Praying for each other

Here in England, we have just had our first-ever one-day Lay Dominican Provincial Assembly. It was, by overwhelming agreement, a huge success. We used to have three-day affairs which were a no-no for some of the less-young and the geographically isolated, and those with young families or high-pressure jobs. This was vastly better! The ages of the dozens of delegates ranged from students to venerable octogenarians. It was exhilarating and the very air was charged with the spirit of renewal. Four Lay Dominicans made life promises – Perpetual Profession – at the Assembly Mass.

A good point was made very vehemently at the Assembly by a young and very active Lay Dominican woman and also by a young and dauntingly active friar from Scotland (you know who you are!). They insisted, quite rightly, that our less 'community-active' Lay Dominican sisters and brothers, whether by reason of location, temperament, infirmity or 'anno-dominitis' are absolutely indispensable to the work of the Dominican Laity and to the mission of the whole Order.

Our father St Dominic started the whole thing off, we remember, with cloistered, contemplative women tasked to pray for him and his brethren. (We are praying hard for the re-establishment of Dominican contemplative nuns in the UK – because we, and everyone else, need them so badly.) To any Lay Dominican who's feeling 'iffy' about their lack of outward activity, I would say, with respect and fraternal affection, look at the nuns.

Then look outward from your worrying heart and pray without ceasing for your more active Dominican brothers and sisters. They're praying for you! They may be out and about more than you are and possibly have more face-to-face contact with each other, but the time will come when they won't. They will still be Dominicans.

Our Lone Lay Dominicans, in our Province, are our bedrock. They have been pioneers and pathfinders and builders of the foundations on which we stand and we strive to imitate them. It is a blessing without price that they are praying constantly with us and for us, sharing Dominican life with us though the Mass, the Office, the Rosary, contemplative prayer, reading, newsletters and correspondence.

If Dominican community means anything, it means above all that Dominicans support each other in prayer.

In other news, I was once told that the most effective way to foster community in the Order is to pray most often for the Dominican who irritates me the most. Tough. Got to be done, though.

That reminds me of the question, 'Who has the harder life, the Jesuits or the Dominicans?' To which a wise-guy Dominican answered, 'The Dominicans of course. They have to live with other Dominicans.' As told to your humble servant by a Jesuit.