Once God spoke very forcefully, and His Word took the form of a human being of flesh and bones, bearing the same name with which we are named. The Word became flesh and lived among us. (John 1,14) The Word which existed in God from the beginning became a human being, an individual of our species, approachable, recognizable, familiar.

This is the Word which polarizes the life of a Dominican. Even if many different spiritualities exist: marital spirituality, those centered on poverty, humility or social action, the spirituality of Dominicans revolves itself around Christ as a being who is spoken, as a Word.

Some years ago, a group of Brothers and Sisters arrived at a definition of Dominican life which I liked because it took account of the rich diversity of those who comprise the Order today and yet is faithful to the initial idea of Dominic: A Dominican is one who is polarized by the Word, who studies the Word, who celebrates the Word, who lives it and preaches it to others.

A Dominican studies the Word
St. Dominic did not wait until the 20th century to invent the concept of ongoing formation. As the acts of his canonization attest, Dominic "often exhorted the brethren of his Order, by word and by letter, to study continually the Old and New Testament. He always carried on himself the Gospel of St. Matthew and the letters of St. Paul, and he studied them until he knew them almost by heart." Dominican study does not consist in cramming as students do before an exam. The primary aim is not to advance in the sciences or to evoke a thirst for novelty. Even when applying rigorous scientific methods, the Dominican searches first and foremost Someone. He/she approaches the sources of knowledge as a love r reads a letter from the betrothed, engaging his/her heart with as much fervor as his intellect. The research of a Dominican resembles the attitude of Mary who receives God's interventions, recognizes their importance and meditates on them in her heart, turning them over and over until flooded with light. Study is a contemplative act.

A Dominican celebrated the Word.
The liturgy is as important to the Dominican as food is essential to the body. By nature a Dominican cannot abstain from celebrating the Divine Office with his brethren without becoming anemic and suffering a grave loss of equilibrium. Is it not significant that Dominic at prayer was the subject of predilection of artists and chroniclers? Hardly anything is recorded about the preaching of the Father of preachers, while much is said of his prayer. For Dominic, as for his disciples, prayer - above all the liturgy - is an act of preaching. As it is composed almost entirely from biblical texts, the Office leads us to transmit to each other, each on is his/her turn, the verses of the Bible. We extend to each other the Word while at the same time returning it to God. It is like a sign of charity in its plenitude, when the love of God and the love of neighbor merge in one activity. While being immersed in the Word, it impregnates the spirit, the mentality, and transforms one's life. The liturgical act is a creative act of God in which we collaborate; with God we make it possible for the Word to become flesh again to become our flesh, until it is no more I who live but Christ who lives in me. (Gal. 2:20)

A Dominican lives by the Word.
What an audacious affirmation! I am stating this as an ideal which we are pursuing, not as an accomplished fact. Our community is not composed of saints, but of sinners. As a matter of fact, it is because we are sinners that we join the Dominican family. At the moment of profession we ask not only for the mercy of God but also for that of our brothers. Every day, since its foundation, each convent is working on reconciliation, reconciliation with oneself, with others and with God. We want to be a sign of the kingdom which frees, a sign of God's mercy. We re-create, or rather God re-creates in us the saving Word. Our community tries to become a living Gospel and a part of the Church.

We do not live for ourselves. Our study aims at making us capable of being of service to our neighbor, as the Fundamental Constitution states. Our prayer makes us contemplate what we shall deliver to others. Our communion enables us to live that which we wish to build with the Church and the world. The salvation of the world constitutes our only reason of being Dominicans.