Pray Compline online!

Compline for Sundays III-VI in Lent from godzdogz on Vimeo.

Two years ago, we uploaded this audio recording of Compline for Sundays III-VI in Lent.

The video provides the full text, so that you can follow and pray this beautiful Night Office over the last Sundays in Lent.

It's the perfect way to end the old week and start the new.

Compline for Sundays III-VI in Lent

Compline for Sundays III-VI in Lent from godzdogz on Vimeo.

Last week, we uploaded an audio recording of Compline for Sundays III-VI in Lent.

Now, we are pleased to offer the full text in this video, so that you can follow and pray this beautiful Night Office with us over the last Sundays in Lent.

It's the perfect way to end the old week and start the new.

Nos iunge beatis, 'join us to the blessed'

The salvation of souls (other people's, but also our own) has always been considered the goal of the Order of Preachers. As Dominicans, we must always pray that our preaching may bear fruit, and bring people to see and know Christ: it will never be able to do that, though, if we do not ourselves come to share more deeply in his divine life, that grace of which St Dominic was such an ardent preacher.

Of course, there is a sense in which we can only be joined to the blessed once we die; only then may we be admitted to the fullness of the beatific vision, and, indeed, when we say ‘nos iunge beatis’ we are asking for the assistance of St Dominic’s prayers for our own salvation. However, salvation is not just a one-off event at the moment of death, but rather a process which works itself out from the moment of our baptism, in which we first received God’s sanctifying grace. So we pray that already now in this life we may share something of the fullness of that blessed life which God offers to all mankind through his Son’s saving death in order that, by knowing it more deeply ourselves, we too may be preachers of grace.

Praedicator gratiae, 'preacher of grace'

The title 'praedicator gratiae' can be taken in three senses all of which are realised in the life of Saint Dominic as we know about it from Jordan of Saxony's book on the foundations of the Order and from the canonisation processes.

Grace was often the topic of his preaching - he spoke about it regularly. The close connection for the first Dominicans between preaching and hearing confessions brings it out clearly: the mercy of God, and the forgiveness and reconciliation brought about through the sacrament of penance, all this was the goal of the preaching. In countering Albigensianism he wanted to convince people particularly about the grace of God coming through the sacramental life of the Church.

A second meaning of this phrase is that grace happened when Dominic preached. There are many moments in his life that confirm this: people were converted, people were healed, people felt loved by him. The power of God's grace was 'felt' by many of those to whom Dominic preached and many of those for whom he exercised pastoral care. The key moment of the scattering of the brethren - 'seed stored rots', he said - was one in which he was clearly under the influence of the Holy Spirit. It was, as all saw later, a moment of grace, though at the time many of his brothers and friends thought it unwise to spread out so thinly at such an early stage of the Order's life.

Finally 'preacher of grace' can mean he was an attractive, gracious, preacher. His presence was warm and encouraging in something like the way people spoke about Bede Jarrett - his personality and presence themselves, gifts of nature and rearing, became instruments of the Spirit in his work of bringing people to God. We have from one of the first Sisters of the Order, Cecilia, a physical description of St Dominic, as a handsome and attractive man.

Dominicans are proud of their interest in grace both theologically and pastorally. It is a great privilege to be entrusted with the responsibility of preaching this good news, that God is love, and that towards us God's love is always gracious, merciful and steadfast.

Propinasti Gratis "You Freely Poured Forth"

It has always been difficult to define or categorise Dominican spirituality. It is not rooted on a single type of prayer or spiritual exercise. However, I think it is fair to say that the heart of Dominican spirituality is in what we are called and compelled to do, to preach. We are an order of preachers founded to proclaim the Gospel. Preaching the truth however is not something that we own or create ourselves. We are sharing in the mission of the Incarnate Word and the charismatic grace of preaching is fuelled and powered by the Holy Spirit. Fr. Simon Tugwell OP uses the image of a water pipe to demonstrate this idea to great effect. A water pipe can only give water if it is receiving water from a source. Conversely it can only receive water if it is allowing water to flow from it.

It is not enough to hope that God fills us with spiritual gifts and that at some point we will be full enough to “overflow” to others. When St Dominic began dispersing brothers (even novices) throughout Europe in the early days of the Order, many observers were puzzled. Dominic  disarmed their scepticism by pointing out that “hoarded grain goes bad”. Likewise stored water will eventually become foul. We have to be willing to share truth with others and we can do so in the confidence that the Lord is always with us and that in him we have a “full and deep well” to provide for us.

Aquam Sapientiae

The words ‘water of life’ do not refer primarily to Dominic himself but are part of a bigger phrase ‘You freely poured forth [literally ‘passed on the cup of’] the water of wisdom’. But Dominic could not pass on what he had not first received.

For me, ‘water of wisdom’ firstly calls to mind these words from St John’s gospel. ‘On the last day, the great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out: Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink! As Scripture says, “From his heart shall flow streams of living water.” He was speaking of the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive. (John 7:37-39a). Like water, the Spirit gives life and refreshes: it is flowing and moving, alive and bringing life and energy, cleansing and fulfilling our needs. The gift of wisdom, that ability to see how God is at work in situations and to bring one’s own life and decisions into line with this, was seen as the highest of the gifts of the Spirit.

Dominic is thus presented as being wonderfully full of the Holy Spirit and his life was seen as one marked with the qualities and gifts (see Isaiah 11:2-3 and also 1 Corinthians 12:7-11) and fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). His wisdom did not come mainly from books, though he was a conscientious scholar, but from a deep desire for God and from humbly asking in faith for the Holy Spirit and his gifts. This caught up and placed all his knowledge and energies at the service of God. He was generous in sharing what he had received with others, and became a vessel of the Spirit through which the Spirit was able to change the lives of others.

Let us too humbly ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and with wisdom, and to be the Holy Spirit’s vessels in touching and filling others with God’s life.

Ebur Castitatis - 'Ivory of Chastity'

At the translation of the relics of St. Dominic, we are told that the air was filled with the odour of sanctity. Indeed, this manifestation of St. Dominic’s holiness was certainly due, in no small part, to that purity of body and soul with which he lived his remarkable life. Chastity, from the Latin root of the adjective castus meaning pure, was a virtue highly prized by St. Dominic, and in his final discourses, he placed considerable stress upon the cultivation of this virtue. It is recorded that he told those brothers present toward his death, of the ‘jealous esteem’ in which he always held the virtue of purity, and admitted to them that he had received the grace of perfect virginity of body and soul. Then, rather unexpectedly, he added that nevertheless he was ‘no stranger to the charm of youth in women’. We can take this final statement as, perhaps, a sign of humility from St. Dominic or even perhaps a show of humour, but it runs much deeper than these surface impressions. Out of this display of candour shines a rare simplicity of being, a simplicity that allowed the grace of purity to take such firm root in his soul. He believed, as we should, that we must strive to be pure as God is pure.

Chastity in religious life is, all too often, viewed as a form of renunciation rather than a form of holy consecration; something to be mourned or pitied rather than celebrated. Such a viewpoint couldn’t be more mistaken. Referring to St. Dominic’s wishes, St. Catherine of Siena, in her Dialogue, points out that purity is an indispensable condition for carrying out the purpose of the Order: “Since impure living obscures the eye of the intellect, and not only the eye of the intellect, but also of the body, he does not wish them to obscure their physical light, with which they may more perfectly obtain the light of science; wherefore he imposed on them the third vow of continence, and wishes that all should observe it with true and perfect obedience.”

In the Dominican form of profession, the vow of chastity is not explicitly mentioned, but is fully embodied by the vow of obedience. Indeed, our obedience, firstly to our superiors and ultimately to the will of God, allows us the means to flourish and cultivate the virtue of chastity. But this is not easy and we must pray for the gift of perseverance. Indeed, from St. Dominic himself we have another promise of a special blessing on perseverance in this regard: “The spotlessness of your lives will ensure you great triumphs among men.” In these good works and in living aright before God we can hope to draw ever closer to Him, and by the example of our Holy Father St Dominic, we can hope to be united with Him in the heavenly kingdom.

Rosa Patientiae

Patience is the first characteristic of love (1 Corinthians 13:4) and it is a key marker of sanctity - 'he had the patience of a saint' is a very familiar phrase. Patience is not about being submissive, or being able to wait a long time, but it is the virtue of being able to suffer evil for the sake of what is truly good. So we can see why the rose is such an appropriate symbol of patience. The rose is primarily a symbol of love. Even though a rose has thorns, these don't detract from its beauty. In fact the thorns are necessary for this beauty to flourish. In 2 Corinthians, St Paul speaks of the thorn in his flesh and how the Lord spoke to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 'for the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, and calamities.' The meaning of patience is summed up in Fr. Vincent McNabb's short poem, Rosa Patientiae:

The rose’s hue and scent

        Are meant,

By Him who made the rose, to adorn

        A thorn.

And thus, when sorrow irks,

        Who shirks

Forgets to count the gain

      Of pain-

Nor, joy-benighted, knows

        The rose.

Doctor Veritatis

Teacher of Truth

Recently we had a vocations open day at Blackfriars Oxford, a chance for those pondering religious life to have a look at a Dominican house and chat to some of the brothers about the Order, our life, and our mission. I was struck over the course of the day by how often I was asked the question - each time expressed in a slightly different way - what is Dominican spirituality?

This can be something of a tricky question for Dominicans to answer because the systematic methods or techniques of mental prayer that have become synonymous with 'spirituality' emerged centuries after the Order's foundation. Indeed, an elderly friar once told me that he didn't believe in 'spirituality', but he believed in the Holy Spirit, his point being that for Dominicans, a spiritual life is one that is guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit in all its aspects and dimensions. St. Dominic bequeathed us a way of life and a mission, not a methodology. Yet if this tradition is to lead both those that hear us preach and the brothers themselves to God, it must be founded on the one true God. That is, it must be founded on Truth. Hence Veritas - truth- is the motto of the Order of Preachers.

Both the Old and New Testaments witness to the immense danger of individuals, communities and societies founding their lives on falsity, the danger of founding our lives on what is not God. When we make the pursuit of created or human things our purpose we turn these created things into idols, false gods. These idols inevitably stifle our humanity, trapping us in ideas and practices that inhibit our flourishing. Christ promises that the truth will set us free (John 8: 32). As Dominicans, then, our prayer, our common life, our study, and our preaching should be orientated towards exposing these idols that enslave humanity and, like St. Dominic, preaching instead the one true God who has revealed his great love for us in Christ Jesus. A life founded on Christ is a life founded on love, a love that is true, a love more powerful than death.

O lumen Ecclesiæ

St Dominic is frequently depicted with a star around his forehead, because his mother, Blessed Juana de Aza saw this appear during his baptism. This legend is corroborated with this description of the saint by Blessed Cecilia of Rome: “From his forehead and between his eyebrows a radiant light shone forth, which drew everyone to revere and love him”. Hence, the antiphon to St Dominic begins by referring to him as lumen Ecclesiæ, ‘light of the Church’, and this description says something about St Dominic, and his Order.

Light is something that we seldom notice when it is present; we just take it for granted that it ought to be there, whether as natural sunlight, or with the flick of a switch. As something intrinsically good, like truth, or goodness, or beauty, we feel light’s absence more than its presence. Light is necessary for our well-being, and serves our greater good. Light enters a building through its windows, so each window panel is sometimes called a light. When the light shines through the windows of a church, it gives form, colour, and life to the images of Christ, the saints, and the angels. Thus they become present to us, and so the light may be said to preach.

But notice the humility of the light. It doesn’t draw attention to itself, but serves others’ needs, makes their lives better, and ultimately, proclaims the truth and goodness of God, the one true Light. Hence, St Dominic, this most humble of great saints, left us a mission of preaching and the salvation of souls rather than any personal Rule, or writings, or personality cult. His sole aim was to shine a light on the Faith by assiduous preaching, and an apostolic way of life, and to allow the light of God’s truth to illumine our lives through study and contemplation, so that we might see better, and thus, live more abundantly. And he did this from his beginnings as a cathedral canon at Osma from within the Church and her structures. Thus he founded a clerical Order, and he is truly called a light of the Church.

Inspired by him, let us also be a light to those around us, for it is “better to shine a light than to curse the darkness”.

The Antiphon 'O Lumen'

From the 14th century it was a custom in the Order to sing the Magnificat Antiphon for the Feast of St Dominic after the Salve Regina at the end of Compline every day. This antiphon, O Lumen Ecclesiae, will form the subject of a series of meditations beginning tomorrow. Here is the full text:

O LUMEN ECCLESIAE, DOCTOR VERITATIS,

ROSA PATIENTIAE, EBUR CASTITATIS,

AQUAM SAPIENTIAE PROPINASTI GRATIS:

PRAEDICATOR GRATIAE, NOS IUNGE BEATIS.

The usual English translation is as follows:

O light of the church, teacher of truth,

rose of patience, ivory of chastity,

You freely poured forth the waters of wisdom,

preacher of grace unite us with the blessed.

In Eastertide the antiphon ends with Alleluia. We hope you enjoy this series of posts which will be published during the month of November. Here is a recording of the community at Blackfriars, Oxford, singing the O Lumen: