Journal of Sr. Carla Mae Streeter, O.P.

One of his insights was that she was holy on two counts:   first, her virginal love kept her so focused on the Mystery that had caught her attention that all her energy was “taken.”  This virginal love is a mystery to folks of our age. We think of virgins as lacking something.  It is news to us that they are full of something that they love. Bernard thinks this virginal focusing kept her clear, and he explains her purity as this clearness of focus.

I tend to agree. In today’s language we might say Mary was psycho-somaticly focused in her love. The fact that her erotic energy was so focused does not make her odd. It makes her enviable! Would that we could love our spouses, our friends, and God with such chaste focused love!

Bernard says she was holy for another reason.  She was utterly humble.  This means she always had a sense of proportion.  She knew the truth about herself in relation to God.  Everything she was, everything she had, she knew was given to her by this Mystery.  None of it originated in her.  Would that we could get this straight! Perhaps we could relax a little and not get so bent out of shape when things don’t go our way…

I agree with Bernard…these two qualities, her virginal love and her humbleness made her irresistible to God. He could not resist her welcome. She was totally hospitable to God, and so God was comfortable in making a home in her.

Like mother like son…or daughter. Would that the Church would make such a focused, humble dwelling for the Word…would that we could too…so that the Word could not resist coming to the world through us…through the Church…to heal its brokenness.

Today is the feast of Mary, Queen…she is indeed…quite a Lady!

It is the mission of every baptized member of the People of God to proclaim the word…the good news. Dominicans have been entrusted with this charism to make sure the entire Church knows this and is constantly reminded of it. In the Dominican Order the charism has a rich history. Our cloistered nuns emphasize /praise/ preaching, the proclamation of the mighty works of God in choir. They preach from the pulpit of their lives. The brothers and active sisters emphasize /blessing /preaching, the presence they bring of a good word wherever they serve. They preach in retreats, at wakes; they teach the truth in classrooms and in writing. The Laity and Associates likewise. They are worded women and men. They also preach from the pulpit of their lives. Those ordained priest among us preach formally and liturgically at the Eucharist. To praise, to bless, to preach. Dominican Laity, Associates, Nuns, Brothers, Sisters, and Priests…we all exercise the charism as we can and call the entire Church to proclaim the message with us.

How do we bring about renewal of preaching for the entire Order as essential to our common vocation?

First, we need to understand that proclaiming the good news is part of our baptismal identity. Then we need to explore our heritage and reclaim its meaning: To praise, to bless, to preach…truth, so that this is more than mere words. We need to understand that proclaiming the Word can take many forms, none of which is unimportant.

How do we make our communities/families a “living preaching”?

With the renewed understanding of our baptismal mandate, and the guidance of the Order in supporting it, we live out the fact that we are worded women and men, and that the primary pulpit is the pulpit of our lives.

How can we open and widen the doors to institutional authorization to preach?

We become a squeaky wheel, a voice crying in the wilderness. With untiring voice we lay claim to what our baptism demands of us…that we proclaim the word of God in season and out. Those within the Dominican Family, those who are the guardians of this magnificent charism in the Church, need to petition unceasingly those who set Church policy for the flexibility needed so that those who are prepared might be able to exercise this charism according to their abilities. This means that those who have the gift for public and formal liturgical preaching should be able to exercise it within the Church as part of their baptismal sharing in the priesthood of Jesus. As it stands, many so gifted are preaching in Protestant Churches and other venues outside the Catholic Church. Deprived of the preached word in some regions, and restricted by legal limitations, the faithful need to call the Church to recognize the cry of the people for the bread of the Word and to release the exercise of the charism in this important area, especially in order to respond to missionary need.

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Carla Mae Streeter, OP
streeter@slu.edu