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Dominic was not primarily concerned to find a way of life which would be convenient or even safe for himself, nor was he concerned to realize any dream of his own perfection: What he wanted was to preach the gospel where it was needed most, in whatever way would make it most effective. 

And he appreciated that the best way to preach the gospel, in his own time, was to imitate the manner of the apostles. He never doubted for a moment that a preacher needed to be appointed by the Church, but he saw no reason why an official preacher should behave like a secular potentate. He deliberately refused, as far as he could, any position which would set him above others and give him power over them. In his view, the preacher comes before men as a beggar, begging from God the word he is to speak, begging from men the bread which will keep him alive. Many of the clergy and religious had become entangled in secular affairs through their economic rights and responsibilities, which meant not only that they were distracted from their concentration on the gospel, but also that they frequently found themselves engaged in protracted conflict with their people. Dominic cut himself free from all that. He rediscovered one of the basic reasons why poverty and chastity are practiced in the Church: it is so that men and women can be free to devote themselves wholeheartedly and unambiguously to the Lord and to the work of the gospel. 

He also realized that the gospel can be stifled by spiritual, as well as material, security. The monastic orders were very conscious of human frailty, and set up a great many prudential measures to protect people from themselves. But if the risk of going astray is too thoroughly eliminated, the adventure of true charity can be lost too. Dominic re-affirmed the value of adventure, beckoning to generous hearts and minds to come out, as Abraham came out, and follow the uncharted paths of obedience to God, relying on God’s protection and the help of our Lady rather than on their own prudence. 

During the celebrations of the eighth centenary of Dominic’s birth, Cardinal Villot described him as a man who was ‘stupefyingly free’, and the spirit of freedom is deeply stamped on the whole Dominican tradition. And it comes from taking the risk of trusting in God and trusting in the generosity of men and women, wherever they may be. 

The régime of mendicancy, which Dominic adopted at the outset of his ministry as a preacher, necessarily means relying on the generosity with which people will supply food and accommodation. Dominic did not want to be entitled to support, he wanted it to be offered freely. Similarly he did not want to bind people too tightly if they came to join him.  Though he was evidently very firm in dealing with people who fell short, he was holding them to ideals which they themselves had chosen. He did not want them to feel threatened or coerced into goodness, so he did not watch over them the whole time, nor did he want them to feel that they were committing sin if ever they went against the rules of his Order. What mattered most of all was the freedom and generosity of their service.

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