I love gardening and landscaping! Any day when I can spend time with my hands in the dirt is a good day. At the St. Francis Faculty House in Toledo, OH we have an Oblate courtyard in between our chapel, school, and house. I spend a substantial amount of time in this space. It brings me great joy!
Every year I undertake building a new area in the courtyard. One of the first things I decided to build was an 11 ft. x 24 ft. brick patio. To prepare for the construction, I watched a few YouTube videos and ordered the right amount of gravel, sand, and bricks. In reality, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After excavating the area, I stood in the pit, 1.5 feet deep, and thought, “I cannot do this.” At that moment, Fr. Ken McKenna, OSFS, came outside and I shared my worries and anxiety with him. He responded, “I don’t think this is a good idea either.” I thought, “Well, it’s too late now!” After leveling out the base, I laid that patio brick by brick.
Is the patio done? Yes. Is it perfectly level? No. Does water drain off of it? Sometimes. Do I love it? Yes. Will I ever build another brick patio? Never!
Standing in that patio pit, I could not see much joy or comfort. I struggled to imagine what the finished brick would even look like. There are times in our prayer lives that feel like we are standing in that pit; these are periods of spiritual dryness. Spiritual dryness is so common that Francis de Sales dedicated a chapter to it in his Introduction to the Devout Life. I can report from my own experience that my prayer life is often full of periods of dryness. During these times, Francis encourages us to not be disturbed, even if we are experiencing a great amount of dryness. Instead, keep showing up before God. The Lord will see our patience, diligence, and perseverance. If we receive sweetness, wonderful. If dryness continues, we are to be content and continue showing up.
If you are reading this and experiencing a time of spiritual dryness I say, “Do not give up - keep showing up.” You are not alone. Keep laying that patio brick by brick. Lord, You are near. Lord, You are here.
May God be praised.
Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS
Provincial
Toledo- Detroit Province
