It was in a night long conversation with an innkeeper that St Dominic recognized his specific mission. In a time people were affected by famine, they were also suffering from error of faith. They were convinced to hate and torture their bodies and human existence in the name of God. Dominic realized the need for learning and preaching.
He knew that truth to be encountered in proper discerning between right and wrong. Learning was necessary in distinguishing what is wrong in wrong and what is right in right. Preaching without learning would bring more harm. Here in the context of Dominic and his companions, it was learning of the Scripture and the teachings of the Church.
Filled with compassion for the people he spent his days in preaching and nights in prayer. In short, for the rest of his life he either spoke with God or about God. He preached the truth of God and the truth of humanity. trusting in the affectionate care of Mother Mary he contemplated and preached the mysteries of Christ and his Gospel. Gradually those preachings would emerge as the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
The concept of dual principles of good and evil separating God and the World, soul and body, spirituality and worldliness is still prevalent in many forms even today. They are attractive and easy to believe. They well manipulate crisis and fill fear and despair among people, and the melancholic outcome is appreciated as devotional disposition. Seeing such attractive piety satisfy people some popular preachers chose them as personal revelations and teach people and even exploit their suffering.
We are entrusted to preach the truth, truth of God and truth of humanity. The fact that we do not possess the whole truth as 'something' in us, asks us to be open for learning. Contemplating the new face of truth in every age we recognise the revelation of God. Then we have a message for the particular point of history. This is the very point at which the Dominicans at times wonderfully succeeded and at times pathetically failed.
There were also other wandering preachers who took upon themselves the ministry of preaching and spreading of faith. Their concern was the inadequacy of the church authorities and they went away form the Church. There were also crusaders who could be at the disposal of St. Dominic. He chose to reject both these possibilities. His choice challenges us even today.
Right wing politics and religiosity is challenge of today. Dominic was fully convinced that we cannot preserve or defend faith nor can we share the message of the Gospel by power and wealth. He knew rather they were obstacles. Those attempting to protect the church with power and wealth never listen to what the church listens from Christ and what the church speaks even if they are in the high positions of the Church.
We belong to the truth, belong to Christ. Learning/studying is hard. There we will have to face truth unknown so far, our own ignorance, and realise the risk of faith-taken for granted. Preaching without learning offers deformed face of God and humanity. Learn the truth in reading, sensitive seeing, conversing, reflecting ... Learning, contemplating, praying, sharing the truth of the Gospel in our age is the way of encountering Christ.
