an examination of the lives of some saints for Lent (17/40 (deo volente))
Dominicus comes from ‘Domini custos’, guardian of the Lord, or a Domino custoditus, guarded by the Lord; or the name may be interpreted according to the etymology of the word dominus. St. Dominic is therefore called the guardian of the Lord in three ways. With regard to God, he guarded the Lord’s honour. With regard to his neighbour, he guarded the Lord’s vineyard or his flock. With regard to himself, he minded the Lord’s will and kept his commandments. He is called Dominic as being guarded by the Lord because God guarded him in each of his states of life, as a layman, a canon regular, and an apostle. The Lord guarded him in his first state by having him start out in a praiseworthy manner, in his second by making him go forward with fervour, and in the third by enabling him to achieve perfection. And lastly he is called Dominicus according to the etymology of the word ‘dominus’, which is equivalent to ‘donans minas’, condoning threats, or ‘donans minus’, giving less, or ‘donans munus’, giving a gift. For Saint Dominic was ‘donans minas’ because he forgave injuries, ‘donans minus’ by mortifying his body, to which he always gave less than it desired, and ‘donans munus’ because he not only gave what was his to the poor but also sought several times to sell himself for them.
Dominic, the illustrious leader and father of the Order of Preachers was born in Spain. Before he was born, his mother dreamed that she carried in her womb a little dog which held a lighted torch in his mouth, and when the dog came forth from her womb, he set fire to the whole fabric of the world. And when Dominic’s godmother lifted him from the sacred font, it seemed to her that he had on his forehead a brilliant star which shed it’s light over the whole world. While he was still a child in the care of his nurse, he often got out of bed at night and lay on the bare ground.
The dog is both a symbol of humility and fidelity (why dogs are often called ‘Fido’). For the dog was among the most hated animals among the ancients, and thus to take its name is a sign of humility. But the dog is also the symbol of fidelity, for it often is man’s devoted friend, who defends him and his flock. Thus the dog lies at the feet of the devoted queens and of the faithful squires. And in the church of St. Peter in Rome the dog accompanies the statue of Fidelity personified. The torch is then fire, which consists of two qualities, namely heat and light. And the heat of the fire symbolises the burning ardour of love, while the light of the fire symbolises the enlightenment of the intellect. And the whole fabric of the world being set on fire represents the destruction of the world by the combined force of love and knowledge. For the world consists of nothing but darkness, and as darkness ‘disappears’ (we say ‘disappears’ but really darkness is an ‘absence’ or ‘lack’, so that strictly speaking it can not ‘disappear’) when a torch is brought to it, the world also disappears when confronted with the fire of love and enlightenment. The brilliant star then appearing on the saints forehead at his baptism is connected to this. For this star is like the ‘third eye’, which burns away all desire and also the world. And the star represents the intellect, for the star is like a little sun or a fragment of the sun, the intellect is like a little Spirit or a fragment or spark of It. For Saint Dominic destroyed all the passions by his fervour and knowledge, and rose above the world by these, and as a secondary function also refuted the heretics with these. Finally the voluntarily lying on the floor as a child symbolises the saints great asceticism, by which he purified his soul.
As a youth, Saint Dominicus was sent to Palentia. He was so eager for knowledge that for ten years he never drank wine. When a great famine befell the city, he sold his books and furniture and gave the proceeds to the poor. His fame spread, and the bishop of Osma made him a canon regular; and later on, because his life was a mirror of virtue for all, the canons appointed him to be their subprior. He devoted himself day and night to reading and prayer, ceaselessly beseeching God to deign to give him the grace to spend himself totally for the salvation of his neighbour. He also studiously read the book of the Conferences of the Fathers and advanced to a high degree of perfection.
This teaches us to be as desirous of knowledge as Dominic, but also not to fall into the worship of books. For Dominic sold his books without hesitation when the poor required it. Furthermore he did not only read, but also pray and practice virtue. For it is not only by reading that we advance into perfection, but also by praying and by good works. And especially by the study of the early Fathers and the following in their footsteps do we come to such a state.
It is said that with his bishop Dominic went to Toulouse to combat certain heretics. He wrote out some arguments and proofs and gave the paper to one of the heretics so that he could give thought to his objections. That night the man showed the paper he had received to his fellow heretics as they sat around a fire. They told him to throw the document into the fire: if it burned, they said, their faith would be proven true, but if it could not be burned up, they would preach the true faith of the Roman church. The paper was tossed into the flames, but after some minutes it sprang out of the fire intact. They were all astonished, but one, more hard-headed than the rest, said: “Throw it in again, repeat the test, and we will be surer of the truth.” The writing was thrown in again and again came out unscathed. But the stubborn one said: “Try it a third time and then we will have no doubt about the outcome.” Back went the paper, and again it bounced out unscorched and unharmed. The heretics however, persisting in their wilfulness, bound themselves to the strictest of oaths not to make this known. But there was a soldier present who felt drawn to our faith, and he later made the miracle public. This took place near Montreal, and it is said that a similar thing happened about that time at Fanjeaux, where a formal debate with the heretics was held.
The paper not being harmed by the fire symbolises how the truth can not be destroyed or harmed by anything. For the truth is itself impassible and simple, not composite. Thus it may not be destroyed. The only thing that may happen is that the truth be occluded, made invisible in the eyes of man. And this the heretics tried, when they made an oath to keep the miracle to themselves. But the one soldier making the miracle public shows how the truth always comes out, and how all things hidden will be made manifest. The fact that they tried to burn the truth three times recalls the triple denial of Christ by St. Peter. For the number three represents here the three worlds, and thus by extension it represents totality. For the heretics wholly wished to destroy the truth, for this is the foolish aim of all heresies, who realise not that it may not be destroyed.
The bishop of Osma then died and most of his entourage went back home, but Saint Dominicus, with a few companions, stayed and continued to preach the word of God against the heretics. The enemies of truth made fun of him, spat at him, threw mud and shit at him, and in derision tied a tail of straw behind him. When they threatened to kill him, he fearlessly responded: “I am not worthy of the glory of martyrdom, I have not yet merited the death you threaten me with.” So, passing through a place where they were waiting to waylay him, he went ahead not only without fear, but jauntily, singing a song. They marvelled at him and said: “Are you not stricken with horror at the thought of death? What would you have done if we had laid hold of you?” He answered: “I would have asked you to put me to death not with swift, sudden blows, but slowly, cutting me to pieces, bit by bit, holding up before my eyes the pieces you had cut off, then putting me eyes out and leaving my half-dead body to welter in its own blood – or else to kill me any way you please.”
Saint Dominic shows us the great virtues of humility and endurance. For he endured the taunts of the heretics, and did not think himself important enough to reproach them for insulting him, and found himself not worthy of martyrdom. This was contrasted with his great intolerance for the insulting of God, which is why he was so ardent in his preaching of truth and his persecution of heretics. He also shows us how we should not fear death, and not only death but also dying. For behind his joyful countenance and his singing was the permanent contemplation of the gruesome death which he laid bare before the enemies of truth. For not only did he not fear a swift, painless death, but he also happily accepted a death which only the most twisted serial killer would inflict upon his victims. So should we continuously meditate on our death, and not merely in an abstract way but also through the imagination of various ways in which we could die. For there is nothing that brings greater virtue than the meditation on death, for by this is realised the emptiness of the earthly life, and by the realisation of the emptiness of earthly life the thirst of desire is quenched.
Once, when he found a man who, suffering from dire poverty, had yielded to the heretics’ persuasion, Dominic decided to sell himself into slavery, so that he could free the poor man from the error into which his need had driven him. And another time a woman, loud in her lamentations, told him that her brother was held in captivity by the Saracens, and declared that she could no longer find any means of obtaining his freedom. Again Dominic, moved to compassion, offered to sell himself and thus redeem the captive. But God in both cases did not allow it, providing other solutions to the problems of the man and the woman, because he foresaw that the saint would be need for the spiritual redemption of many captives.
This story shows the great compassion that Dominic had, for he was willing to sell his own body to buy another man’s soul. And by this willingness he mirrored our Lord, who was also willing to appear under the appearance of a slave so that he could buy the souls of men. For these are the ‘captives’ De Voragine mentions, i.e. not only those literally in prison, but those who are bound by the iron chains of this world.
In the area of Toulouse the saint was the guest of some ladies who had been led into error by the heretics’ ostentatious show of religiousness. Fighting fire with fire, the saint and his companion fasted all during Lent on bread and cold water and kept vigil throughout the night, resting their weary limbs only when necessity compelled them. Thus the ladies were led to recognise the true religion.
This shows first of all that displays of asceticism are not the measure of truth. For the heretics are just as able to mortify the body as the saints. It is said that the cathars even fasted themselves to death. But they keep the outer penance without the inner. For out of a stubbornness to give up their error they compensate for it by great displays of religiousness. But the saints are able to do the same, and as the common people are convinced sooner by appearances than by reason, Saint Dominicus did this display of asceticism to convert the ladies to the true faith. So we should not engage in great displays of our penance or virtue, except when it may be profitable for the conversion of some erring man or woman.
The saint then decided that he wanted to found an order, and went to the Pope to ask his permission. The Pope withheld his assent for some time. Then one night in a dream the Pope saw the Lateran basilica about to fall in ruins; but, while he watched fearfully, Dominic, the man of God, came running from the opposite side, placed his shoulder against the tottering building, and held up the whole structure. When the Pope awake, he understood the meaning of the vision and gave the man of God permission to found his order. They took the rule of Saint Augustine, the renowned doctor and preacher, and decided that they would be preachers in name and in action. To the rule of Augustine they added certain stricter practices.
This dream symbolises how the Church is held up not by the secular rulers or the king, nor even by the priests or the pope, but by the saints or prophets. For the Church is built on the foundation of the martyrs, and without their continual support she will fall into ruins. One of these supporters was then the blessed Dominicus. The fact that they decided to be preachers reflects this, as the primary function of a preacher is to ‘speak truth’, which is the exact office of a prophet.
One day, while the saint was praying in the church of Saint Peter for the expansion of his Order, Peter and Paul, the glorious princes of the apostles, appeared to him. Peter gave him a staff, and Paul a book, and they said: “Go forth and preach, for God has chosen you for this ministry.” In a moment it seemed to him that he saw his sons setting out two by two and dispersed throughout the world. He therefore returned to Toulouse and sent his brethren forth, some to Spain, others to Paris, still others to Bologna; and he himself went back to Rome.
This shows how the saint was given the apostolic authority, and how his order followed in the footsteps of the apostles. The staff which St. Peter grants him symbolises the ‘going forth’, the book which St. Paul gives him the ‘preaching’. And it is proper that St. Peter gives a staff, because as bishop of Rome he had pre-eminence among the patriarchs, and thus gives all the command to ‘go forth’, for his authority goes forth towards all the ends of the earth. And it is also proper that St. Paul gives a book, because his epistles erased error from the early truth and precisely formulated the truth, and thus he is as it were first among the ‘preachers’.
Multiple visions that monks had show how Christ sent the preachers as a merciful act instead of justly punishing the sinners, all on the advise of His Mother. In one of these visions Saint Franciscus was shown to Saint Dominicus, and the next day he found him in church and recognised him from the vision, and embraced him and kissed him, saying: “You are my partner, you will run with me stride for stride. Let us stand together and no adversary will prevail against us.” Thenceforward they were of one heart and soul in the Lord.
The symbolism of Mary convincing Christ to be merciful instead of just can probably be found here: https://sensuscatholicus.jimdofree.com/2020/08/27/misericordia-nomen-eius-note-on-the-divine-mercy/. The two saints being of one heart and soul in the Lord symbolises that they were both in the ‘central’ state. For the heart is the centre of man, and their hearts were both in the centre of the world, and thus their hearts were really one. For two things that are exactly the same are not two things at all but really one thing.
It is said that a certain youth wished to leave the Order of Preachers. When Saint Dominic heard of this, he resorted at once to prayer. When the youth was then stripped of his religious habit and had put on his secular clothing, he began to cry out with loud shouts: “Help! I am burning, I am on fire, I am totally consumed! Quick, take off this accursed shirt! It’s burning me alive!” He could not be quieted until the shirt was taken off, and he was clothed again in his religious garb and led back to the cloister.
This symbolises two things. First of all it shows how the weak are protected from the passions of the world when they are cloistered. For the fire and burning here represents the passions which assault the secular man. Second of all it shows how the unrepentant are burning in hell. For the cloister here represents heaven, the world hell, and the burning the burning pains of hellfire. The difference is that those in hell have themselves given up the possibility of repentance, and that the youth quickly repented and returned to the monastery, before he could be consumed by flame.
Furthermore there are miracles about water and doors, whose meanings are explained in previous blogposts of mine, since they are common occurrences in the lives of the saints.
It is said that a certain scholar was cured of lust after he had kissed the hand of Saint Dominicus.
This symbolises how we are cured of our sins by venerating the saints.
Furthermore it is said that the blessed Mary gave the Master Reginald a vision of the habit the Order of Preachers would wear. And that Saint Dominic was given the same vision in prayer.
This shows how the Order was especially blessed by the blessed Virgin.
Furthermore Dominic raised many people to life, for example the nephew of Cardinal Stephen of Fossa Nova and a master builder who had died by falling debris in the church of Saint Sixtus.
The symbolism of resurrection has already been explained.
Furthermore Saint Dominic once let angels bring out a lot of bread when there was a famine.
Already been explained.
Furthermore it is said that Saint Dominic was given the gift of tongues, i.e. he was able to converse with a fellow religious in a tongue he did not know.
Already explained.
Then there is a story where the saint drives out demons and tells them to never possess a man again, and he tells them to promise this on the authority of the holy martyrs, and they submit.
It has already been explained how the demons subjugate and tame the demons.
One time he saved a heretic from burning because he had a vision that he would become a saint. The man then stayed in heresy for 20 years before converting and becoming part of his Order.
This shows how the saints share in the ability of providence.
One time Saint Bernard told the prior of a Cistercian monastery that he had never in his life asked God for anything which he did not obtain according to his wish.
This is the fulfilment of God’s promise that he will give the faithful whatever they pray for.
Dominic wept much and slept little.
When asked what book he had studied most, he replied ‘the book of love.’
When asked why he didn’t stay in Toulouse and instead went to Carcassone, he answered ‘because in Toulouse I find many who honour me, whereas in Carcassone, everyone attacks me.’
One night a demon told him that repentance was what the demons feared and hated the most, even more than any virtue.
It is said that three times a night he would discipline himself with an iron chain. Once for himself, once for sinners still in this life, and once for those who were suffering in purgatory.
It is said that the body of Saint Dominic emitted an extremely powerful perfume after his death, so that even the ground in which he was buried retained a strong fragrance. And anyone who had touched his corpse had the fragrance on their hands, and could not wash it off.
After his death Saint Dominic was still of much benefit to the people. He cured many people of their diseases and must have resurrected as many from death.
Saint Dominicus fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1221.
O glorious Saint Dominic,
thou who was a model of mortification and purity,
by punishing thy innocent body with scourges, with fastings and with watchings,
and by keeping inviolate the lily of thy virginity,
obtain for us the grace to practice penance with a generous heart,
and to keep unspotted the purity of our bodies and our hearts.
Amen
On Tradition 