Digital Continent Digital Continent Easter 2017 | Page 28

They revived the doctrine of penance and most importantly they lived ascetic lives. As it
was through the asceticism of the Cathars that brought the people to them as they seemingly
lived as they preached. The perfected exhibited control over the excesses of the world and this
appealed to the people. Bishop Diego and Dominic recognized that if they were going to bring
orthodoxy back to the south of France then they were going to have to live their lives by the
example of the Apostles, “and he said to them, ‘take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag,
nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics’” (RSV, Lk 9:2-3). They were to be in the
world but not of the world. Denying themselves worldly goods, “barefooted and in free poverty,
Dominic and his followers went about their work.” 70
70
Bede Jarrett, OP, Life of St. Dominic, (NY: Image Books, 1964), 32.