(1000-1073) Born in Cañas, Navarre, Spain, Dominic was a poor shepherd before becoming a Benedictine monk and priest. He became prior in Navarre and was forced to leave when he refused to give over the monastery’s lands to the King of Navarre. Dominic then became abbot at the Saint Sebastian monastery in Silos, Spain, which he transformed into a spiritual center known for book design and charity to the poor. He ransomed Christian captives and was said to have a gift of healing. The mother of Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominicans, Blessed Joan de Aza de Guzmán, prayed at the shrine of the abbot of Silos to conceive a child, naming him Dominic when the prayer was answered. In light of this, Dominic of Silos is recognized as a patron of pregnant women.
Saint Dominic of Silos transformed a dying monastery into a spiritual center. This is what we seek to do in our lives through recovery. We are never too far gone, never too broken for God to do a great work in our lives. What transformations have you witnessed in recovery?
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Reflection by Brad Farmer