First Sunday of Advent (A)

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The Unknown Day and Hour   Lectionary: 1 Reading 1 -  Isaiah 2:1-5 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 122: 1-9 Reading 2 -  Romans 13:11-14 Alleluia -  Cf. Psalm 85:8 Gospel -  Matthew 24:37-44 '... Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.' Introduction  As we gather on this First Sunday of Advent , we also mark the beginning of the Church’s new liturgical calendar and a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas. The word Advent comes from either of two Latin words, which simply mean “to come” (Ad-venire) or “to arrive” (Ad-ventus), and as early as the fourth (4th) century, Christians have had this special time of preparation towards Christmas. Of course, Advent is not merely a countdown to Christmas; Even as we begin the material preparations for the social celebration of Christmas, the liturgical celebrations of these weeks invite us to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. But what does the co...
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Dominican Inquirer

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Technically speaking, this is really more of an independent, unstructured, investigation of a particular Lay Dominican Fraternity, where you can attend meetings as a guest with no particular commitment ... so of a "try it before you buy it" approach to see if you and the fraternity members are even remotely compatible.  Given some of the conflict within the American Church today ... this might not be a given.  As might be expected, there can be strong personalities and intense beliefs about how to approach the faith within the fraternities that can reflect the same divisions that are seen in the Church at large.  

However, there are also some additional questions to contemplate to see if you might be a fit for the Dominical Family in general.  Each of the Major Orders that have tertiaries (third orders) share their specific charisms (gifts) with their lay members, so in addition to a general desire for a deeper spiritual devotion to the faith, there are elements within each that might have a stronger appeal than others ... and how well these match up should determine which third order, if any, is appropriate.

“The Laity of St. Dominic are those faithful who, baptized in the Catholic Church or received into her, confirmed and in full communion of faith, sacraments and ecclesiastical governance, are called by a special vocation to progress in the Christian way of life and to animate temporal things through the charism of St. Dominic. ”

-- General Declarations of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, 2019 

Discernment:

  1. Most of the time when we start discerning about our vocation, most people will begin with looking at their basic state of life calling. Am I called to marriage? (For men) Am I called to the priesthood or permanent diaconate? Am I called to a form of consecrated life?
  2. Then another good question at this stage might be: Am I called to an Ecclesial Ministry or to an individual apostolate? In other words, what am I called to do?
  3. How can I best put into practice my ideals of a committed Christian life? I.e. Is there a particular Rule of Life that I can adopt (many spiritual books give good basic ideas on this, as will a good spiritual director)? Are there particular schools of spirituality that I feel drawn to (It can be good to narrow this gradually down to about three)?
    • Do I have a devotion to the Blessed Mother, especially in the recitation of the Rosary
    • Do I have a devotion to Dominican Saints and Blesseds
    • Do I have a desire for a rich liturgical life, especially in the Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours
    • Do I have a desire for the salvation of souls through preaching of the Gospel
    • Do I have a desire to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
    • Am I faithful to the Magisterium with a desire to work for unity in the Body of Christ
    • Do I have an apostolic heart seeking to serve God and neighbor
    • Do I have a love of Truth (VERITAS, which is the motto of the Order) and a studious nature that leads you to deeper love of God and the Church
  4. Depending on where I feel called to in terms of a basic state of life, what ways would be open to me to express these spiritualities? For example, let's say I'm a man who's discerned a strong attraction to the diocesan priesthood, but I also have a strong attraction to Dominican spirituality, would I do better becoming a Dominican Religious priest (there goes the diocesan vocation) or a Secular Dominican? What's the primary calling for me? etc.

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Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic (Province of St Joseph)

BOOK 2: THE PARTICULAR DIRECTORY
PART 1- LIFE OF THE FRATERNITY

1.    By their promise, members of the laity are bound ot the Rule of the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic and ot the common good of the Order and of the Church. In this way, they associate themselves to the Order of Preachers and endeavor to live out the charism of the Order. In so far as their lay state allows them to, specifically they live out the four pillars of community, prayer, study and apostolate.

3.     Saint Dominic desired that the Order he established be in the heart of the Church (in medio Ecclesiae) and thus be cooperators with the bishops in building and strengthening the Mystical Body of Christ. Members of the Lay Fraternities find themselves in the heart of the Church and place themselves at the service of their local bishop. Through a life of prayer and the study of truth, in participating in the liturgical and sacramental life of their respective parishes, and in assisting with the parish's internal ministries and outreach projects, members of the Lay Fraternities assist their pastors in building an evangelistic parish community. In participating in the apostolate, both the individual apostolates and the communal apostolate of the fraternity, and especially in promoting the Social Doctrine of the Church, they assist their local bishop in building up the Mystical Body of Christ and become a leaven for society.

10.     A mature practice of Dominican Spirituality also calls the members to certain obligations, when possible according to their state in life, which include

  • Participating in daily Mass;
  • Daily praying some portions of the Liturgy of the Hours, with a minimum component of Morning and Evening Prayer;
  • Daily recitation of the Rosary;
  • Daily reading and reflecting on Sacred Scripture;
  • Monthly reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation;
  • Frequent and ongoing study of matters pertaining to the Church, the world, and their apostolate;
  • An annual retreat, either on their own or with other members of the Fraternity
13.     The intrinsic identity of the Lay Dominican vocation is that of a lay person, guided and supported by Dominican spirituality in fulfilling one's daily obligations ot family, career, Church, and society in the world. The way in which one lives life in the world should exemplify one's Baptismal character and Dominican Promise.

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