DOMINICAN VOCATIONS
PROVINCE OF THE ASSUMPTION
|
|
DOMINICAN VOCATIONS PROVINCE OF THE ASSUMPTION |
| Site
map |
Homily
for 1st Sunday of Advent, Evening Prayer II (2006) |
Br Mannes Tellis, O.P. |
|
Home
News -------------------------- Welcome Benedict XVI Master -------------------------- History Introduction St Dominic's gift Australia --------------------------- Order Discernment Formation Dominican habit Novitiate Studentate --------------------------- Life Introduction Four pillars Apostolate --------------------------- People Dominican saints Our brethren --------------------------- Resources Lectio Divina Links Prayer Reading --------------------------- Site dedication |
Ad
te levavi animam meam, Deus meus, in te confido, non erubescam.
It is with these words that the Church once again enters
a new liturgical year. The introit Ad Te levavi, invites us as
Christians to understand that the Lord himself is the source
of our being, our happiness and our joy, for we lift up our
souls to him, that is our very selves, as a sign of our
belief, of our faith, of our trust.To you O Lord I lift up my soul I trust you let me not be disappointed Fundamentally, our lives as followers of Christ, is based on trust, on the Credo, the I believe, or more trully the I trust. Even the word used in the Latin version of the introit confido arouses the notion that we live by and with faith. What these words from Psalm 24 bring home to us again at the start of this new liturgical year is that we are called to be believers in faith yet assisted by reason. So too, our hope is rooted in that trust we have in the one who himself calls us to believe in him. But why do we believe in him? Because he is worthy of belief, because he is himself the embodiment of truth, and that which is true one can only but believe in, otherwise one deigns to live in error. So our Credo, our I trust is radicated in Truth incarnate. As our brother Aquinas affirms for us in the Adoro te, Nil hoc verbo Veritatis verius - Truth Himself speaks truly, or there's nothing true. The Church, then, offers us this moment to reflect on our faith, on our trust in God. Do I really trust God? Do I really trust the Church he founded? Our Psalm offers us a point of departure in this new year, it calls us back to the basics of our faith, the very crux of our faith. As we all know faith is a gift, it enables us to believe in God's promises and it is the ground for our hope, as St Thomas tells us: “the object of faith is the First Truth (God) as unseen, and whatever we hold on account thereof (the teachings of the Church, for instance):... which aspect is that of a thing hoped for.” So dear friends, let us with the psalmist lift up our souls once more to God, embracing the faith he has bestowed upon us. Let us engage more eagerly with that gift of faith. Let us cherish it and pray that many in the world may come to receive it. It is this gift which buoys us in hope for the blessed light we dearly desire, and for which we were truly made. |
 |