Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

“Dominic witnessed first-hand the harm that not knowing the truth about God and God’s creation could do to people . . . .”   (www.op.org/en/content/dominican-charism) These words offer a starting point for reflection about a value at the heart of the Order of Preachers: Truth.   During these days following his feast (August 8th), let’s take some time to consider this special preoccupation of Dominic, who was called, “Doctor of Truth”.   At this time in the United States – and perhaps throughout our world – truth seems scarce and elusive.   With expressions like “alternative facts” and “fake news”, some would have us believe that truth itself can be reduced to ideology and opinion.   However, a positive consequence of these times might be that we become more deliberate about seeking information from reliable sources and less casual in our acceptance of the pablum offered by much of the media.   Over the centuries, philosophers have written volumes exploring the nature of

1 COR 13:11 When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a woman, I put aside childish things. Do you remember Goofus and Gallant from Highlights magazine?   (I’m not dating myself - Highlights is still in print!) Childhood fantasies about being Gallant, the “good” brother (or sister), and never Goofus, the “bad” brother or sister,   have been put aside and replaced with the reality that I am both.    Last night, during a prayer meeting with women in the local county jail, our talk turned to Peter. The women seemed surprised when I described Peter as a ‘goofball’ (in the most loving sense of the word) – an ordinary man who did extraordinary things one minute, and who messed up the next.   Goofus resided in Peter right alongside Gallant. In other words, Peter is a lot like us, and we are a lot like Peter.   The good news – actually, the great news – is that Jesus still chose Peter.   And Jesus still chooses eac