Fortitude and Perseverance

By Fr Nicholas Pearce

Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business. Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward! - Thomas A. Eddison

I am struck that since I last wrote to you, nothing much has happened at all – and at the same time, a lot has happened. These past few weeks in New York City have been marked by a simplicity and rhythm that is often hard to find in the busyness of daily life at home, which leads me to wonder... if only all of life could be spent on sabbatical.

I am living with a community of Dominican Friars who run a parish in downtown Manhattan. My family has a long connection with the Dominican Friars in Melbourne, so much so that I celebrated my First Mass as a priest at St Dominic’s Church, East Camberwell. I may have shared with some of you the story of my grandmother letting me know of her disappointment when I joined the diocesan seminary, as she thought that the Dominican vocations material she had given me as a child had been wasted. She once commented that she thought I would look better in the Dominican white, than the Diocesan black. It has been great to finally ‘test’ my vocation as a Dominican Friar, if even for just a few weeks.

One of the hallmarks of religious life is the horarum or daily schedule of life, which has at its core the praying of the Liturgy of the Hours at meals in common. For Diocesan priests, the Divine Office is prayed alone, and often meal time is spent alone when we are not sharing meals with our people. Our daily timetable often changes from day to day, according to what is on. It can sometimes lead to one or more elements of life being neglected at the expense of the other. For religious like the Dominicans, common prayer and meals are integral to the life of the community. Their day is marked by these times together, and their apostolic work and other responsibilities all stop when the bell rings for prayer. Spending time with this community of young priests, who are committed to supporting each other in growing in holiness and closeness with the Lord, has been incredibly encouraging and a reminder of the need for all of us to ensure that we have a rhythm and balance in our lives.

As a Church in Melbourne, we face the challenge of finding new ways of supporting our Diocesan clergy. Care of clergy, especially our young priests, and those who work in isolated and often thankless appointments, is something we all must take seriously if we want to see the Church continue for the next generation. Whilst we are seeing encouraging numbers of young men entering our Seminary, the reality is that for the foreseeable future the priests we have are going to be stretched even more thinly, and required to work even harder, all in an environment that grows more and more hostile to them and their vocation. I encourage you at this time to join me in praying not only for our priests, but also for our Archbishop and those who advise him. Over the months ahead, Archbishop Comensoli has committed to the vital work of looking at the future structure of the parishes of our Diocese and to discern how we are to support both our Catholic people,

as well as our clergy, moving forward. Let us all keep this important work in our prayers.

Outside of the daily life of prayer and community, most of my time has been spent in the magnificent New York Public Library, which may be familiar to you from its use in many a Hollywood movie including Ghostbusters and The Day After Tomorrow. Standing proudly on the front steps of this imposing building are two stone lions, nicknamed Fortitude and Perseverance during the Great Depression – two qualities needed then, and also now, by every student who passes by to utilise the great reading room as a place of inspiration and study. Once you get over the awe, and a little distraction, the thing that strikes you most about the library is the silence.

New York is such a large and bustling city. Day and night, the streets are full of people, and the traffic and sirens and crowds can leave you a little frazzled after the 30-block walk from the parish to the library. Yet once you get inside, and have tackled the three flights of stairs, you find yourself seated among the 300+ others, in silence, and you realise how important a place like this is. Not because of its splendour, or the movie stars who have walked the halls, but because silence is such a rare commodity in this world. It is in silence that thoughts are processed, inspiration is had, futures are discerned, and God is able to speak. “He made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” (Matt 14:22-23).

“Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied....Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray"
(Matt 14:22-23).

Time and time again in the scriptures we see that our Lord withdraws from the crowds, and even, at times, from his closest disciples, in order to be alone with God the Father in prayer. For our Lord, and for each one of us, finding time to step away from the crowds, from the noise, is key as it is only in silence that we are able to truly place ourselves before our Heavenly Father, and to nurture that relationship which is more important than any other.

This week, we begin the season of Lent. While the whole of our lives cannot be spent on sabbatical, the Church does provide for us, priest and people alike, these 40 days of Lent as an opportunity to take a break, a sabbatical in daily life. Each year, this season provides us with the opportunity to stop, take stock and to renew. May this Lent be for you a time where not much happens, but at the same time, a lot happens. Where the great virtues of fortitude and perseverance may help you through prayer, fasting and almsgiving to rediscover your own daily rhythm of prayer, and in particular the common prayer of the Church. May these days be also marked by silence, for it is in silence that the Lord truly can speak, and where we can grow in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. May this Lent be a time of renewal for each one of you, so that together (even if separated by vast oceans) we may celebrate, with renewed faith, the great Easter mysteries.