Dominic of Guzman

Entering an arranged marriage seems inconceivable to me. I’ll choose my own wife, thank you very much. Yet, in twelfth century Europe, the practice of arranged marriages was common, especially among nobles. In 1203, the King of Castile (now part of Spain) sent a bishop on a diplomatic mission to Denmark to choose a bride for Prince Ferdinand. The bishop recruited a young priest, Dominic of Guzman (1170-1221) to accompany him. They stopped along the way at an inn in France. The innkeeper belonged to the Cathars, also known as the Albigensians, after the French city where this heretical movement originated. They believed the universe was governed by two gods, one good and the other evil. The good god ruled over the spirit realm, while the bad god governed the material world, with its accompanying suffering. Whatever belonged to the body, be it eating, procreation, worldly possessions or marriage, was considered evil. They rejected Jesus’ humanity and resurrection and had little use for people and churches that did not share their anti-material bias. It had many features of an age-old heresy called Gnosticism. Dominic stayed up with the innkeeper through the night to refute his arguments and usher him back to orthodox faith. While their marriage negotiations on behalf of the king proved successful, the princess died before their return trip. Ignited by a renewed passion to preach and teach the faith, they established an order that came to be called Dominicans (also called the Order of the Preachers). This order placed service and contemplation on equal footing and was not confined to the monastery. Dominican friars hit the road as traveling evangelists to preach the gospel. Today’s prayer is a thirteenth century Dominican prayer. While its originator is unknown, it certainly fits the way Dominic ordered his life: