Called to Serve: The Grace of Fragile Vessels

A Welcome for Servants

“‘Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.’ What a marvellous text for a General Chapter of Provincials. Welcome, slaves!” With these words, the former Master of the Order of Preachers, Brother Timothy Radcliffe, began his homily today.

Three Chapters, One Mission

For the sake of chronological order, let us recall that our Order meets at general chapters in three formats. The chapter currently taking place in Krakow is a chapter of provincials, bringing together the superiors of all provinces from around the world. Three years ago, in Tultenango, Mexico, a chapter of definitors took place. And in three years’ time, an electoral chapter will be held to elect a new Master of the Order.

The Meaning of Service

Brother Timothy’s homily today focused on one fundamental question: what is service to the brothers really about?

Yesterday, I wrote that a Dominican always has a parable, an image, or a story at hand—not to avoid answering a question, but to shed light on it from a non-obvious angle. That was the case today. The preacher recalled the story of one of our confreres:

“The most beautiful obedience is asking a brother to use his talents for the common mission of the Order. Our Irish brother, Paul Murray, is a marvellous poet. It was liberating for him to be told by his Provincial that his poetry was not just a private occupation. It is part of our mission! He is our poet, part of our preaching.”

This example takes on special depth in light of today’s feast of St. James the Apostle. Jesus does not promise him a place at his right hand. On the contrary, he refuses to grant this request. But he does something much greater: he invites James to give his life. And he knows that James, with God’s grace, will be able to do so. Tradition says that James was the first of the apostles to suffer martyrdom.

“The mother of James and John, or the disciples themselves in Mark’s gospel, ask Jesus for places at his left and right in the Kingdom. But they do not know what they are asking for. It is the two thieves who will have these places on the left and right of Jesus on the cross. James, whose feast we are celebrating today, runs away.
But Jesus sees what James is ultimately capable of. ‘You will drink my chalice’.
[…] Jesus serves James, but not by doing what he asks, but by ultimately asking of him vastly more: the free gift of his life.”

When Service Means Not Giving What Is Asked

This story also becomes a turning point for us—those called to serve their brothers.

“Sometimes we serve the brethren by not doing what they ask,” said the preacher. “This may be because they are mistaken about their talents. A brother might think he is the Thomas Aquinas of the 21st century, but he would be a wonderful bursar. Or less commonly,” he added humorously, “the other way around.”

Service, he reminded us, is to see the potential hidden in fragile clay vessels. It is to believe that God’s grace works precisely where human strength is weakest.

“We try to see that they are all capable of doing marvellous things, more than they can imagine. The grace of God is at work in these earthen vessels. Surprise them.”

Serving in Wartime

Today was filled with committee work and rounded off with a meeting with representatives of the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem, a Dominican biblical college in Jerusalem. The brothers ended the day with a joint prayer for peace led by Brother Mykola Luchok, Bishop of Mukachevo in Ukraine.

When war broke out in Ukraine, the Polish provincial immediately offered his full support to the brothers living there. He offered each of them the opportunity to return to their country if their presence in the war-torn areas proved too difficult. However, none of the brothers decided to take this step. The provincial respected their decision and allowed them to remain where they were—among those they served and for whom, if necessary, they were ready to give their lives.

To serve one’s brothers—let us say it again—is to be able to see that these fragile clay vessels are truly filled with the grace and power of the good God.