The Catholic Weekly 5 April 2020

23 29, March, 2020 catholicweekly.com.au COMMENT A time of spiritual reckoning A s part of his ex- traordinary ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing on the steps of St Pe- ter’s Basilica last Friday, Pope Francis delivered a powerful meditation on the corona- virus crisis that is confront- ing the world. Reflecting on the Gospel of Mark (4:35-41), the disciples’ fear and Jesus’ calming of a storm, the pon- tiff characterised this mo- ment of history as a time of spiritual reckoning. He proclaimed of God, “You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. Now is not the time of God’s judgement, but of our judgement: a time of choosing what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary fromwhat is not”. Seated in solitude within St Peter’s Square, the Pope claimed this unfolding crisis as a decisive event for hu- manity. Life has lost its out- line and the affairs of this world no longer seem safe or certain. Our pre-packaged ideas, personal projects, hab- its and priorities have been overturned with no promise of end in sight. Amidst the vulnerability of this new world we have been Pope Francis stands in the window of the library of the Apostolic Palace overlooking an empty St Peter’s Square on 29 March. PHOTO: CNS/VATICAN MEDIA Francis is calling us to a faithof fortitude, capable of giving support andmeaning in this moment forced to inhabit, Pope Fran- cis urged an inner awakening on the part of human society – a rediscovery of our faith and hope in Christ, the One who suffers upon the Cross and is risen at Easter, and of our common belonging as sons and daughters of God. The current turmoil has ex- posed a fundamental forget- fulness of these dual realities for we have long been “anes- thetised” with ways of think- ing and acting that cannot nourish the soul or produce a truly human society. Shaken neither by wars nor injustices across the world, we have lived as if we were invincible and set apart from these suf- fering “others” only to now find ourselves vulnerable, isolated and without always the inner resources to con- front adversity. This spiritual diagnosis by Pope Francis calls to mind the words of Thomas Merton who warned in another cen- tury, “We can be ourselves or not, as we please…We may wear now one mask and now another, and never, if we so desire, appear with our own true face. But we cannot make these choices with im- punity. Causes have effects, and if we lie to ourselves and to others, then we cannot ex- pect to find truth and reality whenever we happen to want them” ( New Seeds of Contem- plation 25). In the long shadow cast by this global crisis, the culture of self-sufficiency has been unmasked as incapable of re- flecting the divine image in which we are made. Never- theless, in his patience and mercy the call of God con- tinues to echo in our day . In this moment there are many in spiritual motion, searching for a safe harbour and a last- ing future, as they confront what has been all too provi- sional or else taken for grant- ed. As Yeats owns up in The Circus Animals’ Desertion , “Now that my ladder’s gone/I must lie down where all the ladders start/In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.” As people search the heav- ens for answers, it is a mo- ment that calls from the Church a prophetic witness of solidarity and hope. Pope Francis encourages us as Christians to a faith marked by fortitude, “capable of giv- ing strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floun- dering”. We can gainfully engage this moment by recognising that while our post-Chris- tian culture may define itself against tradition and dismiss faith as timeworn cliché, it cannot shrug off the existen- tial ache that persists and as- serts itself in this threshold moment. To echo the obser- vation of the English writ- er Julian Barnes, as a culture ‘we may not believe in God, but we sure miss him’. In a sense, like the tearful crowds of France before the ashes of Notre Dame Cathedral, we may be resistant to religion but we are still haunted by Christian memory. Seeking progress without presence, of God or neigh- bour, this world crisis has now recalled us to both. The pretence of individualism has been shattered by a pandem- ic that respects no border or claim to exceptionalism. The façade of contemporary ‘community’ has been tested and found wanting, as evi- dent as grocery aisle scraps. As an Easter people we recognise that Christ is living by our side. Whatever may come, this personal hope and belonging to Christ as one body transforms an aching absence into the consolation of presence, the grip of isola- tion and fear into the courage to abide with one another in love, and, like those first im- perilled disciples, to entrust ourselves to the Lord who provides every blessing and strength we will need. Daniel Ang is the Director of Parish 2020 at the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Daniel Ang us to believe - our Catholic Faith and its treasury of tra- dition comes into full provi- dence at this time. This pandemic has given us a problem for which we al- ready have an answer. As our students open their textbooks or ‘Zoom’ into a les- son from their own homes, most likely it will be with their parents or carers, rather than their teachers, by their sides. We recall that we have al- ways believed parents to be the primary educators of their children. Inevitably, these parents will now share a greater responsibility for their children’s school education, but this is a timely remind- er that it is parents who have the even greater responsibil- ity of revealing the wonder of Returning to the roots of Catholic education in a crisis A popular addition to the Catholic canon is the hymn written in 1975 by a Jesuit Priest, Father Bob Dufford, Be not afraid . While the hymn has be- come a mainstay for people confronting sorrow or fear; Father Dufford wrote the song seeking strength and guid- ance during a period of tran- sition, in his case: towards his own holy ordination. While Father Dufford’s pe- riod of transition was planned and pre-meditated, the tran- sition to out-of-school learn- ing has been forced on us by unforeseen challenges. But Father Dufford’s hymn can still inspire us to try to trust, to grow and to thrive through this unexpected and challeng- ing transition. Catholic Schools have been propelled into an unexpect- ed and rapid transition as our classrooms empty in response to the pandemic. We are re- turning to an era of home- based education and forma- tion. As unsettling as this is for our teachers and school com- munities, I’ve no doubt that Catholic education, as a unit- ed community of students, parents and teachers, can rise to meet this challenge in our 200th year of Ministry. We can be grateful that this pandemic arrives in an era where technology has never been more able to support out of school learning for students who so effortlessly carry the mantle of the digital genera- tion. However, it’s not just tech- nology which guarantees that we are more prepared than our current difficulties allow God’s world to their children. Indeed, the importance of shouldering, in our homes, the responsibility to reveal God’s word, is even more crit- ical given the distance we also now have from our Church communities. As COVID -19 sharply orientates us to this core belief, so let us pray for the graces of wisdom, for- titude and perseverance to respond as both Catholic ed- ucators and a Catholic Faith Community. We don’t know for how long these new arrangements will be in place, but we do know that the resources re- quired and the experience will be very difficult for many of our families. Families may find, for example, they lack the necessary resources or the time to properly guide their children’s education. However, it is important we try not to let the challenges of our present circumstances overwhelm us. Certainly this is easier said than done, but while the difficulties are a cer- tainty, we might find that new opportunities may also ap- pear in abundance. We may find, with time, that we are grateful for the opportunity to see, more closely, our chil- dren learn and grow through their education. We might find we are grate- ful for the additional time with our families, for the op- portunity to know them bet- ter, to discover new things about others, or about our- selves, to learn to be more cre- ative in seeking positive ways to live our family life. In doing so, we discover and embrace more fully those guiding principles that are the foundation of Catholic educa- tion: that a child’s education begins at home, and parents are the primary educators of their children. But as we navigate this cri- sis, be assured that in every representation CSNSWmakes to Government, a Depart- ment, a Minister, a Premier or the Prime Minister, I will in- sist that all policy responses consider the varying circum- stances of our families and have equity as a non-negotia- ble concern - no child should be left behind. Finally, for our teachers, this week will be like no oth- er in their professional lives, as will the next period of time through this transition, let us remember the gift of Father Dufford‘s hymn reminding us of Christ’s promise: “ Be Not Afraid, I go before you always Come followme.” Dallas McInerney is the CEO of Catholic Schools NSW A student learns from home PHOTO: STATE GOVERNMENT ARCHIVES This will be a time for teachers and educators like no other in their professional lives It is important we try not to let the challenges of our present circum- stances overwhelm us ... and we might find that new opportunities appear in abundance.” Dallas McInerney Columnist