ACTS OF THE 7th EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY OF LAY DOMINICAN FRATERNITIES

ANNEX IVb

PRESENTATION BY FR. DAVID KAMMLER

Lay Dominicans as Preachers in the Secular World

Dear Companions in Preaching the Gospel in our secular world,

“Secular world” – what does that actually mean? Webster’s New World Dictionary
describes “secular” (as an adjective) as “relating to worldly things as distinguished from
things relating to church and religion” and “A Secular” (as a noun) as “a lay person”.
Following from that explanation, we have in our continent of Europe, the ‘Old’ as well the
‘New’ one, an increasing number of lay persons. How to preach to those, who lost not
only the faith of their childhood but haven’t even had the experience of a Christian
education and don’t miss an active membership in a believing community at all? Let me
share with you some biblical-rooted considerations. They shall help us as Dominican
Family members not to despair of the apparently more difficult circumstances for us
preachers of the Gospel in the present day. You all know by heart the famous paschal
Gospel of the “Disciples of Emmaus”. It appears to me that this scene describes exactly
the same situation as it is today and reveals to us a hidden up-to-date ‘Formation
programme’ in the behaviour of Jesus.

The Gospel of the “Disciples of Emmaus” starts with a situation of lost faith. The two
walkers on the road, turning away from Jerusalem, the religious centre of their faith,
deputize for the majority of the former believers in Jesus. Only one of them, Kleophas, is
mentioned by name. They represent many of our personal friends, whose names we
know well and furthermore millions of those anonymous today, who don’t expect any
support from the old religious institutions. They are involved in organizing their daily lives
without the inspiration of their spring-time of faith. In the case of the two disciples, this
had started with their first call of Jesus himself and in my generation for example, with the
movement of renewal after the II Vatican Council. And here the Gospel tells us: In a
‘secular world’, distinguished from synagogues, temples, churches, religious symbols and
liturgical celebrations: Jesus as the Risen Lord is not absent, although his presence
cannot be recognized at first. His figure does not manifest itself in the well-known
accustomed manner. He joins in a secular outfit as a companion, taking the initiative in
joining in as a co-walker.

So let us not be afraid of the too often lamented ‘absence’ of Jesus in our contemporary
time! What prevents recognition of the living and acting Risen Christ in our secular world
is the comparison with our looking backwards to ‘Jerusalem’ (= representing our personal
familiar experiences as well as the traditional religious background of our continent), it is
– like the dimmed view of the two disciples – the bad conscience of our failures in
important and decisive moments of our life; it is our own anxiety and disappointment.

In that situation – then as well as today – Jesus takes the initiative with his special “Basic
Formation Programme”. His preaching does not start with the reproachful admonition as
to what went wrong with their behaviour and what has to be changed; not with the
commandment: “Hurry up, turn back to Jerusalem!” Jesus, not in confrontation, but facing
the same direction side by side with the two disciples, lets it happen as the two continue
their way step by step as distinct from their religious community in Jerusalem. But he
doesn’t stay silent. He reveals his interest in the real situation of his companions before
he starts his catechesis by explaining the sense of the Scripture. On the way towards the
opposite direction he asks them about their experiences and listens compassionately to
their hopes and disappointments.

In a secular world, starting our mission with doctrinal teaching at first, however important
and necessary it is, would be a burden. Basic preaching starts with listening to our
contemporaries in their real situation, to their experiences, their hopes and
disappointments, to their often very confused and complex biographies. Compassionate
questioning and attentive listening are the main prerequisites for qualifying as a
Dominican preacher in our day also. We need not feel frustrated when the daily account
of conversions in our mission field is zero. Looking at the example of Jesus himself, we
follow him when we can say, looking back on the day’s events: “Today I was sincerely
interested in the concern of someone when calling on her/him, or drinking a cup of coffee
with him/her during the break at work. Invited to a party and recognized as a practising
Christian, I didn’t escape when receiving a full-load of aggression because of the dialogue
partner’s bad experiences with official representatives of church institutions. Today,
listening attentively, I could learn of the hope and energy of those involved in caring for
their old parents or voluntary permanent social help.” This is truly basic preaching, with
open ears and a wide-open heart accompanying those who walk in a contrary direction!

But that should not be our final objective, as it was not that of Jesus in the passage of the
Gospel. After that first basic period, the Risen Christ continued with his “Initial Formation
Programme”. The compassionate co-walker, not yet recognized as ‘Jesus himself’,
helped the two disciples to put together in a new way the widely dispersed pieces of their
life’s puzzle. He revealed, in the light of the Scriptures, a deeper sense of life beyond their
experiences of fiasco, mess and personal failure. Copying the preaching of Jesus, we
learn from this branch of the Gospel that it did not happen in an oppressing or forceful
manner at all. It was quite unobtrusive, so that when arriving at the Emmaus village, the
two disciples urged Jesus to stay with them, asking for ‘Ongoing Formation’; and Jesus
accepted their invitation.

How can we preach in our secular world, so that the others don’t react with a sigh of relief
when they get rid of us? How can we imitate Jesus, so that we are invited by our dialogue
partner to continue in companionship on a subsequent part of their journey? A couple of
years ago, when accompanying so-called ‘Pre-Canas’ (= courses for couples in
preparation for their sacramental wedding), I felt regularly showered with presents by the
reaction of those (mostly the bridegrooms) who mainly joined at first to please their
partners. But then they were confronted with a branch of the Gospel dealing with subjects
such as “How can our love be strengthened and revitalized? Under which conditions can
mutual confidence grow? In what can I place my hope in spite of the clouds which darken
the sunlight of our relationships?”. When they realized that the Holy Scripture is not a
dusty, obsolete book from a most remote past, full of commandments and prohibitions,
they changed their mind.
On the contrary, the virtual dialogue with believers of past cultures doesn’t offer simple
prescriptions of how to deal with things today; our own creativity must be activated in
finding solutions fitting for our time. Although – or because! – I hadn’t suggested it, there
were always some couples who asked me to continue the reflections together during
subsequent meetings at some time in the future. That is only one example of how
comparatively unobtrusive preaching can provoke the ‘appetite’ for more. Surely you could
also add examples of talking, beginning with ‘secular’ themes, then continuing into a
religious dimension. It is inevitable that a human being cannot live permanently without
asking: “What nourishes my hope? What is the meaning of my life? How can I live with
shocking and embarrassing experiences?” We should be prepared to give testimony of our
hope in those situations. It must not necessarily be only during a biblical weekend. Talking
together after an artistically valuable film, a TV story or on a real pilgrimage, during a
common trip in a bus, train or plane, often produces more noncommittal opportunities of
preaching in a secular world. ‘Lifetime’ involvement is not acceptable without great
problems for many of our contemporaries. A stage in the journey through life in a secular
surrounding can be a more suitable ‘pulpit’ of today. The Resolutions of the International
Congress of Lay Fraternities at Buenos Aires in 2007 responded very specifically to our
present situation when they, for example, emphasized the increasing importance of the
Internet as a central secular means of preaching today; when they welcomed people
following Dominican spirituality without the objective of becoming professed, even though
not in full communion with the church owing to their particular circumstances; when they
appreciated Dominican lay groups with their own structures as ‘grandsons and
granddaughters, nieces and nephews’ in preaching the Gospel. The Argentina Resolutions
could only do that very generally and as recommendations. It is up to you on regional,
provincial and local level to give life to these useful proposals. The following years will show
whether we have accepted the challenge of our secular societies as a new field of mission.

Having been invited by the two friends to rest, Jesus reveals his sacramental presence in a
third step while sitting at the table. Now the time for ‘Ongoing Formation’ has come. On the
way together with the anonymous co-walker the disciples Kleophas and his companion had
learned to accept the presence of Jesus in a different form to which they were accustomed.
Now the permanent sharing of the Eucharist and the classical ‘Four Pillars’ (= Praying,
Studying, Community and Mission) keep the young Church in communion with the Risen
Christ. Inspired by the preaching Jesus, they now become motivated preachers
themselves. They turn to Jerusalem, telling the Good News to the other disciples.

I think that us too, as a Dominican Family (“Family of the Lord”), should not forget the
preaching to each other, in order to strengthen our own faith, so that we are able to
preach to those who don’t believe. When we accept the presence of Christ in a different
appearance within the secular society of today, we can celebrate also the mysteries of
faith in a customary traditional rite, like the disciples of Emmaus did. Today, we must
prepare the prerequisites for those who don’t share our faith. Like the disciples on their
way to Emmaus, our point of view has to be changed, not necessarily the holy signs,
entrusted to us by Jesus himself. As in the first centuries of Christianity, a mystagogic
preaching – which means “initiating into the spirit of religious mysteries step by step” –
could become an attractive alternative to the contemporary orgies of entertainment. It is
not necessary to top those fast-food-events of cheap pleasure with special offers of
religious highlights. In the simplicity of a shared meal in a village inn, Jesus’ presence
was recognized by his disciples. On our way within the third millennium, the outer shape
of overcrowded big cathedrals or remarkable religious symbols, accepted by one’s
common sense, will not be the pieces of evidence for successful Christian evangelization.

Rather a much more convincing sign for our mission in a secular world will be: Catching a
new fire to renew our common vocation! “Did not our hearts burn within us, as Jesus
talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?” These words, in which the
disciples of Emmaus described their conversion, could also be the new igniting spark for
our mission as Dominican Family members. If it is nourished by new energy, it is the
quality of a fire to extend. During the Novena years – started in 2007 with the 800th
Anniversary of the Nuns until 2016 with the 800th Anniversary of the Approval of our
Order – let us hope that the different traditional as well as the new flames of St. Dominic’s
vision will burn more and more united in one single torch! May the Assembly here in
Slovakia help us in our common Dominican mission, becoming more and more a
preaching team of men and women, of friars, nuns, sisters and lay people, of elderly and
younger ones, of those with an academic degree and those with a highly developed
education of the heart. There is still much to be done on our way to Emmaus! So let us
continue – like the two disciples – to tell our stories of what happened to us on our road in
a secular world having Jesus as an anonymous companion walking with us by our side!