St Dominic founded the Order of preachers, known as the Dominicans, in the 13th century. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said this of St Dominic: “This great saint reminds us that in the heart of the Church a missionary fire must always burn.” In recent years, the Popes have emphasized the importance of the missionary identity of the Church, and identity that was at the heart of St Dominic. Pope Benedict XVI also stated that the search for God's glory and the salvation of souls went hand in hand in the life and ministry of St Dominic. After his ordination to the priesthood, while serving in France, Dominic saw the affects of the Albigensian heresy, which viewed the created world as evil and as inferior to the spiritual world. This heresy denied the fundamental goodness of God’s creation here on earth. Fighting this heresy and educating the people in the faith led Dominic to the establishment of this new religious order, which would emphasize quality preaching. The founder spent the last several years of his life building up the order and continuing his preaching in missions in different countries, during which he is said to have converted more than 100,000 people to the Catholic faith. He died in 1221 in Italy. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1234.
In the Gospel today, Jesus calls us to take up our crosses and follow him. We called to find strength in uniting our crosses and our sufferings with the cross and the sufferings that Christ himself endured. We are not to see our crosses as obstacles, but rather as means to grow in our faith.
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