Life of St. Dominic
Dominic: Light of the Church Reflection Paper
Dominic was born in a world of turmoil. There was a war and famine was widespread. The conflict between the Christians and the Moors worsens the suffering conditions of the hungry of food and thirsty of hope. Amidst it all, Dominic learned at a young age about love and sacrifice for others. He had a heart for the poor which led him to do selfless acts. He was so selfless that he would give everything to those who asked for his help. He gave away his money and sold his clothes, furniture and even precious manuscripts to feed the hungry. He struggled to find a cure for the despair of the people in his homeland. Dominic was influenced by his mother who was a very pious woman. She was the one who introduced Jesus and Mary to Dominic. Another was Bishop Diego de Acevedo. He was the bishop of Osma and convinced Dominic to come with him to their parish. Dominic happily obliged and the two became very close with each other. A few years later, Dominic accompanied Bishop Diego on a diplomatic mission for Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, namely to secure a bride in Denmark for crown prince Ferdinand. There, Dominic and Diego encountered the Cathars, a Christian religious sect with Gnostic and dualistic beliefs, which the Roman Catholic Church deemed heretical. The Cathari skewed Christian doctrines and they profess it to people of dying hopes. The people, having lost their way, believed in what the Cathari said, distancing themselves from the Church. Thus, Dominic’s mission began. He established “The Oder of Preachers” or more popularly known as the Dominican Order. There were four pillars of the Dominican life and they are (1) prayer, (2) study, (3) community, and (4) preaching. In the movie, prayer was a very important part of the Order. When they were going to eat supper, Dominic was shocked to learn that his brothers had not yet prayed. One of them replied, “But, Father, there is nothing to eat.” He answered them, “Then that
Dominic was born in a world of turmoil. There was a war and famine was widespread. The conflict between the Christians and the Moors worsens the suffering conditions of the hungry of food and thirsty of hope. Amidst it all, Dominic learned at a young age about love and sacrifice for others. He had a heart for the poor which led him to do selfless acts. He was so selfless that he would give everything to those who asked for his help. He gave away his money and sold his clothes, furniture and even precious manuscripts to feed the hungry. He struggled to find a cure for the despair of the people in his homeland. Dominic was influenced by his mother who was a very pious woman. She was the one who introduced Jesus and Mary to Dominic. Another was Bishop Diego de Acevedo. He was the bishop of Osma and convinced Dominic to come with him to their parish. Dominic happily obliged and the two became very close with each other. A few years later, Dominic accompanied Bishop Diego on a diplomatic mission for Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, namely to secure a bride in Denmark for crown prince Ferdinand. There, Dominic and Diego encountered the Cathars, a Christian religious sect with Gnostic and dualistic beliefs, which the Roman Catholic Church deemed heretical. The Cathari skewed Christian doctrines and they profess it to people of dying hopes. The people, having lost their way, believed in what the Cathari said, distancing themselves from the Church. Thus, Dominic’s mission began. He established “The Oder of Preachers” or more popularly known as the Dominican Order. There were four pillars of the Dominican life and they are (1) prayer, (2) study, (3) community, and (4) preaching. In the movie, prayer was a very important part of the Order. When they were going to eat supper, Dominic was shocked to learn that his brothers had not yet prayed. One of them replied, “But, Father, there is nothing to eat.” He answered them, “Then that