A-Z of Paul: Body

In antiquity the imagery of the body was used in a figurative and corporate sense in mythology and for groups of people. Thus the term 'body' referred to the whole group and the term 'limb' to an individual within the group. St. Paul used this already existing metaphorical language and applied it to a reality that took the language beyond mere metaphor. For when St. Paul refers to the Body of Christ, in Ephesians 5:30 for example, "because we are members of his body", he is not simply referring to Christians as individual members linked together as the limbs of a body are linked together but is referring to a mystical reality. In baptism Christians are united into one body not only as the members of an organisation are joined together by their common allegiance - although this is also true - but principally by the mystical character that the sacrament confers.

St. Paul also uses the Greek word for body, soma, to mean a person, a human being. For Paul, in contrast to those who would deny the value of the body (such as the gnostics who were to come later) human beings are a union of soul and body, both of which were created by God and are therefore both good and holy. Even in the realm of the spirit, or soul, human existence is a bodily existence. However, Paul also uses the word body to speak of sins that are bound up with our physicality. Certain sins come about when one gives in to the ways of the flesh rather than following the ways of the spirit, spiritual ways. In using the term "sins of the flesh" St. Paul is not claiming that the body is inherently bad but only that there are certain sins which those who place their physicality above their spirituality will be liable to commit.

Indeed Paul makes clear the exalted place given to the body in the Christian faith by his focus on the bodily resurrection from the dead. We will not be ourselves again, even if we are in heaven, until we are re-united with our bodies at the general resurrection. The body is the place where the Holy Spirit dwells within us as baptised Christians: "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you which you have from God? ... So glorify God in your body"(1 Cor. 6:15, 19f).

A-Z of Paul: Apostleship

During his earthly ministry, Jesus gave the title of apostle to twelve of his disciples. He instructed them to preach that the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand and he gave them the authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons. When the apostles appointed a replacement for Judas, the criterion that was set was that this office should be filled not only by someone who had seen the risen Lord, but also by someone who had travelled with him during his ministry.

Paul does not quite fit both criteria. He claimed to have witnessed the risen Lord on the way to Damascus, but he was not with Jesus before the resurrection. Indeed, some Christians did question Paul’s apostolic credentials. Even Paul himself, acknowledging his infamous past, was aware of his unworthiness to be called an apostle.

Yet to deny Paul’s apostleship would be to deny the authenticity of his Christian teaching. Paul’s authority didn’t come by letters of recommendation from other leading Christians, but rather it stemmed directly from his encounter with the risen Lord, an encounter which was totally transforming. Paul’s transformation from zealous persecutor of Christians to Apostle to the Gentiles is a remarkable sign of God’s amazing grace. Although Paul was able to perform wondrous signs and experience spiritual ecstasies, he down played these in favour of preaching the cross. With his apostolic authority, he used it to build people up rather than knocking them down. He was an example of power emptied out in service to others.

Paul did boast, but his boasting was on behalf of the Lord; saying anything less would be to deny the wonderful way in which Christ manifested his glory. Paul fulfilled his mission faithfully to the end. He was sent out by God to proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection, a message he proclaimed not only through his words but also in the way he lived his life and in the way he died.

The Feast of Sts Peter and Paul

The Feast of Sts Peter and Paul celebrates the two outstanding apostles of the Church.  In many ways these two men were different. Peter was from Galilee, a fisherman, poor and uneducated. Although St Jerome tells us that Paul too was a Galilean, his enforced exile to Tarsus as a child opened other possibilities for him: he was well educated and knew his way around the Roman system, perhaps even being a Roman citizen. He trained in the rigorous code of the Pharisees. He was a lawyer but also a skilled tentmaker. How is it their stories became intertwined? What brought these men to give their best efforts and ultimately their lives for the embryonic Christian faith?

The answer lies in the fact that both these men came face to face with Jesus Christ, who called them to follow him. That encounter and call transformed their lives forever. Peter, impulsive and rash, struggled all through Jesus' ministry to understand and believe in the meaning of Christ.  In Matthew 14:22-35 as Jesus walks on the water, Peter impulsively demands proof that it is indeed Jesus by allowing him also to walk on water. As he takes his first few steps, he begins to be beset by doubts and sinks until Jesus reaches out and holds him up. The words “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” seem to be a recurring theme for Peter as he struggles, and often fails, to make sense of this life changing relationship. Yet it is the same Peter who responds to the prompting of the Spirit and declares boldly “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Ultimately Christ draws out the best of Peter to whom he entrusts the leadership of the Apostles and who will go on to preach the first sermon of the Christian Church at Pentecost, while on fire with the Holy Spirit.

We meet Saul in the Acts of the Apostles, full of righteous zeal against these dangerous Christians, approving of the stoning of St Stephen. It is while on a mission to hunt down Christians in Damascus that he has his literally earth shattering encounter with the Risen Christ. He is left blinded, dazed and confused. Stripped of all his certainty, power and assuredness, he must be led by the hand into the city, not knowing where he is going, lost and frightened.  Through the power of the Spirit the scales fall from Saul’s eyes so that he can see.  But in seeing not only with the eyes of the body but also with the eyes of the soul, Paul is reborn in baptism. In this new life, he goes on the preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the Mediterranean as far as Rome, hoping to travel on to Spain, 'the ends of the earth', and leaving us the precious teaching of his epistles and the wonderful example of his life and ministry. For both men these words seem appropriate. “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).

Jubilee Year of St Paul

"You are the chosen instrument of God, Saint Paul, the apostle of the nations. You are the preacher of truth in all the world" - responsory for the feast of the Conversion of St Paul

To mark the 2000th anniversary of St Paul, Pope Benedict XVI has exhorted the Church to celebrate a year of St Paul to begin on 28 June 2008 and run to 29 June 2009. The 'Pauline Year' will be a period for us to reflect on the writings and example of St Paul, and to renew our desire to spread the Word of God. Our world, like the world that St Paul inhabited, needs our Christian witness of love and a dynamic preaching that engages with the concerns of our contemporaries and transforms the philosophy of the age with the truth of the gospel. Thus, the Holy Father said, "Today, too, Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs witnesses and martyrs like St. Paul", and so, we are invited to respond generously and courageously to God's call.

As preachers of the truth, Dominicans have a special love for St Paul and seek to share in his apostolic life of itinerant preaching. We recall the words of St Paul who said: "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise… so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord’” (1 Cor 1:27-31). Thus, St Paul offers a witness of humility to those of us who wish to follow in his footsteps. He also reminds us not to rely on "lofty words or wisdom" but rather on God's Holy Spirit so that our "faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (see 1 Cor 2:1-5). In this regard, one is reminded of the advice of the fifth Master of the Order, Bl Humbert of Romans, who said in his Treatise on Preaching: "Since human effort can achieve nothing without the help of God, the most important thing of all for a preacher is that he should have recourse to prayer, asking God to grant him speech that will be effective in bringing salvation to his hearers".

With this in mind, Godzdogz invites you to join us on this year-long journey as we celebrate the Year of St Paul. In the next few months we shall present an A-Z of themes in St Paul's writings. Later in the year, we plan to follow Paul's example of dialogue with contemporary ideas by presenting a response to the challenges of the so-called 'new atheism'.

Sunday 12 Ordinary Time - The Commission

Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 68; Romans 5:12-17; Matthew 10:26-33

The third reading for today is taken from a section in Matthew's gospel where the main theme is mission (please see text). It contains some very formidable exhortations. In Matt 10:27, for example, we hear Jesus say 'What I tell you ... proclaim from the roof tops.'

At present, European football is in all its glory. No team just goes out on the field and plays any how. Each team goes out with a plan, and each team has a captain. The event that Matthew records for us in chapter 10 is quite similar to football in this respect. As Christians we belong to a team. And, Jesus is our captain. But, he is also the coach. What we ought to do as Christians we do not have to try to figure out for our selves on the field. He has already laid down the plan for us and he is with us always leading us. What we need to do now is follow him and his plan. 

Indeed, it is true that the task that is laid before us is enormous. And, we must also admit, some of the instructions can be puzzling. For example he refers to 'one who kills body and soul in Gehenna'. Who is that? Is it God or is it the devil? However difficult these challenges may be, we are obliged  not  to evade them. Perhaps, when we are confronted with these challenges, we must stop and ask ourselves what exactly is the basic task that has been entrusted to us? Getting this in focus may then help us to see the other things better.

Now, what is the basic task? The basic mission with which we are entrusted is to proclaim the simple message of both John the Baptist and Jesus: 'The kingdom of heaven has drawn near.'

fr John-Martin McGowan OP RIP

Please pray for the eternal repose of our brother John-Martin McGowan,

a member of the Edinburgh community, who died suddenly today

Born: 11 May 1949

Professed: 14 November 1981

Died: 16 June 2008

Requiescat in pace

Final Week of Term at Oxford

Eighth week of Trinity term in Oxford is normally very busy. Some of us have finished gruelling exams at the University Schools, others are preparing for oral exams in Blackfriars, or have final essays and tutorials to complete, and of course there are friends to say good bye to as the academic year draws to a close and people disperse for the summer. Many of the Dominican students will spend time away from the Oxford priory this summer doing pastoral work in various parishes and priories in England and Scotland.

Godzdogz will begin the summer with a series of posts to mark the inauguration of the Year of St Paul (28 June 2008 - 29 June 2009). We also hope to bring you reports from our parish assignments and from the annual Dominican pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Below are photos from some final week events that took place in the Oxford priory. On 11 June we had a dinner for those students who have completed their course of studies at Blackfriars. The Leavers' Dinner was a chance for the community to congratulate them and wish them well for the future.




Above, the Regent of Studies, fr Richard Finn OP with this year's Leavers: Mr Sean Hilscher, Mrs Katie Richardson, Mr Alexander Norman and fr Didier Croonenberghs OP.

Information about courses at Blackfriars Hall is available online.

Another annual event took place on 13 June: the Hall & Studium Garden Party. This is always a convivial and relaxed occasion which even the overcast British weather could not dampen. Students and tutors mingle and socialise together over a glass of wine and some strawberries, and they recollect the events of the past year.









Finally, on 14 June, the children of the 9.30am Mass congregation put on a fantastic performance of 'Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'. This was their contribution to our on-going attempts to raise money for the Priory Renewal Fund.






Above, fr David Rocks OP and fr Thomas Skeats OP lent their musical talents to the band who performed Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.

Called by our name

Readings: Ex 19:2-6a; Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5; Rom 5:6-11; Mt 9:36—10:8

In today's Gospel, Matthew clearly sees the importance of naming the twelve that were called to follow Jesus and to cooperate in his mission. The names are important, because these disciples and their mission are part of the foundation stones of the Church. Everything that happens in the early Church relies on the testimony of these men, who are witnesses to the Good News that came in the person of Jesus Christ.

But beyond the ecclesial importance of the twelve, there is perhaps something to be said about naming. Our names are so important - they pick us out as particular individuals in the crowd. When people get to know our name, the possibility of relationship begins. When Christ calls us - and after all, he calls each and every one of us - he calls us by our name, speaking lovingly and tenderly to each one of us. To Christ, no-one is just a random face or a number - we are all precious in his eyes. We are the ones whom he has known and loved from the very beginning. Part of our task as Christians is to open our ears so that we can hear him calling to us, and to recognise and respond to his call in our daily lives.

Fr Bede Jarrett, Prior Provincial for many years and founder of our Priory in Oxford, spoke of the link between being loved and being sent. 'God created my soul, [and] has something for me to do ... moreover, since he knows my foolishness and blindness, he will go out of his way to make it clear'. From this we can see how Christ truly is the shepherd of his sheep, constantly working to draw us to him, and to make himself known to us. Even when we fail, he will come and look for us and put us back on the right road. Today's Gospel also reminds us to put our trust in those whom he continues to charge with the task of caring and guiding us in the Church: let us pray that they may always help us to seek his face, and guide us in our journeying towards him.

Oxford's Corpus Christi Procession

This year's Oxford deanery Corpus Christi procession was held on 1 June, the Sunday after Corpus Christi. As usual, the Procession began at the Oxford Oratory and made its way through the streets to the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy, pausing at Blackfriars.





As the Blessed Sacrament was brought into Blackfriars church, a schola of friars sang the Sequence hymn 'Lauda Sion', written by their confrere St Thomas Aquinas. The Blessed Sacrament was then exposed on the High Altar and Bishop William Kenney CP, who was leading the procession, preached on the Eucharist.



The bishop reflected on the Old Testament figure of Melchisedech and saw in this enigmatic person an indication that the Eucharist called on us to welcome the stranger in our midst. We were also reminded that priests were ordained in the order of Melchisedech, this anonymous, humble and somewhat counter-cultural Biblical figure, and so were called in some sense to be like him.

Below are more photos from the day:









"What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion."

- St Thomas Aquinas

A Dominican Vocation

I first began thinking about my vocation when I was sixteen. I grew up in a Catholic family with my mum and dad and two sisters and I was the youngest in my family. I was an altar boy from the age of seven til 18 when I left home to go to university. Having the example and support of my family has been crucial for me at every stage in my life.

When I was fifteen my sister bought me the new, as it was then, Catechism of the Catholic Church and after going through it I decided that I agreed with everything that it said. Having reached this awareness it was clear to me how my life must be. Since I now knew for myself that the Catholic faith was the truth, I had no choice but to live by it. By the time I left Sixth Form College I had already discerned that I might be made for community life, it was something that seemed very attractive to me. However, I took for granted that whatever I did with my life I must first go to University and get a degree so as to complete my education. I decided to study theology, not because I was thinking of my vocation but simply because I found it interesting. By this point my sister had moved to London and I very much enjoyed visiting her there and so I decided that I would like to study there.

After my first term in London I went to the Verbum Dei community on the Isle of Wight for a 5-day silent retreat over the New Year period. This was a life-changing experience for me. In the silence I found the time to really pray and grew to know and love God so much more. Time spent in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament was a key part of the retreat and this was and still is the most helpful form of prayer for me. Through this time of adoration and the talks given by the sisters I came to truly know and love Christ present in the Eucharist for the first time in my life. I returned there again for a Holy Week retreat the following Easter and it was then that I felt loud and clear the call to the priesthood. I felt called to be a religious priest but I didn’t know which Order I should join.

In my second year at University we got a new chaplain who was a Dominican. I had been elected president of the Catholic Society and so I ended up spending a lot of time with the chaplain. It was the first time that I had come across a young priest I could easily relate to, he was only 29 when I first met him and we became friends. I went to visit the priory in London to talk to him about the Society and fell in love with the place the moment I walked in the door. The priory in London has a long stone cloister leading down to the church that feels more like a small cathedral than a large parish church and I immediately felt a sense of belonging. I loved to join with the friars singing the Divine Office, morning and evening prayer, and felt more attracted to the Order the more I found out about it. I felt moved to give my life for others, to offer the sacrifice of the Mass for the salvation of souls and to live a life trying to love my brothers in community.

After my degree I was recommended to spend a year out as I was only 22 when I graduated. I decided to spend a year volunteering in the Philippines with Dominican Volunteers International. I lived in a Dominican priory with three friars in a very poor area, slums really, on the edge of Manila and taught religious education in the Church primary school and catechism in the secular state school. While I was there I applied to join the Order and was accepted. I moved to Cambridge in September 2006 to begin my novitiate. I made simple profession for three years in September 2007, after which I came to Oxford to begin my studies for the priesthood. I feel truly blessed to have been given the chance to live out my calling. Please pray for me as I continue on the road to the priesthood.

Brother Daniel Jeffries is a first year student.

Encouraged and Challenged by the Gospel

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Hosea 6:3-6; Psalm 49; Romans 4:18-25; Matthew 9:9-13

I suspect that the Gospel reading for this Sunday leaves most people, and I include myself, with rather conflicting impressions. For these five short verses both encourage and challenge us, reassure us, yet confront us. Matthew, who in the Gospels of Mark (2:14) and Luke (5:27) is called Levi, is a collector of taxes and, therefore, a member of an unloved class of people. He would have been considered a traitor by his fellow Jews, someone who collaborated with the Roman authorities and loaded his own pocket at the expense of his countrymen. Yet this is precisely the person Jesus chooses to call as a disciple. In the Gospel we see Jesus dining at the house of Matthew, together with a whole group of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus is quite unashamed to be seen with these people, and does not fear that he might be contaminated by their uncleanness. He is in fact expressing quite openly a preference to be with those whom the majority think it right and proper to despise.

This is an uncomfortable situation for the Pharisees and for many people it is still unsettling. It is so easy to look at the Church at any period of its history and to be scandalised by the number of sinners in its midst. Yet Jesus replies that ‘it is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick’ (Matthew 9:12). Jesus is not condoning sin but is seeking out sinners to heal them. And he shows that this can only be achieved with understanding and compassion. ‘What I want is mercy, not sacrifice’, he tells the Pharisees. He is here quoting from the prophet Hosea (6:6), for Jesus is no maverick, arbitrarily inventing the rules as he goes along. What he has to say about mercy and forgiveness is confirmed by the tradition of the Jewish Scriptures. Therefore, the Pharisees have no excuse.

For Jesus true worship and piety must show themselves in compassionate mercy. In other words, love of God and love of neighbour are two sides of the same coin. This love of neighbour expresses itself in a special way in our attentiveness to the weak and fallen, meeting them wherever they are, befriending them, and eating with them. This is the only way to show the healing love of Christ. This was the whole purpose and mission of Jesus, the reason he was sent by the Father. We should find encouragement in the fact that our God is a God of mercy and compassion. At the same time we ought to feel challenged as Christians to display the same compassion as Christ towards those who are often vilified and written-off but who, perhaps, yearn to be shown the merciful face of the Father.

Quodlibet 11 : Stages of Dominican Formation

I was wondering if you could go over the stages of becoming a Dominican priest - from the clothing onwards. I tend to get a bit confused as to what you do and when.

Men who have been accepted as postulants for the Order move in to the novitiate house and do a week's retreat with the novitiate community. The new novices are clothed in the habit at the end of the retreat in a simple, private ceremony.



Once they are clothed they become novices and spend twelve months living in the novitiate house, becoming accustomed to our way of life: the Divine Office, community life, the history and government of the Order, Dominican spiritual writers, as well as learning to cook (if necessary), studying Latin, and so on. The novices must decide whether or not they wish to proceed at the end of the year and the community must decide whether or not the novices are suited to our life. The novitiate is a time for getting to know and (hopefully) love the Order. 

At the end of the novitiate year if the novices wish to continue and are approved by the brothers they proceed to 'simple' vows: they take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience but only for three years. When they make profession their scapulars (the tabbard-like piece of fabric that goes on top of the tunic) are blessed. They are no longer novices then but simply professed student brothers.



After simple profession the brothers begin their studies for the priesthood - doing two years of philosophy and three years of theology. After three years they must decide whether or not to commit their entire lives to the Order and make 'solemn' vows: the same vows of poverty, chastity and obedience but now 'until death'. In the Dominican formula of profession reference is made only to obedience - which does not mean we take the other two less seriously but that we understand them to be included in obedience which is the most radical of the vows, touching human nature most deeply. If the student brothers decide to do this and are approved by the brothers they make their solemn profession. Usually they have about another year of studies left before they are ordained to the diaconate and then a final year, normally spent working as a deacon in one of our parishes, after which they are ordained to the priesthood.

So the stages of Dominican formation are: postulancy (just a week in the English province but longer elsewhere), novitiate, simple profession, solemn profession, diaconate, priesthood.

fr Vincent's Diamond Jubilee

On the feast of the Visitation, the English Dominican Province celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of fr Vincent Cook OP who has been at Blackfriars, Oxford for the past 20 years. Many of those who have visited Blackfriars will have seen fr Vincent being helped by his younger brethren and led into church or around Oxford. Fewer realise that Vincent's example of humility, gentle humour and quiet fidelity has helped many a young Dominican to grow and has led them into a deeper appreciation of their vocation.


As the Prior Provincial, fr John Farrell OP, said in his homily, Vincent, like Our Lady and St Elizabeth at the Visitation, has been engaged in the most ordinary things of life - cleaning, washing, preparing food, 'home making' - but this ordinary living has been filled with grace and has led to an extraordinary witness. In Vincent's case, there is a palpable sense of holiness and the Provincial cited psalm 1: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Vincent is noted for his unostentatious observance, his delight in quietly living the religious life, and his detachment from the worldly concerns of younger friars!


Characteristically, Vincent's celebration was simple but beautiful. His family travelled from Blackburn to be with him and after Mass there was a reception in the Refectory for his family and friends.




We wish fr Vincent many more happy years and thank God for gracing him - and us, through him - with 60 years of Dominican religious life.


Above, fr Vincent is watched by the Prior, fr Simon Gaine OP, as he picks out the message left in braille on his anniversary cake. Taken from Revelation 2:17, the Latin Vulgate text reads: "Vincenti dabo manna absconditum", "to the one who is victorious I will give a hidden manna".