Veritas

 Dominic Preacher of Grace, Christ the Heavenly Face

by

Mrs. Faith Flaherty, O.P.

Dominic the contemplative, Christ Paraclete Divine;
Dominic the holy priest, Christ our Most Sacred Wine!

Dominic the teacher, Christ the Living Word;
Dominic the merciful, Christ our One and Only Lord!

Dominic blessed preacher, Christ the Divine Prophet;
Dominic full of compassion, Christ who paid Adam’s debt!

Dominic our founder, Christ the King of Kings;
Dominic disciple, Christ in whom salvation brings!

Dominic man of Mary, Christ the Son of Man;
Dominic light of the Word, Christ the world’s New Adam!

Dominic man of prayer, Christ with us, Immanuel;
Dominic, communicator, Christ with whom we choose to dwell!

Dominic man of faith, Christ the Divine Way;
Dominic confessor, Christ the Holy Gate Way!

Dominic lover of God, Christ the promised Paraclete;
Dominic saintly religious, Christ Sacred Mystery Most Complete!

Dominic disciple, Christ the Head of the Church;
Dominic carrier of the torch, Christ the Living Torch!

Dominic Master of the Order of Preachers, Christ Our Savior;
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word will live forever!

I wrote this poem for the OPrize Contest.  This is a contest open to all members of the Dominican family.  When the international web site asked for poetry submissions to post on their Jubilee section, I submitted the above poem.  I got the idea from an old medieval hymn called "Mary the Dawn."  I explicitly stated so, in my submittal.  I followed the form in "Mary the Dawn."  Somehow, I think that was interpreted as I didn't write Dominic Preacher of Grace, Christ the Heavenly Face.  That this poem is from "Mary the Dawn."  I guess that's how it happened, because I wrote and asked the web master why my name isn't on the poem, like the other submissions.  I never got an answer.  And if you look at the Order's international site, and look at my poem, you'll see an asterisk on the bottom.  The asterisk explains "from Mary the Dawn."  That's wrong.  That's not the truth.  It's from me, using the form from "Mary the Dawn."  It doesn't bother me that I'm not given the credit.  St. Dominic, himself, never left any writings, prayers, treatises, or works of any kind.  He, himself, was not important.  I use him as my example.  But St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that distinctions are important.  So today, on the Feast of St. Dominic, on my own blog, I'm posting my own poem for St. Dominic.  And that's the truth!  Veritas.