Commemoration of the 5th Centenary of the Sermon of Fr. Antonio de Montesinos on the Island of La Española.
On December 18, 2011, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, women and men of the Order of Preachers were requested by the General Chapter of the Dominican Order to preach in commemoration of the 5th Centenary of the Sermon of Fr. Antonio de Montesinos on the Island of La Española.
The Dominicans missionaries witnessed horrific treatment of the natives and were compelled to testify
“The early Dominican missionaries came face to face with the premature and unjust death of the native peoples, along with the oppression and disdain to which they were subjected. They chose to testify to what they had observed.” This sermon, written and signed by the entire community of Dominican missionaries, and preached in December 1511, asked the question: “by what right or justice do you keep these Indians in such cruel and horrible servitude…? By what authority have you declared such detestable wars on this people who were living, calmly and peacefully on their lands, where you have allowed them to be consumed in their sickness, resulting in death and destruction never heard of before? … Are these not human beings? Have they not rational souls? Are you not obliged to love them as yourselves? Do you not understand this? Do you not feel this? … Be certain that in the state in which you find yourselves you can no more be saved than…those who have no faith in Jesus Christ.”
This message of the early Dominican missionaries to the Spanish Conquistadores was bold and audacious and not well received. But they held strong to their belief that the indigenous peoples of the island deserved respect and had dignity as human beings. These friars, formed well in the Dominican spirit of assiduous study, perseverance in prayer, strict poverty and zeal for the preaching mission were well prepared for their ministry of evangelization. And they knew the dangers they would confront. But more than all of that, they perceived the Spirit of the Divine deep within the native peoples and in that way they discovered God.
Father Antonio de Montesinos advocates
The bold message that was preached by Father Antonio de Montesinos took the Dominican friars far beyond the boundaries of safety and acceptance. It put them on the edge.
Centuries earlier, Mary received a message from the angel Gabriel
Many centuries earlier, in the town of Galilee called Nazareth, the bold message of the angel Gabriel placed Mary, a simple, poor and ordinary young woman, in that same precarious position. Luke’s Gospel relates how, with profound respect for this unknown, obscure woman, Gabriel declared that she had been chosen by God for a mission unlike any other. How often, through the years, have we pondered this amazing scene? Gabriel greeted Mary with surprising admiration, proclaiming that God was with her. It was the recognition of the Divine harbored deep within Mary.
Too comfortable?
Nathan the prophet reassured King David, who worried about living in luxury, while the ark of God dwelt in a tent. He said to David, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you. These words, although reassuring, challenge us. Living in a house of cedar can be comfortable and we can be at ease, knowing that our God is with us, recognizing the Divine within others and a call to treat them with dignity and respect.
Indignities abound. What is the role of Dominicans today?
In our own day the forces and situations that repress or deny human dignity are different from those that existed five centuries ago. Still, around the globe on every continent, huge numbers of people continue to be oppressed, rejected, marginalized and reduced to nothing.
The early Dominican missionaries approached the native people peacefully, with tolerance and respect. They recognized that God is not exclusive, that all people are God’s chosen people. How can we keep alive that same appreciation for the powerful sense of God’s faithful, continual presence dwelling deep within the least of God’s people?
What does our Dominican tradition offer us so that our preaching will have credibility? Do we have the courage to speak out against injustice? As a Dominican community we often ask ourselves: How do we preach from the pulpit of how we live our own lives?
Are we afraid to ask: “By what right or justice do we have as a nation allow 1.6 million children, or one in 45, to be homeless in a year’s time?” How do we allow human trafficking to go on and not ask: “Are these not human beings?” And not seek ways to end this torture? How can it be that immigrants have no rights? Why do we tolerate the abject poverty of so many of our indigenous people and those in other countries?
How do continue to live with the injustices that continue to plague people of color in our country and the scorn bestowed on people who are somehow different? Where is God in all of this suffering and injustice?
Look to the prophets, angels, and missionaries
The prophets, angels and missionaries leave us an important legacy as Christians. By opening our eyes, hearts and lives to the circumstances of the poor and disenfranchised while listening to their cry for justice and life, we will find God – through them.
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