As we continue the
novena to our Father St Dominic, I’d like to read an extract from the book “15
Days of Prayer with Saint Dominic” by Alain Quilici O.P.
All
of those who knew Dominic, either from near or far, as close friends of just
acquaintances, attested to the intensity of his prayers. Dominic prayed like he
breathed. He was not one of those who had time to write books, not even books
on prayer, he just prayed. He spent the majority of his time in prayer. He
entered into a state of prayer as naturally and rapidly as others fell asleep.
To spontaneously fall asleep is a childhood grace. Dominic was a child
according to the gospel, a child who dove into prayer whenever he had a moment,
most especially during the night. For him, the night was made for prayer.
Even
when he was just a young religious, he already appeared to be a man specially
gifted for prayer:
Night
and day, like the olive tree that produces fruit or the cypress that reaches to
the heavens, he used the floor of the church, devoting his time to
contemplation, never appearing to leave the monastery. God had given him the
special grace of prayer for sinners, the poor, the afflicted: he carried their
maladies in the intimate sanctuary of his compassion; and the tears that came
boiling from his eyes manifested the ardour of the feelings that burned within
him. It was his habit to spend his nights in prayer. With the door closed, he prayed
to his Father. During and at the end of his prayers, he uttered moans which
came from his heart. He couldn’t hold back, and these cries, coming
spontaneously, could clearly be heard up above in heaven (Libellus, 12).
Dominic,
like a beacon of light that burns in the night, realized the Lord’s precept: “Be
alert at all times, praying …” (Lk 21:36).
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