FR. QUIRICO Pedregosa Jr., O.P. called on the faithful to become credible witnesses to Christ by embodying the truth and upholding human dignity, during the University Mass in honor of St. Dominic de Guzman on Friday, Aug. 7, at the Santísimo Rosario Parish Church.
Reflecting on the theme “Dominic, Pursuer of Truth, Herald of Magnifica Humanitas,” Pedregosa, regent of the College of Science, said St. Dominic witnessed to Christ not only through his preaching but also through his life of poverty, humility and dedication to the Gospel.
“It is not enough to teach or to preach about Jesus or to speak or to tell others, to proclaim to them the beauty, the goodness, the power of the gospel message. It is important for a teacher or preacher to be a witness more than a preacher or simply a herald,” he said.
Pedregosa said a credible witness must have a deep understanding and personal experience of what one proclaims.
“A witness should have familiarity with what he is talking about, an intimate connection or experience [of] what he witnesses to,” he said.
He cited St. Dominic’s life as a poor preacher as an example of how actions could lend credibility to one’s teachings.
“St. Dominic was a credible preacher. More than a preacher, he witnessed the life of a poor preacher after the example of Christ,” Pedregosa said.
Pedregosa also linked St. Dominic’s pursuit of truth to the dignity of the human person, emphasizing that human beings alone among physical creation were made in the image and likeness of God.
“Of all things that God created in the physical world, the physical creation, only man or woman, only the human beings were created in the image of God,” he said.
The former Central Seminary rector and ex-Dominican provincial said human dignity is expressed through a person’s capacity to think, desire, choose, decide and love.
Reflecting on the Pope’s encyclical on A.I., Magnifica humanitas, he connected St. Dominic’s pursuit of truth to the proper use of artificial intelligence, emphasizing that only “the human mind” is capable of pursuing truth.
Pedregosa concluded by urging the faithful to follow St. Dominic’s example as witnesses to the Gospel and defenders of human dignity.
“We can grow more into effective witnesses of the Gospel, and we can affirm the magnificent humanity of each and every human being in the pursuit of knowledge and the pursuit of truth,” he said.
Triduum Masses preceded the Aug. 8 feast of St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers.
The patron saint of astronomers was born in 1170 in Caleruega, Spain to a noble family.
He was ordained at the age of 25 and put under the patronage of St. Augustine. Pope Gregory IX canonized him on July 13, 1234.
St. Dominic vigorously fought the Albigensian heresy, the belief that the material world is evil because it came from an “evil principle”; therefore the flesh is evil and only the spirit is good.
He founded the Order of the Preachers or the Dominican Order in 1216. It has a three-fold mission: Laudare (to praise), Benedicere (to bless), and Predicare (to preach).
Dominican friars from Spain founded UST in 1611, setting in motion four centuries of legacy in faith, education, and mission guided by the founder’s vision. Enzo Miguel D. Mejia
