We have a tendency to get off balance in our lives.  We may start staying up later and later, which works fine until we’re tired at work the next day.  Or we may work long hours, which is fine until our family points out that they are eating dinner without us too often. Fallen human nature is receptive to “too much of a good thing.”

That’s where the Four Pillars of the Dominican life come in handy.  For those who love to burrow into study, the other pillars remind us that we have to pray for success in studying and to share with others what we have learned.  Those who love to go out and “do” are reminded to be quiet and listen to what God has to say about the activities He wants.

Because Dominicans tend to be passionate and opinionated, the Four Pillars keep us from going off on a tangent.  They are gentle reminders that we are part of a community; that God is in control; that no matter how much we know, we don’t know it all; and that the pleasure of prayer and study is not to be hoarded, but shared.

The Four Pillars are

Prayer

Action without prayer is like going on a trip without a destination or a map.  In prayer we discover what love is and how God wants us to live that love.

Study

“To know God is to love Him.”  The more we know about our Faith, the more we will love God and the better equipped we will be to evangelize.

Community

Our relationships with our Dominican brothers and sisters are inexhaustible sources of joy, camaraderie, support, and insights — and wonderful laboratories for learning patience, forbearance, and wisdom.

Apostolate

Getting out there and sharing what we have absorbed in prayer and study and from our Dominican confreres completes the circuit of love.  We learn as we teach; we grow hungrier for God’s grace as we share it.

~ms Rose Folsom, O.P.