A LESSON IN SOLITUDE

Our old friend, SERVANT of GOD FATHER WALTER CISZEK, S.J. made the news again and very timely it is. When  he started his religious life, he didn't know he'd spend most of the time  within the walls of a prison, and much of that time in complete isolation. But  Father Ciszek found closeness to God in labor camps and prison cells, never knowing what might happen to him next.

The isolation Father Ciszek experienced as a prisoner of the Soviet Union brought out heroic virtues that can help those suffering from the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic today, says a priest who will discuss Father Ciszek’s life in a webcast.

 

“Father Ciszek lived many kinds of isolation,” Father Eugene Ritz told CNA. “He experienced physical isolation from his family, his Jesuit spiritual family, and friends. He often lived in isolation from the sacraments. He lived in isolation from a culture that permitted a notion of God and worship of Him. He lived in interior and spiritual isolation, especially when he could not present himself as a priest or exercise ministry.”

“Many lost faith during their time in the Gulag, including other priests,” said the Pennsylvania priest. However, Father Ciszek showed the virtue of fortitude in his isolation. Ritz praised  Father Ciszek’s “firmness in difficulty, his constancy in pursuit of the good, and his resolve to resist temptation, conquer fear and face tremendous trials.”

Father Ritz’s presentation, “Living in Isolation: The Story of Father Walter Ciszek,” will be livestreamed Tuesday, April 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The event is presented by the diocese’s Commission for Young Adults.

“One of my favorite lessons of Father Ciszek is that Christ alone guarantees success,” he said. “It was his message to the priests in the labor camp in Siberia that in their struggles of being isolated from their families, friends, parishioners, religious communities, and too frequently the celebration of the Sacraments, Father Ciszek called them to refocus on the person of Christ and His providence.”

The lecture is linked to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed some 200,000 people worldwide.

The pandemic has left many people isolated. Those in the hospital are barred from receiving visits. In dozens of countries authorities have ordered millions more to stay at home, disrupting family life, social life and economic life around the world.

Who better to have as an intercessor in these times, than someone who not so long ago knew isolation and loss of freedom!