By Br Thomas Thérèse Mannion | Community Life is one of the most important aspects of Dominican Life and a distinguishing feature between the religious life and the life of the diocesan clergy. In the rule of St. Augustine, which we as Dominicans have as our rule, St. Augustine writes that above everything else the purpose of living together is to live in harmony.
Community Life is one of the most important aspects of Dominican Life and a distinguishing feature between the religious life and the life of the diocesan clergy. In the rule of St. Augustine, which we as Dominicans have as our rule, St. Augustine writes that above everything else the purpose of living together is to live in harmony. To be of one heart and one mind. However, this is not to be understood solely in terms of the priory to which one is assigned but as our constitutions say ‘this unity finds its full dimension beyond the convent, in the province and the entire order’. Nor does our community consist solely with those who are living, but we have
Brothers receive strength and encouragement from each other. Community life, at its best, helps us to grow in holiness and gives opportunities for service. Not only do brothers willingly share in the work assigned to them but also share the work of brothers who are overburdened for the common good. We have a particular care for those who are struggling and those who are sick. ‘Charity must not remain hidden at the bottom of our hearts, for ‘No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.’’ – St. Therese of Lisieux
Community life is both, a purgatorial fire where each brother becomes more acutely aware of their vices so they can be rooted out, and the soothing ointment that heals scars. It is in the context of community life that what we seek in
St. Therese was struck by Jesus in the Gospel of John when Jesus says ‘I call you friends’ combining this with Jesus’s command ‘love one another as I have loved you’. St. Therese writes how she set out to find how Jesus had loved his disciples, how he loved her in particular and from this how she is to love her sisters. St. Therese says ‘it was not for their natural qualities, for they were ignorant and taken up with earthly things’. St Therese
St. Therese writes of her friendship with a sister that it was not a ‘spiritual friendship’. She was initially attracted by her virtue and they sought each other out. Therese writes ‘we became intimate friends and were allowed to talk together about spiritual matters, to develop an affection which showed signs of helping us in the practice of virtue. I was charmed by her innocence; she was so frank and open…’. For St. Therese this was an exclusive type of friendship which she believed she was called to sacrifice if she was to love as Christ loves. The friendship had been, for Therese, a form of self-indulgence rather than true friendship. The two sisters promised to point out each other’s faults to support each other in their growth of virtue. St. Therese believed she had been seeking comfort rather than Christ. St. Therese goes on to say ‘You know very well, Mother, that I had no intention of turning her away from you, only of making it clear that true love feeds on
There is a debate to be had surrounding the natural affinity Jesus has or does not have for his disciples. A natural affinity is a natural thing, but we should not fall into factionalism or love others with anything less than the love with which Christ loved them – which is the supreme love. The disciples felt the love Jesus had for them in a tangible sense, hence ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. I find it telling that after Therese died, a sister whom she had found particularly difficult burst into tears saying she knew Therese had loved her the most
When we lay on the floor at profession,
‘Greater love has no man than
Br Thomas Thérèse Mannion O.P.
Br Thomas Thérèse is a student brother in simple vows, born on the Wirral. He felt called to the priesthood at an early age. Before joining the Order, he was employed in the Archdiocese of Westminster as a Catechetical and Youth Coordinator. Whilst studying Theology at Heythrop College, University of London, he stumbled across the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist which lead him to discover the Friars of the English Province on YouTube. He entered the noviciate in 2016. He enjoys Ice Skating, History of the Papacy and the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. | thomas.mannion@english.op.org