September 1st to 21st 2010 in Rome

The General Chapter of the Dominican Order has started on September 1st and will finish on 21st September 2010. One of the tasks of this Chapter will be to elect the 87th Master of the Order, which will happen on Sunday the 5th of September. This will be the 290th General Chapter in the history of the Order.

The General Chapter, which is the highest authority in the Dominican Order, is an assembly of friars representing the Provinces of the Order, coming together to discuss and define matters pertaining to the good of the entire Order.

If you would like to keep up to date on the happenings at the General Chapter, there is a dedicated website which is: http://www.curia.op.org/roma2010/. We will occasionally post a brief reflection on the proceeding of the chapter by one of the priest present at the chapter to represent the Irish Province.

On the Gospel of Luke (14:25-33)

On a first reading this Sunday's  Gospel  seems quite hard. Having to "hate his own father and mother and wife [...] and even [ones] own life" (Luk 14:26 RSV) in order to be a disciple of Jesus seems almost outrageous.

The obvious option would seem not to take this saying of Jesus literally. The family was a very important aspect in Jewish society: Moses commanded to "Honour your father and your mother" (Mar 7:10 RSV).  Even Jesus himself rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for neglecting this command as "[they] no longer permit [a man] to do anything for his father or mother" (Mar 7:11-13 RSV) if they give everything to God (Corban).

On the gospel of Luke 14:1, 7-14.

The Pharisees were watching Jesus closely or even scrupulously (παρατηρεω). The people in power in Jesus' time were eager to catch Jesus doing something that was unlawful, and subsequently to condemn Him. This was despite the many miracles he worked and the power of his teaching. Indeed because of these they saw Jesus as a threat to their power and influence over the people. His teaching was a challenge to their view of God and religion. They watch Jesus captiously, not wanting to learn from him, but to find something to condemn. Each time His opponents try to catch Jesus out they end up silenced by the way Jesus responds to them, they cannot refute divine wisdom with earthly wisdom, no matter how hard they try.

Feast day: 23rd of August

Lay Dominican and Virgin Memorial

Isabella Flores, commonly known as Rose, was born in Lima, Peru, in 1586, and became the first canonized saint of the Western Hemisphere. She made a vow of virginity at an early age and only with great difficulty overcame the objections and misunderstanding of her family to her way of life. At the age of twenty she became a Dominican Tertiary and lived in a hermitage which she had set up in her family's garden. She practiced severe penances for the salvation of sinners and for the missionary efforts of the Church in the Indies. Her great love for Christ manifested itself by her care of and concern for the poor and sick. She had a special devotion to Christ in the Eucharist and to Mary, the Mother of God. Her desire to teach others the secret of prayer made her a zealous promoter of the Rosary. She died at Lima on August 24, 1617.

On the Gospel of Luke (13:22-30)

In today’s gospel Jesus gives his hearers a stark warning, concerning their place in his kingdom. Those who heard Jesus were mainly Jews, who presumed that their place in Gods kingdom was sure. After all they were children of Abraham. As such they followed the moral and liturgical laws handed on to them, which was the assurance of their place with God. They, unlike the gentiles, had the guarantee of being the chosen people of God and as such were to receive a place in Gods kingdom, entering through the narrow door, the Jewish law, which was open to them only.