Today in the book In Caelo et in Terra, we read about seven men who were led by God to start a new group. They had a strong devotion to following Mary's example of serving Jesus in all things. They started a new religious order that focused on three things, and they're easy to remember because they're handily alliterative: prayer, penance, and poverty.
They were led to adopt the black robes of the Dominican order, and to take vows that involved the three p's. Six of the brothers became priests, and one became a religious brother. You can read more about them here.
The thing I'd like to focus on is the disciplines that they practiced. Prayer, poverty, and penance. If you would like to read a GREAT book on practicing Christian disciplines, I highly recommend Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. It's so good I've read it three times. Every time you finish a chapter, you want to go practice that discipline. For example, there's a chapter on silence. After reading it, I was very excited to spend a day in silence, not talking to anyone, and see what God would say to me in the stillness of my heart. It was profound!
God, thanks for giving us the wonderful examples of these seven men, and the teaching of Richard Foster. The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, pray for us.
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