If we hear someone talk about “Dominicans,” we immediately think of the Inquisition and the “black legend” of the 18th century, which the Enlightenment used to spread the image of the Middle Ages as a dark age of superstition and religious fanaticism. Those with less prejudice—and more knowledge—immediately associate the Dominicans with St. Thomas Aquinas, with the prayer of the rosary, and with the paintings of Fra Angelico.
It’s a fact that few people immediately remember their founder, whose name was the basis for the common designation of his followers. To this day, Dominic of Caleruega (formerly called “de Guzmán” after the noble family; according to historiographical tradition its most famous son), is relatively little known. He is certainly not as popular a saint as many others, much more famous than him: Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Vincent Ferrers, Martín de Porres. It may be because his life – at least outwardly – was not marked by extraordinary facts, unexpected twists, or stunning miracles. However, the establishment of the order, a significant event, resulted from successive steps: Dominic understood the need for a new proclamation of the Gospel and accepted the prompting of the Spirit, which led him to make his plan a reality.
Now, on the 800th anniversary of his death, or—to use liturgical and theological language—his dies natalis, his “birthday” for heaven, we want not only to remember him but also to make his holiness better known and emphasize his significant role in the history of the Church.

“Have no fear.” In the face of fear about expressing our faith, Jesus instructs us to turn to God as His children.

Jesus addresses our fears, urging us to boldly preach the gospel, rather than hiding our faith in the shadows. In today’s society, there’s a risk of reducing faith to a private matter, separating it from our relationships and daily lives. However, Jesus calls us to be his witnesses, sharing his message with the world and bringing light to those around us. He encourages us to integrate our faith into our social and professional lives, making it visible in our everyday circumstances, rather than keeping it to ourselves.

We also fear those who try to marginalize us as Christians. However, Jesus reminds us, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul.” As masters of our own souls, we control our life’s path. Our only concern should be those who would lead us into sin.

Jesus shows us that overcoming fear begins with embracing our identity as God’s children. As His image-bearers, we’re already precious to Him, but it’s His fatherly love that frees us from fear. Unconditionally loved not for our actions or achievements, but for who we are – His beloved children..

Our trust in God the Father enables us to bring every aspect of our lives to Him in prayer, from our daily struggles to our efforts to live as Christians. Every ordinary activity is significant to God, who knows us intimately. This close relationship with our heavenly Father dispels fear and fills us with confidence, empowering us to bear witness to Jesus in the world.

Jesus knew his identity, but his Father still needed to affirm it publicly: “This is my beloved Son.” Similarly, God wants us to know that we are his beloved children. Despite being aware of his mission, Jesus accepted the role of revealing the Father’s love to humanity, a love that desires to restore us to our rightful status as God’s children. Through Jesus, we have become children of God, and God is proud of us. He delights in us, and we are his beloved.

A dream I heard illustrates this point. In it, many people stood before God, who said, “Come, blessed ones, take your places, prepared for you since the world’s creation.” While some stepped forward joyfully, many hesitated, unaware they were loved. This is a reality that many Christians still don’t grasp.

You are loved, chosen by God before the creation of the world. He has prepared everything for you to live as his beloved, trusting you can navigate life’s challenges. This doesn’t guarantee a problem-free life, as Jesus’ experiences demonstrate. However, God’s love empowers us to face everything that comes our way.

Reflecting on a personal experience, I remember a time when I was at my lowest. But a simple greeting changed everything: “God loves you!” Those three words, written on a card, lifted me up. I don’t know who sent it, but I’m eternally grateful. I don’t know what situation you’re in, but I want you to know that God loves you. His love has the power to transform, to lift us up from the depths of despair. He delights in you. Share this truth with others, so that one day, when we stand before the Father, no one will be left standing, unaware of their beloved status.

Jesus returned to his homeland and taught in the synagogue, prompting amazement and the question: “Where did he acquire such wisdom and miraculous power?”?”

Returning to one’s native land is a fundamental human longing, driven by a desire to reconnect with community and shared heritage. Yet, for those on a divine mission, this homecoming takes on a deeper significance. Just as Jesus returned to his people with a great reputation and high expectations, so too are we called to fulfill a purpose among our own. What is the purpose of our return, and what do our loved ones expect from us??

Isn’t he the carpenter’s son, with Mary as his mother and James, Joseph, Simon, and Judah as his brothers? Aren’t his sisters all with us?

The natives are familiar with Jesus’ family, but they haven’t yet grasped his divine nature and purpose. This limited understanding serves as an invitation to look beyond the surface and discover the inherent value of those around us. By doing so, we can uncover the truth that often lies hidden beneath the exterior. This effort is especially crucial when it comes to understanding Christ.

“They asked with resentment, ‘Where did all this come from?'”

Misunderstanding the origin of Jesus’ works can be a grave mistake, leading to superficiality and shallowness that mislead and foster wrong attitudes towards creation, people, the Church, and God..

But Jesus told them: “The prophet is honored everywhere, but not in his homeland and in his house.”
Proclaiming the truth as a son or daughter of God requires courage, even among one’s own, for it may lead to rejection. A Christian’s calling as a prophet is universal, applying to every context, not just where it is welcomed. Rejection can often authenticate one’s faithfulness to their mission.

Because of their unbelief, Jesus performed few miracles there.

We often wonder why God performs miracles in some situations but not others. While the answer remains somewhat mysterious, it’s clear that our own unbelief can hinder God’s intervention. God’s heart is willing to bestow many graces, but will we have the faith to receive them? Faith requires not only divine grace, but also human courage, trust, and faithfulness.

Alphonsus  Maria de Liguori was born in 1696 to a distinguished and affluent Neapolitan family. A prodigy, he earned a doctorate in civil and canon law at just 16 and went on to become a brilliant advocate in the Naples court, winning every trial he defended over eight years. However, feeling an insatiable thirst for God and a desire for spiritual perfection, he began to sense a different calling. Disillusioned with the corruption and injustice of the judicial system, he abandoned his lucrative career in 1723, despite his father’s objections, and pursued the priesthood. Under the guidance of excellent mentors, he delved into the study of Holy Scripture, church history, and mysticism, acquiring a comprehensive theological education that would serve him well in his future endeavors.

After being ordained a priest in 1726, Alphonsus worked with the Diocesan Congregation of Apostolic Missions, evangelizing and catechizing the poorest segments of Neapolitan society. Despite their struggles with vice and crime, he proclaimed the Gospel with love and taught them fundamental truths. With patience, he encouraged them to pray and improve their lives. His efforts yielded remarkable results: groups of people began gathering in private homes and workshops to pray and meditate under the guidance of trained catechists. When these meetings moved to city chapels at the Archbishop’s request, they became known as “Evening Chapels.” These gatherings fostered moral education, social healing, and mutual aid, nearly eradicating theft, violence, and prostitution among the poor.

Despite the vastly different social and religious context of St. Alfonza’s time, the “Evening Chapels” remain a compelling model for missionary work that can inspire us today, particularly in the “new evangelization” of the poor and in fostering a more just, fraternal, and solidarity-driven human coexistence. While priests are entrusted with spiritual service, well-formed laypeople can also become effective Christian leaders, serving as a genuine gospel presence in the heart of society.

After he began to think about the evangelization of the pagan nations – Alphonsus at the age of 35 – he came into contact with the country people and shepherds in the interior regions of the Kingdom of Naples and – struck by their religious ignorance and their neglect – he decided to leave the capital and devote himself to these persons, the poor spiritually and materially. In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, which he placed under the care of Bishop Tommaso Falcoia, and he himself became its superior. These religious, led by Alfonso, became authentic itinerant missionaries who went even to the most remote villages, encouraging conversion and persistence in the Christian life primarily through prayer. Even today, Redemptorists spread in many countries of the world with new forms of apostolate continue this evangelistic mission. I think of them with appreciation and encourage them to always be faithful to the example of their holy founder.

Admired for his goodness and pastoral zeal, Alfonz was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Sant’Agata dei Goti, but he renounced this service – due to the various illnesses he suffered – in 1775 with the permission of Pope Pius VI. The same Pope in 1787, when he learned of his death, which came after many sufferings, exclaimed: “He was a saint!” and he was not wrong. Alfonz was canonized in 1839. In 1871 he was declared a Teacher of the Church. This title belongs to him for several reasons. Above all, for the rich teaching of moral theology, which appropriately expresses Catholic teaching, so much so that he was Pope Pius XII. proclaimed “patron of confessors and moralists”. In his time, an extremely rigorous interpretation of the moral life became very widespread, also because of Jansenism, which instead of nurturing trust and hope in God’s mercy, incited fear and presented God as gloomy and strict, far removed from the one who was revealed to us by Jesus.

St. Above all, in his main work entitled Moral Theology, Alfonz presents a balanced and convincing synthesis of the requirements of God’s law engraved in our hearts, fully revealed by Christ and reliably interpreted by the Church, as well as the dynamism of conscience and human freedom, which precisely through adherence to truth and goodness enable maturation and full realization of the person. Alfonz advised the shepherds of souls and confessors to be faithful to Catholic moral teaching, emphasizing at the same time a kind, receptive and pleasant attitude, so that penitents can feel accompanied, supported and encouraged on their journey of faith and Christian life. Sv. Alfonz never tired of repeating that priests are a visible sign of God’s invisible mercy, which forgives and sanctifies the mind and heart of the sinner to convert and change his life. In our time, in which there are clear signs of a loss of moral consciousness and – it must be acknowledged – a certain loss of respect for the sacrament of reconciliation, the teachings of St. Alfonza is still extremely relevant.

Along with theological works, Alfons created a number of other writings intended for the religious formation of the people. Their style is simple and pleasant. Read and translated into many languages ​​the works of St. Alfonza contributed to the formation of folk spirituality of the last two centuries. Some of them are texts whose reading is very useful even today, such as Eternal Maxims, The Glory of Mary and The Way of Love. Especially this last work represents the synthesis of his ideas and is his crowning work. He strongly emphasizes the necessity of prayer, which enables the opening of God’s grace to the daily fulfillment of God’s will and the achievement of one’s own sanctification. He writes about prayer: “God does not deprive anyone of the grace of prayer, by which help is obtained to overcome every lust and every temptation. And I say, I repeat and I will always repeat as long as I live that all our salvation consists in prayer.” This is where the famous saying “He who prays will be saved” comes from (Del gran mezzo della preghiera e opuscoli affini. Opere ascetiche II. Roma 1962 , p.171). On this occasion, I recall the call of my predecessor, the venerable Servant of God John Paul II: “Our Christian communities must become “schools of prayer”… It is therefore necessary that education in prayer becomes an essential point of every pastoral planning” (Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, 33,34).

Among the forms of prayer fervently recommended by St. A visit to the Blessed Sacrament or – as we would say today – adoration, be it short or long, private or shared before the Eucharist, stands out for Alfonzo. “Certainly”, writes Alfons, “among all pieties this one – the adoration of the sacramental Jesus – is the first right after the sacraments, it is the one most pleasing to God and the most useful to us… Oh, how sweet it is to stand with faith in front of the altar… entrusting our needs to him, as a friend does to a friend in whom he fully trusts!” (Visitation of the Blessed Sacrament and Mary for each day of the month. Introduction). Alphonsian spirituality is indeed extremely Christological, with a focal point in Christ and his Gospel. Meditation on the mystery of the incarnation and passion of the Lord is often the object of his sermons. In these events, salvation is offered to all people “abundantly.” And precisely because it is Christological, Alphonsian spirituality is also Marian. Particularly devoted to Mary, he points to her role in the history of salvation: Companion of Redemption, Mediatrix of Grace, Mother, Advocate and Queen. In addition, St. Alfonz affirms that reverence for Mary will be a great comfort to us at the moment of our death. He was convinced that meditating on our eternal destiny, on our vocation to always share in God’s bliss, as well as on the tragic possibility of damnation, contributes to living with peace and effort and facing the reality of death always with full confidence in God’s goodness.

St. Alfonz Mária The provided text is an empty string. If you meant to provide a text for rewriting, please provide it within the triple quotes. de Ligouri is an example of a zealous shepherd who won souls by proclaiming the Gospel and administering the sacraments in a gentle and kind-hearted way, born of an intense relationship with God, the Infinite Goodness. He had a realistic optimistic view of the sources of goodness that the Lord gives to all people and emphasized the feelings of the heart as well as the mind for love of God and neighbor.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that our saint – like St. Francis de Sales, whom I spoke about a few weeks ago – emphasizes that holiness is accessible to every Christian: “To a religious as a religious, a layman as a layman, a priest as a priest, a husband as a husband, a merchant as a merchant, a soldier as a soldier, and similarly talking about everyone else position” (Pratica di amare Gesú Cristo. Opere ascetiche I, Roma 1933, p. 79). We thank the Lord that by his providence he raises up saints and teachers in different places and times who speak the same language, to invite us to grow in faith and to live our Christianity with love and joy in simple daily actions, so that we walk on the path of holiness, on the way to God and true joy.

The spiritual life undoubtedly includes. So let’s ask what our resolution should be, for example, a confessional one.

First principle: To be effective, it must be specific, not general. It won’t help to try: I want to improve! You have to determine exactly what and how. It’s like saying to yourself: I will learn to play the piano. You have to take concrete steps. I will sign up for the course, and I will practice so much. None of the musicians said to themselves: I have a strong will, I will start playing. You have to: first, second, thumbs up…

Second principle: Your resolution must also be positive. Not what you will not do wrong, but how you will do it well. Not so: I will finish falling asleep, – but what time will I go to sleep, and when will I get up?

The third principle is to make only one resolution, to follow it well. Remember it during the morning prayer; check it during the evening prayer. Whoever makes more resolutions will soon run out of energy and fall away-

The fourth principle is to make your resolution transferable (feasible). One man generously decided, “I will cover my wife with attention.” Nothing came of it. He would have done better if he had said to himself, “I will not go to rest before I ask the woman if she needs anything.” Or, more simply, “I’ll get up from the table and take away her plate.” Then another can.

Fifth principle: Let your resolution be reasonable. You must clarify why you want to practice this and why it is worthwhile. It should benefit the other. For example, explain the above: It will help our relationships and be an example for children. This reasonableness in your resolution will reassure you and give you the confidence that you are on the right path toward spiritual growth.

The sixth principle is to let your resolution and your regulation be joyful. Embrace the journey with a light heart so you don’t play the martyr when the going gets tough. Remember, you won’t improve without humor—you’ll only get sad. So, let the joy of your resolution be your guiding light, inspiring you to keep going even when the path seems challenging, ignore past failures, and make a resolution. One resolution is concrete, positive, feasible, reasonable, and joyful. When making

Resolutions, knowing yourself, your possibilities, the strength of your will, and not making grandiose plans are essential. It is much better to make a minor decision but keep your word. St. Ignatius of Loyola carried a piece of twine in his pocket, which he used to tie knots whenever he made a mistake he wanted to eliminate. He concentrated on only one but stopped when the twine was in his pocket without a knot until he had conquered the evil trait. Some errors only take a few weeks to eliminate; others require months. Today’s birthday boy was not ashamed of it, although he was a tough soldier. He knew he had to be consistent. This self-awareness and consistency will empower you and keep you in control of your journey toward spiritual growth.

IN editor, Blaise Pascal says: I admire those who get people to fight for them. They stood at the head of the army, defeated other armies, and conquered cities and nations. However, I admire much more those who know how to overcome themselves. We conclude: Overcoming yourself is indeed tricky but also very necessary. We should do everything to make it happen. St. Teresa ironically noted that the road to hell is paved with good intentions that were never realized. Already half a millennium ago, Thomas from  Kempen wrote: A person’s spiritual progress is governed by resolutions. If even the one who tries hard falls back into mistakes, how will the one who tries nothing do?” You would be almost excellent if you eliminated just one mistake an aye