Heart to Heart

JMJDFC

Program 5

Welcome to our broadcast of Heart to Heart. It is a pleasure to be sharing the faith once again. With us today is Father Michael Novacki, OP. We will not be available to answer calls during this program. You may write to us at: Heart to Heart, P. O. Box 11431, Philadelphia, PA 19111. You can call us away from the program at: (215)

Father Mike, would you please read a passage for us from today's Gospel according to Saint Luke: Jesus, on being asked by the Pharisees when the reign of God would come, replied: "You cannot tell by careful watching when the reign of God will come. Neither is it a matter of reporting that it is 'here' or 'there.' The reign of God is already in your midst.

He said to the disciples: 'A time will come when you will long to see one day of the Son of Man but will not see it. They will tell you he is to be found in this place or that. Do not go running about excitedly. The Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning that flashes from one end of the sky to the other. First, however, he must suffer much and be rejected by the present age."

Thank you, Father.

Isn't it wonderful that the Lord teaches us by the example of His life. He tells us of His glory and power in the age to come, but He also reminds us of what must happen first. Are we greater than our Master? Why should Jesus suffer when He is innocent and we live a life of peace and joy when we are guilty? Still, the peaceful, joyful life is what we desire. Yet, we must follow the lead of the Lord in all things if we are to follow Him into Paradise. Suffer first in this world, knowing that His reign is in our midst, then share in the happiness of eternal life. If we learn this lesson and embrace it, we are on the road to living the prayer, "O Lumen." This prayer, "O Lumen" was set to music by one of my sons, and performed by the band, "Turning Point." Since we aren't able to hear much of the song during the opening of this program, let's listen to it now. When it's finished, we'll discuss the words of the prayer and it's meaning for us.

[Play, O Lumen]

The prayer "O Lumen," which means, "O Light," refers to St. Dominic and to us as well.

O Light of the Church, doctor of truth, rose of patience, ivory of chastity, freely hast thou dispensed the water of wisdom: preacher of grace, unite us to the blessed. V. Pray for us, blessed Father Dominic. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray.

Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that we who are oppressed with the weight of our sins may be relieved by the intercession of Your Confessor and our Father, the Blessed Dominic. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. V. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. R. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Amen.

This is not a very long prayer, that is because we follow the teaching of our Lord who has told us that a sheer multiplication of words will not win a hearing for us. The words of this prayer are packed with meaning.

"O Light of the Church." There are many different ideas that come to mind when we think of light. We know it clears away the darkness -- it allows us to see things that are hidden -- it makes everything bright and cheery. St. Dominic, as "Light of the Church," gives us the example of his life to light our way. He teaches us things that otherwise we may not understand about the Church and her teachings. He is a bright light shining on the pathway to God.

"Doctor of truth." When Webster's New World Dictionary is examined to find the meaning to the word "doctor" we read: "one who holds a doctorate, a physician or surgeon, one licensed to practice any of the healing arts, to mend."

When we think of a doctor, we think of one who has studied long and hard in their field of expertise. Someone who has become very skilled by many years of practice after someone has taught and guided them. With study and practice, it seems that the skill becomes second nature. Once these skills are second nature, the person is given power (or licensed) by a higher authority to practice these skills for the benefit of the rest of mankind.

So many times we meet people who have their own version of truth. They see things from their perspective alone and consider their opinion to be the best and only truth. We must be like St. Dominic; open to the one and only source of real truth, Jesus, our Lord. Allow Him to teach us through His Church and those in authority who must be our teachers -- we should be the students. Let us ask God to help us open our minds and hearts to those He sends to teach us. We'll ask Him to grant us the grace we need, and the opportunities to practice our skills for the good of our brothers and sisters in Christ. This implies that we must lay aside prideful opinions and let the Church and her leaders guide us in prudence.

"Rose of patience.". Our Lord reminds us that we must die to ourselves if we are to live with Him. This path is not an easy one. It takes a lot of patience for us to deal with ourselves and with others. St. Dominic, by the example of his life, shows us a way in which to bring the virtue of patience to the full beauty of a rose. The scent, the color, the very texture of the rose will be added to our lives if we take the time, and put forth the effort to live our lives for Christ, Jesus.

"Ivory of Chastity." When most of us think of chastity, we think of the sexual context. This, however, is but one small, yet important aspect of chastity. Chastity is also: innocence, purity, virtue, uprightness, honor, loyalty, decency, and devotion. A tall order indeed, but when we take these items one at a time, along with a prayer for grace to implement them fully within us, God will answer our prayer.

Allow me to touch on another point regarding prayer; so often I hear people say that God did not answer their prayer. We need to remember that God answers all prayer. Sometimes though, He doesn't answer the way we expect Him to, judging by our standards. Maybe what we ask for is not for the good of our soul, it may even be harmful to us. God, our loving Father, will only give us the things truly necessary for our salvation. Winning the lottery may not be best for us although many of us feel this would solve all our problems. If we pray for grace and light, to live our life the way that God deems best, we can be sure the Lord will grant our request.

"Freely hast thou dispensed the water of wisdom." St. Dominic founded his order to be based on prayer and study. First we pray, then we take the fruits of our prayer with us into our study. At times the two, prayer and study become intertwined as with St. Thomas. The reward of prayer is the energy, the force behind the understanding that we receive from our study. St. Dominic taught his companions from the depth of his own prayer and study. It is the wisdom he gained by following this method of life that he freely dispensed to his brethren and to us. This makes sense if you realize that we too are to take the fruits of our prayer and study and share the gifts of both with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Once again, St. Dominic has led the way.

If anyone is interested in following in the footsteps of Dominic, give us a call and we'll share the information with you. The members of St. Martin de Porres Young Dominican's Chapter are planning their upcoming reception into the Dominican Family. If you would like to join us on January 26, 1996, for this special occasion, just call or write to us and we'll relay all the details. If you need a ride, we may be able to arrange one for you.

Just a reminder about the fund raising effort that we shared with you last week. We're trying to provide bibles and Dominican pins for each of the members of the Young Dominican Chapter, as well as keep this program on the air. We have a beautiful picture of the Blessed Mother and Pope John Paul II in a loving embrace. This picture is beautifully framed and sells for $45.00 at the St. Jude Shop. Anyone who has or will send in a donation, either for the program, bibles or pins, will have their name entered into a drawing for this picture. The drawing will take place at the reception following the January 26^th ceremony.

To make a donation, ask a question or bring up a subject that you would like discussed on this program, write to us at: Heart to Heart, P. O. Box 11431, Philadelphia, PA 19111.

The band "Turning Point" that performs the "O Lumen" for us, is a blues and rock band. The band members will be performing at "Coffee Connection," Frankford Avenue and Elbridge Street, Philadelphia, on Saturday, November 30, 1996. Please keep these fine young men in your prayers.

God Willing, we'll be back with you again next week at this same time. Remember that God's power is in your hands when you pray the Rosary. May God bless you and protect you.

Father Michael, will you please grant our listeners a blessing?

May the blessing of Almighty God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit fill your hearts with peace, joy and happiness now and forever. In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.