John Garvey

The virtue that we need around the first of October is constancy.  In After Virtue the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre described it as the “reaffirmation in deed rather than in word” of the narrative unity of one’s life. To put it another way, it’s choosing concrete actions that reflect who you are and what you are about.  Choosing those actions has a formative affect. They shape us into the people we strive to be.

It was an important virtue for Jane Austen.  Take Elizabeth Bennett, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice.  When the “conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly” Mr. Collins proposes to her, she refuses despite pressure from her mother, and the knowledge that the marriage would ensure her family’s financial security.  It would be impossible, she says, for her to do otherwise.  That’s because Lizzie knows her own character, and knows that to find happiness in marriage she must respect and esteem her partner for life.

It’s not just a virtue for love stories.  Constancy is for all of our stories.  As MacIntyre observed, if you want to answer the question, “what should I do?” in a particular situation, you need to consider, “of what sort of story . . . do I find myself a part?”  When the alarm goes off at 6 a.m., constancy is the virtue that gets you out of bed in time for Mass, because you are Christian striving to grow in holiness.  It’s the virtue that keeps you in the library when your friends call it a night, because you are student whose goal is to excel in your field.  It is the virtue that gives you the conviction to opt-out of the hookup culture, because you are child of God made for love far greater than that.

Pope Francis is a good contemporary teacher of constancy. Worthy goals, the pope often reminds us, are not enough. We need to continually choose concrete means to achieve them. When, for example, he spoke about human trafficking in his message for the World Day of Peace this year, he reminded us that all people are children of God. That means we must “recognize in every other person a brother or sister in our human family.” But Francis didn’t stop there. He called for concrete acts of fraternity: Avoid buying goods produced through exploitation. Smile at a stranger on the street.

Francis’s point is simple: If we call ourselves Christians, we must affirm that fact in our actions. This is constancy.

As we prepare to welcome Pope Francis to the United States and to our campus in less than three weeks, the Archdiocese of Washington has challenged us to Walk with Francis by making concrete commitments to pray, serve, and act.

There are myriad ways to do this. Pray daily for the Holy Father, commit to reading a psalm a day. We can pray. Visit the elderly in your community, support a worthy charity. We can serve. Stand up for important truths like the dignity of the human person and basic goods such as family life and religious freedom. We can act.

The important thing is to make a specific commitment, and to keep it.

— John Garvey is President of The Catholic University of America. A version of these remarks was originally given at The Catholic University of America’s Mass of the Holy Spirit, September 3, 2015.

The Mass, which took place in the Great Upper Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, is held annually at the opening of the school year. This year’s celebrant was Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and University chancellor, who asked God to invoke the gifts of the Holy Spirit on the University community to strengthen and guide students, faculty, and staff throughout the 2015-16 academic year.

In anticipation of Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to the Basilica and the University, Cardinal Wuerl encouraged students to prepare themselves spiritually by working to make a difference in their community.

Faculty members dressed in full academic regalia attend this year’s Mass of the Holy Spirit.

“Pope Francis challenges us to be ‘missionary disciples,’” he said. “We are not bystanders but rather participants in the great human endeavor to make of this world a better place.

“There is a sense in which each one of us has to make that call and anointing in the Holy Spirit our own,” Cardinal Wuerl said. “This is what Pope Francis asks us to do. We are challenged to take the love and mercy of God and share it with others.”

The cardinal encouraged students to use this upcoming academic year to continue spiritual formation and to ask God’s help in living their faith.

“Here at this university, in addition to preparing for a job and a means to a paycheck, we should also accept that we have a deeper calling — to do our part to help make the world just a little better,” he said. “We come together to ask for the gifts of the Holy Spirit because we dare to believe we really can make a difference. We are capable of renewing the face of the earth, or at least trying — at least, doing our part with the help of God.”

Following the homily, Cardinal Wuerl conferred the Canonical Mission — the authorization to teach in the name of the Church — to William Daniel of the School of Canon Law.

In his remarks after Mass, University President John Garvey advised students to live the virtue of constancy in their academic, spiritual, and personal lives.

Members of the University community, including Jeanne Garvey, bring up the gifts during the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

“When the alarm goes off at 6 a.m., constancy is the virtue that gets you out of bed in time for Mass, because you are a Christian striving to grow in holiness,” President Garvey said. “It’s the virtue that keeps you in the library when your friends call it a night because you are a scholar determined to excel in your field. It is the virtue that gives you the conviction to opt-out of the hookup culture, because you are a child of God made for love far greater than that.”

Garvey encouraged students to follow Pope Francis’s example of constancy by taking small, concrete steps to follow Christ. Garvey encouraged students to participate in the Archdiocese of Washington’s #WalkwithFrancis initiative by making concrete commitments to pray, serve, and act. Garvey also pledged to participate in the initiative and said he would serve at the Little Sisters of the Poor in Brookland.

“If we call ourselves Christians, we must affirm that fact in our actions,” Garvey said. “This is constancy.”

Following Mass, all students who pledged to participate in the initiative received blue wristbands marked #WalkwithFrancis. In his closing remarks, Cardinal Wuerl noted that if everyone wears the bracelets during the papal Mass on Sept. 23, it will be a visual reminder of the University’s commitment to service and prayer.

President Garvey Pledges to Walk with Francis at Mass of the Holy Spirit from CUA Video on Vimeo.