Displaying items by tag: Gerard Francis Timoner

Today, the Feast of saint Dominic, we - Missionaries of School - feel united with all of the Dominican family in the memorial of our Founder. He teaches us how to put God in the centre of our lives and all our activities. It is Him and His project of Salvation of each person in each time and place that should be above all the other things.

In the 13th century Dominic with his passion for fraternity and zealous concern for those who were away from the Church, renewed the apostolic vocation of the Church.

On the bases of this teaching the newly elected Master of the Order of Preachers, fr. Gerard Francis Timoner III (the first Philippine to be elected) commenting the Gospel (John 20:20), said: "... all Dominicans must have a capacity to preach evangelii gaudium, the joy of the Gospel. Thanks to God’s grace, I have experienced that joy in seeing the Lord, manifested through the fraternal embrace, support and love of the brothers present here in Vietnam; the prayers and kind words of support of the brothers and sisters from all over the world, including my family. They have been, for me, concrete manifestations of the Emmanuel, the Lord who is with us". 

The apostolic perspective for this charisma, that enriched the Church thanks to st. Dominic, was also expressed by saint Catherine of Siena. She had a dream where she saw herself and saint Dominic with all of his family entering the wounded heart of Christ together with both Christians and non Christians. It is a sign for everybody that with the Cross Jesus brought the olive branch of peace, saying to everyone: “ I proclaim to you a great joy” (Saint Catherine of Siena, The Letter 219).

Nowadays, the Church is called to give answers to today’s needs and proclaim the authenticity of Gospel. The way set by Dominic 800 years ago seems to be full of potentiality, like leaven and scent of the Gospel, more than ever before.