Ꭲhe most vibrant heresy in Europe was Catharism, also known as Albigensianism—for Albi, a city in southern France where it flourished. Catharism held that the universe was a battleground between good, which was spirit, and evil, which was matter. Human beings were believed to be spirits trapped in physical bodies. The leaders of the religion, the perfect, lived with great austerity and remaining chaste.
God had chosen St. Dominic as the champion of the Church against this heresy. It was in response to this heresy that He founded the Order of Preachers.
The following narrative tells of his initial entry into the mission which God had prepared for him. In following days we see how St. Dominic fought against the heresy. It so happened that the Bishop of Osma had to go to North Germany towards the close of the Year 1203. He was accompanied by the future saint. In passing through Languedoc, both were deeply grieved at beholding the alarming success of the Albigenses. On reaching Toulouse, where they had to pass the Night, Dominic perceived that their host was a heretic; and although time pressed, he was Anxious to be of service to the poor deluded man under whose roof they then were. Jesus Christ has said to His Apostles, “When you come into a house, salute it, saying, Peace be To this house. And if that house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it; but if it be not Worthy, your peace shall return to you.”[1] The Saints, to whose minds all the words of Jesus Christ are ever present, and who know the power of a benediction given even in Secret, regard themselves as God’s ambassadors to every creature whom they meet, and Strive to part from none until they have implanted in his heart some germ of grace. Dominic did not rest content with merely praying for his host, but passed the night in converse with him; and the ready eloquence of the stranger made so deep an impression on the heretic, that he returned to the faith before the dawn of day. Then another wonder occurred; touched by the conquest he had just effected in the cause of truth, and also by the sad spectacle of he ravages made by false doctrine, Dominic then first conceived the idea of founding an Order in defense of the Church, the mission of which should consist in preaching. This sudden resolve took lasting possession of his mind; and now the secret of his future career was revealed to him. After they had completed their initial mission they diverted to Rome. At that time there was no Christian but desired, ere death, to press with his lips the shrines of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Even the poor came on foot to visit these distant relics, and receive, at least once, the blessing of the Vicar of Jesus Christ.Don Diégo and Dominic knelt side by side at that tomb of the Holy Apostles and invoked their intercession and blessing.The two pilgrims re-crossed the Alps in the spring of 1205, and although intending to proceed at once to Spain, they gratified their pious wish of visiting on their way one of the most renowned monasteries of Christendom; and taking a long and circuitous route, knocked for admittance at the gate of the Abbey of Cîteaux. The monastery where one of the greatest saints of the Church blossomed- St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church.
There are a few things which require out special attention in this passage.
- St. Dominic did not limit himself to praying and doing penance for the heretic. But he took an initiative to confront the poor soul and talk to him about Christ. In a similar way we must combine apostolic ministry with out prayers. For Holy Spirit says
🔥“ ʏᴏᴜ sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ғᴀɪᴛʜ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs ᴡᴏʀᴋs, ᴀɴᴅ ғᴀɪᴛʜ ᴡᴀs ʙʀᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛɪᴏɴ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋs“. 🔥-James 2:22 📖
“ ғᴏʀ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ɪs ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, sᴏ ғᴀɪᴛʜ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ɪs ᴀʟsᴏ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ .”💎James 2:26💎
- St. Dominic made it a part of his life to make pilgrimages and invoke the intercession of the saint’s.
“Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are
Traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims Seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer in Church.” -CCC 2691
“ That it is a lawful and useful thing to invoke the saints, as intercessors, to obtain for us, by the merits of Jesus Christ, that which we, by our demerits, are not worthy to receive, is a doctrine of the Church, declared by the Council of Trent: ‘It is good and useful to invoke them by supplication, and to fly to their aid and assistance to obtain benefits from God through his Son Jesus Christ “.🍃 St. Alphonsus Ligouri 🍃
💫 *Prayer* 💫ʟᴏʀᴅ ᴊᴇsᴜs ᴡᴇ ɢʟᴏʀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ɢɪғᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴜʀᴄʜ ʀɪᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴀɪɴᴛs. ᴡᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴜᴍᴇʀᴏᴜs ɢʀᴀᴄᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ sʜᴏᴡᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴜs ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴄᴇssɪᴏɴ. ᴏ ʟᴏʀᴅ, ɢʀᴀɴᴛ ᴜs ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴍᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇxᴀᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀɪɴᴛs ᴡʜᴏ ᴛᴇsᴛɪғɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ғᴀɪᴛʜ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ɢʀᴀɴᴛ ᴜs ᴏ ᴊᴇsᴜs ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ᴏғ ᴄʜᴀʀɪᴛʏ ʀᴏᴏᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ғᴀɪᴛʜ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴀʏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. Amen.🙏🏼
St. Dominic,
Pray for us,
Pray in honor of the saint:-
✝️ 1 Our Father. 1 Hail Mary. 1 Glory be.✝️
