On January 28, Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, and after the proclamation of the Gospel, a new Moderator of Studies for the Center of Institutional Studies of the Province of Our lady of the Rosary, Fr. Jose Luis de Miguel, OP made his Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity. Thereafter, Fr. Jose Luis pronounced the following Homily (Editor)
Promising fidelity to God, to Jesus his Son, to the Gospel he preached and the Church he established, and being faithful to the mission entrusted by the Spirit to the members of the Order of Preachers, makes me feel as if I were renewing those promises of long ago, made in fear and trembling, trusting not in one´s own strength, but in God´s mercy.
In our Order, when we make promises, we do it in the presence of and surrounded by our brothers: we place our weakness into their hands, and thus, strengthened by them, we look to the future with faith and confidence, joyful for the joint venture of announcing to the world the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus.
Ever, since the beginning of our eight centuries old history, it has been customary to have a Centre of Studies in our houses of formation, to secure that the preparation of our younger brothers to carry out the mission entrusted to them by the Spirit and confirmed by the Church, is guaranteed. Thus started our Studium, that in our present situation, here in Macau, will count with the very highly esteemed cooperation of the Catholic University of Saint Joseph, towards which we cannot but express our deepest gratitude.
In his words of farewell, Jesus made it clear to his disciples that he would not leave them alone; he himself, together with his Spirit, would accompany them. This is, and it will always be, our trust, our hope and our joy.
However, this promise does not, in any way, dispense us from the responsibilities we must assume to bring, in a dignified manner, the good news of the gospel to our fellow women and men of today. And we must do it in fidelity to our Dominican vocation.
The mission entrusted to us by the Lord in the construction of his Kingdom, demands that we be prepared not only to be familiar with God´s revelation, expressed in the Holy Scriptures, but also that we be trained to be able to talk to our fellow men and women about God, and to share with them their anxieties, their interests, their desires and hopes. More and more every day, we must also be ready to face their possible disagreements with us and humbly explain to them the reason for our hope.
In the convent, or in any other centre of learning, the Dominican prepares himself –he does not preserve himself- to engage in the battles of the spirit, wherever the doctrinal or human problems present themselves acutely. In the cultural crossroads, in the “agoras†of the world and in any place where religious and profane sciences convene, the Dominican makes himself present, to offer the fruit of his study at the light of the Gospel. We are speaking, therefore, about a serious, exigent, and always up to date study, which takes into account our fidelity to the Word revealed, as well as to the questions that people pose to themselves, even if sometimes they are not aware of it.
All these challenges make it necessary to study hard, and constantly, since it is greatly through the means of our study that we shall be able to enter into dialogue with our contemporaries, respectfully listening to their questions and sharing with them the fruit of our effort. Thus, our study becomes, in the first place, an act of love, for we do it not just for our own personal interests, but to share the truth we pursue and place it at the service of others.
This demands of us and open mind to understand the plans of God for his people –his children- today, and an equal openness to accept the “truths†that they, too, in their own way, seek; for as Saint Thomas Aquinas, quoting Saint Ambrose, used to say, “the truth, no matter where it comes from, is always from the Holy Spiritâ€. Saint Thomas Aquinas himself, whose glorification we are commemorating today, is an extraordinary example of how we can be salt and light today, at the service of our people and with the joy and good taste of Jesus in our hearts.
***
In the passage of the gospel, just proclaimed, Jesus tells his disciples –he tells all of us, his followers-, that, if we live the beatitudes, we cannot but pay attention to the social dimension of our faith. He says it with two very delightful, unforgettable metaphors: “Lookâ€, he tells them, “you are an insignificant group of persons, lost in the midst of this powerful Roman empire, and yet, I´ve called you to be the “salt of the earthâ€, and the “light of the worldâ€.
“Salt†and “Lightâ€â€¦, ¿of the world? ¿Would that not be too pretentious?
Jesus explains to them how this will be possible. Salt, he says, does not seem to be very important; and yet, its effects are noticeable, precisely when it mixes with the food and seems to have disappeared.
We all know what the purpose of salt is, and of the use we make of it is. on one hand, it is used to preserve the food, so that it won´t rot; on the other hand, it serves to add taste to the food we consume, it makes it more tasteful. Food is good, but it can rot. It is tasteful, but sometimes not tasteful enough. With salt food becomes tastier.
Our study, carried out in the silence of our room, is meant to enable us to preserve the best tradition of our Church that links us to our very roots, which are in Christ. It also enables us to proclaim to others the good news of the gospel, helping them to live more meaningfully, more tastefully and more joyously. ¿Are we salty enough to give taste to the life of our contemporaries? ¿Who are the ones benefitted by our presence in their lives?
As for the light, Jesus was, once more, extremely generous, entrusting to each and every one of us a task that belongs exclusively to Him. When we are in darkness and switch on a light, no matter how small, it brightens the whole atmosphere, filling it with life, meaning and sense. We are called to shed light to this world, at times immersed in thick shadows. It is useless, and a sign of little faith, to waste our time lamenting incessantly about the wrongdoings that we detect around. As the English saying goes, “Do not course darkness, light a matchâ€! Light, not darkness, has the last word.
Our task is to be light for others, so that they can see, and eventually feel embraced and enlightened by the light of Christ. We should not forget, though, that we do not shine on our own; we just share the light that comes from Jesus and then, out of his grace, we reflect it to others. We are light in the deepest sense of the word, when other people can see in us “the good works†and be moved to glorify our Father in heaven. That is why our light cannot be kept hidden. That would be mean and stupid. Our light is ordained to enlighten our fellow men, so that they can discover the true face of our Father in heaven.
Saint Thomas, our brother, is a good example of how we can be salt and light today, at the service of our people and with the joy and good taste of Jesus in our hearts. Blessed are those who are “salt†and “lightâ€, for they shall be rewarded with the love and mercy of our Father for time everlasting.
José Luis de Miguel, OP
Moderator
St. Dominic Center of Studies
Macau