Solemnity of Our Holy Father Dominic (2025) - Fr Matthew Boland, OP

Today’s feast is the feast of Dominican friars, nuns, sisters and laity all around the world, of whom there are more than 100,000. It is also a great feast for all who are inspired by the charism of the Order of Preachers. Today we celebrate the founder of our Order, and our model: Holy Father Dominic.

But who was St Dominic? The very fact that this organisation which he began has lasted so long is a testament to his holiness and his vision. But I have to admit that when I first became interested in religious life, I found Dominic himself a bit hard to find. He seemed to disappear into the background of the Order. The Dominican friars I met were more likely to speak of St Thomas Aquinas or St Catherine of Siena. Usually it’s easy to see the personalities of the founders of Orders. Some wrote long books on the spiritual life, or on theology. Some wrote autobiographies detailing their life experiences. But not Dominic. In fact, it is telling that even though he started the Order of Preachers, we don’t have a single one of his homilies.

As I began to get to know Dominic, mainly through the Order he founded, I discovered a beautiful truth about him. This truth is that Dominic was a very humble man. I mean humble in the true sense of the word. It was not a false humility. In fact, he had a very strong character, and never denied the truth to avoid conflict. Rather, he was humble in the sense that, in his life, he took the focus off himself and dedicated himself to the service of God and of his neighbour. He truly was a man for others.

There is a nice, simple story which illustrates this, a story which displays both the strength of his character and his humility. It took place while he was travelling on foot from Spain to the north of Europe, a distance of about 2,000 kms (something like walking from Sydney to Adelaide, and back again). It was a long and arduous journey.

Passing through the south of France, at the end of a long day, his party checked in at an inn in Toulouse. It turned out that the innkeeper, along with many people in that region, had left the Catholic Faith. They had become Albigensians. This was a very common heresy at the time. In order to explain the existence of evil and suffering in the world, this heresy posited two principles: one good, the God of the spirit world; and one evil, the god of the material world. As a result, its adherents held that all material things were evil. This included food and the body, marriage and procreation, and even the sacraments. This was an error which threatened not only the Church, but society itself. Dominic could see the danger it posed. It was partly in response to this danger that he was inspired to establish his Order.

Dominic was very upset, then, when he learned that this innkeeper had become an Albigensian. Now, he could have said to himself, “Oh well, that’s none of my concern. I have a long journey tomorrow. What difference can I make?” But, instead, he decided to engage the innkeeper in conversation. And so, perhaps aided by a couple of drinks, they sat down and talked, and talked, … and talked. In fact, they became so engrossed in their friendly, although no doubt vigorous, discussion, that many hours passed by. Eventually, just as the sun was beginning to rise, the innkeeper was won over by Dominic’s arguments. Perhaps he was even more impressed by his friendliness and generosity. As Blessed Jordan of Saxony describes it, Dominic “spent the entire night fervently exhorting and zealously arguing with the heretical innkeeper, who, no longer able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke, returned by God’s grace to the true faith.”

This is only a simple story from Dominic's life, and not very dramatic. There are more dramatic ones. But it affords a deep insight into his character. Dominic was someone who was prepared to sacrifice his own comfort and time to bring the Good News to others, especially to those who had gone astray. He took the focus off himself and looked towards the needs of those around him. He also did this with joy. His love for God and his generosity towards others gave him an energy and a magnetism which inspired trust in others. One of his biographers put it well when he said, “Dominic loved everybody, so everybody loved Dominic.” This is what makes him a great saint.

What can we learn from this? That we don't need to do great things in the eyes of the world to be great in the eyes of God. All we have to do is live lives of humble service according to our vocation, and be concerned about the welfare of our neighbours, especially their spiritual welfare. We can all imitate Dominic in this aspect of his character.

As we approach the Eucharist, we approach the most humble one of all. The one who, although he was in the form of God, took the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross—the same one who now humbles himself to come to us under the appearance of bread and wine. He was Dominic’s model, and he is our model. He was, and is, most perfectly a man for others. Through this Eucharist, let us pray that God give us the same gift of humility and desire for humble service, and for truth, that he gave to Dominic. Then, like Dominic, we will be great in the eyes of God and join him one day, with all the angels and saints, in praising God for all eternity in heaven.

Fr Matthew Boland, OP is the Master of Students, assigned to St Dominic's Priory, Melbourne.