Asimple wooden coffin in the main aisle of the Motherhouse chapel and a hidden cross on the flagstone floor of a large church in Bologna both speak of the radical truth that at death we leave the world with nothing yet something beyond our wildest dreams awaits those of us who believe. When Saint Dominic died in 1221, he did not even have his own bed and was initially buried, as he desired, under the feet of his brethren. His tomb was virtually ignored by his brethren, though not the faithful, for a decade Today the original spot is still marked with a simple cross on the floor that can only be seen by moving a pew out of the way The utter simplicity of this place stands in stark contrast to the grandeur of the current tomb of Saint Dominic Overhead is a splendid fresco by Guido Reni of Jesus and Mary welcoming him into the glory of heaven.
The marble sarcophagus, which houses his simple cypress coffin, towers high above one ’ s head and is covered on all sides with ornate carvings that provide a visual representation of how he loved God above all things and never tired in his preaching for the salvation of souls during his lifetime. The back wall of the apse has seven paintings representing the theological and cardinal virtues which also animated Saint Dominic’s life As the pilgrim walks around the marble sarcophagus and studies all the intricate details of the carvings, such as the images of Saints Peter and Paul visiting Dominic in a vision and the miracle of Dominic raising Napoleon Orsini from the dead, which were created by various artists including Michelangelo over the course of two hundred years, he is met with another contrast – the simple skull of the great founder of the Order of Preachers encased in an elaborately decorated golden reliquary These humble earthly remains of Dominic were once filled with God’s life and the grace that Saint Thomas Aquinas says “is the beginning of glory in us ” These remains of the saint will one day be united for all eternity with his soul in heaven which is why one is drawn to venerate them and ask his intercession
The same is true for the remains of each baptized Christian as well For those who have put their treasure in heaven while still on earth, even in its complete poverty of death is not an end to be feared because we know by faith what awaits us beyond the limits of our earthly sight Father Bede Jarrett explained this truth poetically when he wrote, “Life is eternal and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing, save the limit of our sight.” Therefore, the Christian pilgrim on the journey of life can joyfully say with Saint Paul, “For me life is Christ and death is gain” (Phil 1:21)
In the last year, three of our beloved sisters were called to their celestial home by their Divine Bridegroom They took nothing with them except their love for Him who loved them first. They were each placed in a simple wooden coffin in our chapel, dressed in the same habits they wore faithfully each day of their lives, with their written vows tucked in their hands – an outward sign of a lifetime of love and surrender The celestial singing of the sisters and a chapel filled with sisters, family, and friends of the community reminded those present of the choirs of angels and saints who worship the Lamb day and night. We were also reminded of our community’s nightly prayer to Saint Dominic to “unite us with the blessed” for he promised on his death bed that he would be more useful to us in Heaven Yet even these beautiful memories pale in comparison to the “pledge of future glory” that awaits the faithful soul: “for eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). During our earthly pilgrimage, may we keep our eyes on heaven, by living simply, loving deeply, and begging Saint Dominic, preacher of grace, to unite us with the blessed!
O wondrous hope, that you did give at the hour of death to those who mourned you,/ when you did promise to help them even after your death./ Father, keep your word, and aid us by your prayers.
You who did shine by so many signs in the bodies of the afflicted,/ bear us the help of Christ and heal our souls in their illness and unrest.
Father, keep your word, and aid us by your prayers.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Father, keep your word, and aid us by your prayers
Pray for us, blessed father, Dominic.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
Let us pray
O God, who did vouchsafe to enlighten your Church by the merits and teachings of blessed Dominic, your confessor and our father,/ grant through his intercession that it may never be destitute of temporal help,/ and may always increase in spiritual growth / Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Remember, O our beloved Father,/ your promise to plead powerfully in Heaven for your children and for all those who invoke you / This sweet hope reanimates our confidence, and in all our needs we have recourse to you./ O beloved Son of Jesus and favorite of Mary,/ sinners though we are, to your heart we address our prayers./ Despise not this our humble supplication,/ but be truly Dominic to us during these days of trial and exile./ Obtain for us the singular favor of following in your footsteps, of imitating your virtues,/ and of winning souls to our dearest Lord Jesus,/ so that like you we may surely reach our heavenly home/ and share there in your glory. Amen.
Father, keep your gracious word, pleading for us to our Lord.
For more information on St Dominic visit our website: https://wwwnashvilledominican org/our-vowed-life/st-dominic/