From the Chaplain

From the Chaplain

This week we celebrated the memorial of a famous Dominican saint, St Peter of Verona. He was a very famous preacher who lived in the first half of the 13th century, receiving the habit of the Order from St Dominic himself. He is also known as St Peter Martyr, as the events surrounding his martyrdom were so amazing. He had great faith, so much so that even as he was being killed, he wrote on the ground with his own blood the Latin words Credo in Deum, which translates as, ‘I believe in God’, the first words of the Apostles’ Creed. The man who killed him later confessed to his crime and repented of his actions. Amazingly, he later joined the Dominican Order and became a brother in the Dominican Priory at Forli in Northern Italy.

Because of the many miracles during St Peter’s life, and even after his death, St Peter’s fame spread very rapidly. So rapidly, in fact, that his canonisation remains the fastest in history. He was canonised about 11 months after his death. Even St Dominic took 13 years to be canonised!

The picture above is a representation of St Peter Martyr by Bl Fra Angelico which can be found above a doorway in the Priory of San Marco, Florence. In it, St Peter enjoins silence on the friars who lived in that priory. We can imagine the friars of that day walking past this image and being inspired by St Peter’s bravery and commitment to the faith. However, they also would have appreciated the reminder to be silent. Silence was a part of the everyday life of Dominicans of that time. For large portions of each day, friars had to refrain from talking (except when necessary), even during meal times.

Why was silence seen as so important? It is in the silence that we encounter ourselves. It was an ancient saying of great wisdom which commanded each person to ‘know thyself’. In the silence we spend time with ourselves and get to know ourselves. Sometimes, the proliferation of technology and entertainment can mean that we don’t spend enough (if any) time with ourselves. Time spent alone can also be confronting, which can cause us to avoid it. However, spending time alone and in silence can help us become comfortable with our own company, know our strengths and weaknesses, and consider the ‘big questions’ like the meaning of life and what our direction, especially our ultimate direction, is in life.

Importantly, it is also in the silence that we encounter God.  The prophet Elijah experienced this when he encountered God on the mountain. God was not in the wind, the fire or the earthquake, but rather in the silence which followed these (1 Kings 19). The fact is that even when we are alone, we are not really alone. God is ‘omnipresent’, that is, present in all places. While we are distracted by other things, we can’t give our attention completely to God, and we are not open to his approach. But when we enter into the silence and make ourselves aware of his presence we get to know not only ourselves, but our creator as well.

Fr Matthew Boland OP

CHAPLAIN