Aug 8 – Memorial for St. Dominic, priest, religious founder
Dominic (1170-1221) was born of wealthy Spanish nobility, and was the son of Blessed Joan of Aza. Joan had difficulty conceiving and prayed at the shrine of St. Dominic of Silos, who had a tradition of patronage of that problem. When she became pregnant, she named the child in honour of the saint. While pregnant, Joan had a vision that her unborn child was a dog who would set the world on fire with a torch it carried in its mouth. A dog with a torch in its mouth became a symbol for the Order he founded, the Dominicans. At Dominic’s baptism, Joan saw a star shining from his chest, which became another of his symbols in art, and led to his patronage of astronomy.
Dominic was a priest who worked for clerical reform. He had a life-long apostolate among heretics, especially Albigensians, and especially in France. He founded the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans) in 1215, a group who lived a simple, austere life. He also founded an order of nuns dedicated to the care of young girls.
At one point, Dominic became discouraged at the progress of his mission; no matter how much he worked, heresies remained. But he received a vision from Our Lady, who showed him a wreath of roses, representing the rosary. She told him to say the rosary daily, teach it to all who would listen, and eventually the true faith would win out. Dominic is often credited with the invention of the rosary; it actually pre-dates him, but he certainly spread devotion to it, and used it to strengthen his own spiritual life.
Legend says that Dominic received a vision of a beggar who, like Dominic, would do great things for the faith. Dominic met the beggar the next day. He embraced him and said, “You are my companion and must walk with me. If we hold together, no earthly power can withstand us.” The beggar was St. Francis of Assisi.
– Patron Saint Index
Num 12:1-13
Mt 14:22-36
“Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid”
Wandering in the desert must be really tough. Sand storms, blazing hot days and freezing nights. Worse, all Aaron and Miriam saw were unending sand dunes, manna and quail. They must have been bored to tears! How else could one explain their action to oppose Moses, challenge his spiritual authority and defy God? The Hokkien lingua franca expresses this best with two phrases: “Eat full, too free; nothing to do.” and “smart is good but too smart is disastrous”.
God punished Miriam. She was smitten with leprosy. Aaron was not afflicted. Does it seem quite unfair? Bible scholars interpret this dichotomy to Miriam being the instigator while Aaron was misled. Also, he repented and submitted himself to Moses (probably out of fear) and sought forgivenes for both of them. Moses prayed to God to forgive them and to heal his sister. He was humble, forgiving and compassionate.
What does this episode teach me? Having contentment in life is indeed a virtue. You could say that Miriam and Aaron made it. They probably outranked everyone (except Moses) and yet still wanted to be ‘numero uno’. I say it is good advice to avoid looking for trouble where none exists.
Secondly, you can chose your friends but not your family. Since time immemorial, family members have caused each other grief with disputes over inheritance, looking after the aged and lifestyle choices. I am fortunate to have good relations with my own brother, sister and my father. I will now cherish this blessing and make an effort to keep it strong.
From a Christian perspective, I see Moses as the role model to practice the virtue of contentment. He was a leader, but understood he was only the messenger of God. He had power to work miracles and defeat enemies in battle, but knew that this came from God. He remained detached from title and authority. He was happy to serve God in faith and trust. Sadly, I myself find it difficult to really trust God in faith, despite saying so in my prayers.
It seems I am not alone. Today’s gospel reading tells of Jesus walking on water towards the apostles’ boat. First century Jews know that only God has power over wind and water. By walking on water, Jesus demonstrated that he is God. Peter wanted to do the same and asked Jesus to let him. He got into the water but panicked when he saw the wind. He cried out in fear to Jesus, who promptly caught him. Peter was rightfully chastised for his lack of faith and his doubt. I can’t help but smile at this episode. Come on, he was walking on water! He was the miracle and Jesus was right in front of him. Still he lost faith. How difficult it is indeed to have genuine faith!
In my prayers now, I will ask God to grant me the virtue of contentment and to help me cultivate a genuine faith! One step at a time.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Andrew Sia)
Prayer: Lord, day by day, help me to walk by your faith.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord, for everything you do for us even though we lack faith.
OXYGEN 
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