Lay Dominican Novitiate/ O.P. Notes
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| Saint Dominic praying by El Greco |
The great founder of the Ordo Praedicatorum (Dominicans) Holy Father Saint Dominic, teaches not only his spiritual children, but also all the faithful nine forms of prayer that include a certain, disciplined physical posture.
The manuscript containing the 9 ways of prayer was discovered in a German monastery basement, and was written by an anonymous author between 1260 and 1288, the source being Sister Cecilia of the Monastery of Saint Agnes at Bologna, Italy. (Sister Cecilia received her Dominican habit from Saint Dominic in Rome, and she witnessed the foundation of the monastery of San Sisto. In 1223 she went to Bologna with three other sisters. Sometime between 1272 and 1288, she dictated her reminiscences of Saint Dominic to Sister Angelica. Sister Cecilia remained a member of the Bolognese monastery until her death.)
The First Way of Prayer:
The Bow
(Humbling oneself before the altar of God)
The three forms of this gesture, according to the Dominican Tradition are: the simple bow of the head, a bow from the shoulders, and the profound bow from the waist.
The Dominican brethren were taught to do this whenever they passed before a Crucified Christ Who humbled Himself for us; it is only befitting that we too should be humble before His majesty. We are also taught to humble ourselves this way when we pray: "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit..."
Lying Prostrate Upon the Ground
(Outstretched upon the ground, lying on the face)
Saint Dominic assumed this posture when he wept and was overtaken with great sorrow. Sometimes he would be heard praying in a loud voice, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." (Lk 18:13)
He prayed with his entire body, and thus taught his brothers to do so as well when feeling remorse and asking for God's mercy. He exhorted the young men, "If you cannot weep for your sins because you have none, remember that there are many sinners who can be disposed for mercy and charity." In this way, Saint Dominic called upon God's mercy for all.
Scourging with an Iron Chain
(From prostration, rising to one's knees, and concentrating upon the suffering of the world, while scourging)
Saint Dominic gave himself the discipline of the iron chain. This is why the Order decreed, after his example, that all brethren should receive the discipline with wooden switches upon their shoulders as they're bowing down in worship and reciting the psalm "De Profundis" after Compline on ferial days (days without feasts). This is done in repentance for one's own faults and for the faults of others. The first three ways of praying characterizes the Saint's humility, mercy, and self-discipline.
Genuflection
(With eyes transfixed on the Cross, contemplating the Crucified Christ)
Saint Dominic would genuflect again and again, rising and then kneeling again, praying "Unto You will I cry, O Lord; O my God, be not silent to me..."(Psalm 27:1).
Sometimes, he would remain in silent genuflection, and while in this position it appeared from his face great joy which brought him to tears. This position became his intimate and personal form of worship, teaching this to his brothers more by his example than by words. Saint Dominic was sometimes called an "athlete for Christ"; his ways of praying physically demanding and requiring discipline, and he prayed with agility and grace.
Standing Before God
(Standing with reverence, with hands extended as if reading/ holding a book)
Saint Dominic would stand erect while praying, without leaning upon anything to support him. Sometimes he would stand before the altar, often with hands raised as the priests do at Liturgy, and as if reading in the presence of Almighty God.
Sometimes he would clasp his hands firmly together, and appeared to be listening carefully to the One before him speaking from the altar. During his journeys, he would find time for fervent prayer, standing yet with his mind raised to heaven.
The Sixth Way of Prayer:
Standing in the Cruciform Position
(Contemplating Christ's Passion and Death, and Praying the Holy Rosary)Saint Dominic would stand reverently in supplication, with outstretched arms in the form of the Cross. It is said that he prayed this way when anticipating a miracle from God. This was his position when he entreated God to raise a boy back to life in the Church of Saint Sixtus in Rome, when he himself was raised from the ground at the Eucharistic celebration, and when English pilgrims were saved from drowning in a river in Toulouse, France.
He prayed the words in the Psalter, "All the day I have cried to Thee O Lord: I stretched our my hands to Thee." (Ps 87:2-10)
Praying with Hands Held High
(Praying in humble supplication while the whole being was seen as an arrow shot from a bow, directed towards heaven.)
Holy Father Dominic would raise his hands above his head, either joined together, or slightly parted as if receiving something from heaven. This was his way of acknowledging that all good gifts are from God.
In this posture, he seemed enter in a state of bliss, in a rapture of spirit. He was heard praying Psalm 27:2, "Hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication which I pray to Thee, when I lift my hands to Thy holy Temple."
Spiritual Reading
(Reflective reading, also described as "in table conversation" with the Word.)
Saint Dominic also found time to go to a quiet place, to his cell or elsewhere, to read a book. He found God speaking to him through the words he read. He allowed God to speak to him especially through Holy Scripture; his spirit sweetly roused, and like in the Psalms would be disposed to listen, "I will hear what the Lord God will speak to me... (Ps 84:9)
He appeared to move from reading to prayer, then from prayer to meditation, from meditation to contemplation. While reading, he would seem to be talking about something with a dear friend; listening attentively then discussing, and then he would weep or laugh, or speak quietly and beat his breast. He found God speaking to him through the Sacred Word he read.
Meditation, and being disposed for Contemplation
(Praying on the journey and walking in solitude.)
When travelling on foot from country to country, Saint Dominic would remove himself from the company of his companions, and would walk by himself, and follow them at some distance. He used this time to meditate upon the Word, and to commune with the Holy Spirit.
His brethren thought that while praying this way, Holy Father Dominic gained profound understanding of Sacred Scripture, as well as gain the power to courageously preach. During his solitary walks, he would quote to his companions, "I will lead her (my spouse) into the wilderness and I will speak to her ear." (Hosea 2:16)
Of all these nine, contemplation is the perfect prayer, which does not seem difficult to do, but one that cannot be forced. It is a grace to be able to contemplate God; a gift only bestowed to the humblest of hearts.
Saint Dominic used all nine forms of prayer during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, when he travelled, and mostly during his private prayer.
Sources:
a. Catholic Herald, U.K.
b. Province of Saint Albert the Great, Dominican Central Province, U.S.A.
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