The Lay Dominicans of the Queen of the Holy Rosary Group will be posting meditations for the fifteen Tuesdays leading up to the feast of our Father Dominic on August 8th.   See here for more information on the 15 Tuesdays devotion.

The Order of Preachers has long had a devotion to Our Lord’s Crown of Thorns.  After the relic of the Crown of Thorns was acquired by St. Louis IX, King of France, in the middle of the 13th century, some of the precious thorns were given into the care of the Dominican friars who commemorated the occasion of the Crown’s reception annually.  In order to call special attention to the Crown, a feast day was inserted into the Dominican calendar for April 24th most likely by the former Master General, Bl. Humbert of Romans.

As a Third Order Franciscan, King Louis IX nurtured an intense devotion to the Crown of Thorns throughout his reign and built one of the most beautiful chapels in all of Paris, the Sainte-Chapelle, to house the relic.  Louis wanted to draw attention to the Crown of Thorns to remind himself and his subjects of Our Lord’s unique Kingship, which Louis sought to emulate in his own governance: the Kingship of the suffering servant. Louis’ kingship was not for himself; it was poured out in service of others, especially the poor, and for the sanctification of society.

Like St. Louis, all Dominicans can look to the Crown of Thorns for inspiration in living out the kingly mission of Our Lord in our apostolic work.  Our Holy Father Dominic specifically intended for his followers to serve in parishes, councils, dioceses, universities, and even secular organizations, not for themselves, but in order to bring the Word of God into every facet of society.  This is something that the laity, in particular, are uniquely able and empowered to do. In his book, “Dominican Laity and the Year 2000”, Fr. Anthony Dao Quang Chinh, O.P., states that, “Lay Dominicans are called by God to live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life.  They are destined by God to bring Jesus’ salvation to its fullness. As Jesus sanctified the world, Dominican laity, as individuals and as groups, will sanctify society.”

By no means will the Dominican vocation earn worldly rewards; quite the opposite.  In following Him, we can find consolation in Our Lord’s words: “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.”  This is the spirituality of our Order: to bear the Crown of Thorns in life, in imitation of Christ the King, so that we might be crowned by Him with glory in heaven.