Many who would know St. Dominic better, who would enter more deeply into the inward spirit of the Dominican ideal, will turn almost instinctively to historical sources and strive patiently to piece together necessarily fragmentary evidence, to form a portrait of the saint and fashion in the mind a vision of the ideal. Such an approach is normal and fruitful when handled by those competent in the delicate intricacies of history. Still, happily, there are other methods, other approaches to an understanding of St. Dominic; and assuredly in this domain the evidences of history were never meant to be an exclusive norm for our judgements. Why not, for instance, learn from the liturgy, which has much to say on St. Dominic and his purpose? Thus (one point only, among many) the Dominicans’ day of liturgical prayer closes with an antiphon which vividly calls to mind him who, in his time, was a ‘burning and a shining light,’ calls to mind, too, his brethren who have shone in every age because they worked for the Church, preaching not themselves but the Light of the World. ‘Lumen Ecclesiæ, Doctor Veritatis, Predicator Gratia’—‘Light of the Church, Doctor of Truth, Herald of Grace . . .’ There is more than an ordinary ring in such incisive titles, battering mind and will of those who will to listen.

‘Light,’ ‘lightsomeness’ and kindred terms are perhaps worn thin in common parlance. A little thought, a return to Scriptural and Patristic texts soon refurbishes this age-old currency. The Scriptures from Genesis to the Apocalypse, abound in examples of the use of light, even in its mere physical sense, for the vivid intensity of southern and oriental skies play upon the minds and imagery of those who have experienced them, the inspired writers included. Stark contrasts prevail over gentle nuances.