OPreach
Dominican Preaching through Word and Image
The Power of Gratefulness
One single gift acknowledged in gratefulness has the power to dissolve the ties of our alienation.
– David Steindl-Rast in Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer
November – A Month of Thanksgiving
For all that has been, Thank you.
For all that is to come, Yes!
– Dag Hammarskjold
Dominican Saint Martin de Porres
Saint Marin de Porres was well known for healing. He, a mestizo, never forgot his heritage and tended to the needs of the poor indigenous people of Lima. Once, after having been scolded by his superior for bringing an injured man to his room in the priory, he replied:
Forgive my error, and please instruct me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity.
All Souls Day
Every moment and every event of every [person’s] life on earth plants something in [the] soul.
– Thomas Merton
On the Feast of All Saints
Whenever I think of the saints, especially that large number of unnamed women and men who have gone before us, and on whose shoulders we stand, I always remember this passage from the 12th chapter of the Book of Hebrews.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the the sin that so easily besets us, running with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Happy All Hallows Eve
What truths can we take from Halloween? First of all all faiths and all cultures honor their ancestors – those who have gone before them. So while the ghosts and the goblins (along with whatever is in fashion this year) take a moment to honor and be grateful for the customs and the lessons that your forebears gave to you. On this Eve of All Saints Day, this All Hallows Eve, we hallow the memory of all the saints, including Grandma and Grandpa and the legacy they left behind. It is good to also remember the struggles they overcame (and those they didn’t) so we can learn from their lessons and mistakes. Remember their goodness, their love, and their words.
Halloween is a time for us to reflect on the gifts our loved ones have left us. May we never forget them. And as we remember, we celebrate life.
Mystery
It began in mystery and it will end in mystery, but what a rare and beautiful country lies in between.
– Diane Ackerman
Seek Goodness
Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding place and let it be free and unashamed.
– William Saroyan
Wisdom from Sylvia Boorstein
I know what Gam su l’tova (This is also for the good) means, I said. It doesn’t mean, “this painful situation is going to end up gratifying.” Sometimes things get better. Sometimes they get worse. Gam zu l’tova means that creation is good and the divine orderliness of creation is good and everything is good. Not for the good, just good.
– Sylvia Boorstein
Art Makes Life Bearable
Art makes life bearable. It isn’t a luxury. Like our capacity for understanding, and our experience of love, it is a vitally important part of life.
– Gillian Pederson Krag
OPreach 