Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare

Mt 16:24-28

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

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I have to admit that the hectic schedule of a medical student, an eldest son and a member of college-based organizations is beginning to take its toll on me. I believe that stress tends to weaken one's resistance not only from disease, but from temptation to yearn for something other than the joy that communion with Christ offers. As a result, I sin not only against God, but against others. Things aren't getting done, responsibilities not taken care of, duties not fulfilled.

This suddenly called to mind one of the saints I idolize: Saint Dominic. In dealing with his temptations he would rather hurl himself onto thorns or roll on snow to calm his raging impulses, than deal with the sinful consequences following temptation. In relating with today's Gospel, he would rather carry his cross as valiantly as possible. What thorns and snow do I have to hurl myself onto just to strengthen my resolve to carry on with my struggle to follow God with all heart?

The Dominican emblem illustrates the powerful charism granted to them by God: Veritas, laudare, benedicere, praedicare. To praise, bless and preach Truth. It is a charism that not only Dominicans are called to. This is a spirituality all Christians are called to do in their daily lives. How are we preaching God in the things we do? And, are our actions blessing and praising God?

I often choose the people I relate to about the things happening in my life. As a result, people in class, for instance, don't hear things coming out of my mouth much, just things about hospital and ward work.

So that leaves me with my actions as a way to share myself with others. I do pray that my actions will be able to testify my attempt at doing God's will. But somehow my imperfections come to the fore. I would not take the opportunity to explain myself why I still have imperfections, nor would I demand being understood in the context of my personal circumstances.

I would rather just pray that God would enable me to take this one step at a time.

Why do I expect things to go my way? When will I ever let God do His way?

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Saint Dominic de Guzman and Saint Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.

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photo credits: http://www.bridgebuilding.com/images/mi409x.jpg, http://oneyearbibleimages.com/cross_follow.jpg, http://homepage.mac.com/jdalisay/blog/user_files/oblation.jpg, http://www.church-windows.com/images/Dominican%20Friars-8web.jpg