Dominican Associates

A good friend is a member of the Dominican Associates, a group for lay members who want to follow Dominican principles. She invited me to two meetings. I have been fortunate to have met a wonderful group of very bright, socially committed women.

One woman, Barb, has 11 children. Instead of being beaten down and haggard, she looks years younger than her age, regards raising children as the most unbelievably wonderful thing she has ever done, and is a funraiser for a Catholic charity. She works with people of all faiths to provide assistance to the desperately poor and takes a a universalistic view of salvation. She told me that she never preaches her faith with her lips and believes that if she does good in the world that people will see the spirit of Christ in her, even if they don't think of the name Jesus. I liked that.

Another woman, who is quite young, lost her husband. She began dating and drove home one night when she had too much to drink. She was in an accident and killed someone. She served five years in prison and is still on probation. She was not an alcoholic or a habitual heavy drinker. She was someone who made a horrible mistake. It seems odd but she has a deep and obvious spirituality. I loved her the moment I met her.

An older woman I feel close to was "farmed out" to other people when she was a child because her parents didn't want to be parents. She has a peace about her.

Two of the women there have lost children, one in an accident, the other to suicide.

All of these women with so many struggles and challenges have managed to achieve a deep spirituality that I can only hope to aspire to. They have done it in an inclusive and not an exclusive way, too. Since I left Protestantism because I disagreed with the fundamentalist strain that is overpowering more moderate denominations, I was pleased to find a spirituality that is both profound and inclusive.

Fundamentalist spirituality is often quite deep and genuine but is disconcertingly narrow at times. More liberal spiritualities are broader and inclusive but also watery and saccharine.
Finding the proper balance is tricky. For now, at least, I see the Catholic Church as the best place to find that balance.