have gentle personal discussions with our neighbours, colleagues or friends on different religious subjects. For this we need to be prepared. So we need to study the sources of our faith: the Bible, the Catechism and other important contemporary documents of the Church, like the letters of the Popes. Our vocation will not be judged based on our level of knowledge, but on our faithfulness in fraternity life. This kind of study is not to pass exams or build a carreer, but to become able to respond to the questions of our world.

For non-believers and for average Christians the nuns, sisters and friars are far away at an unreachable distance. Their real life style is unknown to most people and there are not too many opportunities to meet them. Here we have a great opportunity to be ’on the border of religious and lay’ to be able to meet both sides. Our task is to reach non-believers and average Christians through compassion, sharing, discussion and using the modern technological means of our age, where possible. Good and open positive communication about church life is important.

Shared prayer

I love praying the divine office, because I know that then I join the official prayer of the whole Church, including all the branches of the Dominican Family. We are committed to pray it at least once a day. It is recommended because it lifts up our souls to God. It is worth joining this shared prayer and feeling that we are not alone, but united with the saints, with the angels and with the living God himself. The ’Our Father’ is included in the morning and evening office, and in the rosary, which is also a very important part of Dominican prayer.

I always remind myself that Jesus himself taught the ‘Our Father’ to the disciples. His heart is full of love towards his Father and towards us, sinners. He longs to fulfil us with his love.

If we want to belong to him, then we need to join his prayer to the Father in heaven. He intends to purify us. It is worth using time well and spending it with Him in prayer. It is not a waste of time as it will bear fruit. The only joy that can begin now and can last forever is unity in God in contemplation.

We can pray together with our fraternity members while having meetings and we can also be together with them in our souls when we are alone. Shared prayer has a special power as Jesus said: „For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

(Mt 18,20) It is important to not only pray alone, then we can receive the mercy that God wants to distribute among us for our common prayers.

It is also our task to pray in every situation in order to reconcile ourselves to God for sins and also to obtain his blessing for the world. It is possible to pray not only in the time devoted to prayer, but while travelling, queuing in a shop, before starting work or even when lying helpless in hospital. We can pray for the souls of those who are present there and who maybe never pray. It is worth following Saint Dominic in his continuous prayer that bore good fruits. The most valuable gifts of God are the peace of our hearts in Him and the permanently increasing desire for the salvation of souls at the same time. It is worth living in this way, because we will feel the joy and hope given by God despite any troubles and suffering. God is present in the whole created world and He longs for us.

There should be people who want to fulfil God’s plan in the world that “When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will (also) be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.” (1Cor 15,28) It is a privilege for us if we can be those who can work together with his Son, Jesus Christ.

In general we can say that we live our Lay Dominican vocation in our circumstances of life, where we try to create a balance between Dominican contemplation and activity.

Our activities

Some examples:

We lead rosary and other prayer groups, join prayers of reconciliation, organize programs as members of the parish council, work as sacristan, repair things at the parish church based on our skills, educate catechumens, do social and charity work and we are teachers of religious education, we write parish newsletters and publish Dominican writings both in printed form and on the internet, translate texts of Dominican spirituality, write articles for the local governments’ newspapers, lead scout groups, we maintain a wide-ranging relationship with members of other Lay Dominican fraternities by correspondence, visit old people, we take the Sacrament to the sick, and there are several members among us who suffer much due to their sickness and are able to offer their sufferings.

And a few special activities that are undertaken according to Dominican spirituality

- A blind member, who is the leader of the local organization of blind people in his town does his best for his fellows, and endures suffering and humiliation.

- Another member every Sunday takes an elderly religious sister to Mass and afterwards invites her for lunch to his home.

- There are teachers among us, teachers even for handicapped and blind children, and they all do their work as part of the Dominican mission.

The above concrete examples are from the Hungarian vicariate, but Lay Dominicans live their vocations in a similar way all over Europe and in other parts of the world as well.

Lay Dominicans for a new Europe

This was the title of the last European Assembly of the Lay Dominican Fraternities in Europe that took place in 2004, in Germany. Thanks to the initiative led by a few brave, committed Lay Dominicans there have been European assemblies every 3 years since 1989.

The first European Council was elected by the European Assembly in 1998. Now the structure is complete and the statutes have been written.

The purpose is to build a relationship between the provinces, to feel that we belong together and that we are part of an international organization.

The International Council of Lay Dominican Fraternities was established in 2001 with 1 member from each continent. The first International Assembly is planned for 2007.

There are approximately 10,000 members in Europe, 63,000 in Asia-Pacific and 2,500 in Latin America, and altogether there are approximately 100,000 in all parts of the globe.

Nikolett Muranyi
Lay Dominican