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Created for Greatness: Take the Risk for God

What if the greatest risk for Catholics wasn’t in the world, but in their faith? Imagine those who fearlessly throw themselves into their work or passions but hesitate when it comes to their spiritual fervor or apostolic mission. St. Peter lived this when he stepped out of the boat in Matthew 14:29, walking on the waves because Christ called him. Yet how often do we stay safely on board, when our faith calls us to more? Pope Benedict XVI put it plainly: “You were not made for comfort, but for greatness.” He wasn’t speaking of worldly success, but of apostolic greatness. St. John Paul II, in 1978, urged us: “Do not be afraid. Put out into the deep and lower your nets.” It’s practically the same message we find in Luke 5:4 — Peter takes the risk and abundance follows.

The popes of the past understood this tension between wanting to stay safe and being called outside of our comfort zone. Pius XII, leading during wartime, wrote in 1943: “The laity are on the front lines of the Church’s life.” He saw families as protagonists, not spectators. St. Pius V, against all odds, won the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 with prayer and courage—faith and boldness go hand in hand. Scripture proclaims it in Psalm 127:3-5: “Children are a heritage from the Lord… like arrows in the hands of a warrior.” Arrows require courage to be launched, trusting in their flight.

It’s not just individuals… families, too, embody this apostolic calling. We, with three children, have felt the call to a fourth child—maybe even five or six. It’s daunting—resources feel tight, doubts whisper—but isn’t that the very ground of faith? St. Josemaría Escrivá called families “domestic churches” and wrote: “The Christian family must shine as a sign of contradiction.” More children are not just an addition of little ones; it is embracing God’s generous design, a testimony in a lukewarm world.

Having more children is not acting recklessly, it is acting with discernment and trust. St. Paul, who was transformed in Acts 9, later faced shipwrecks and chains for the gospel. He lived with boldness. Peter stumbled—three denials—yet he still led with the heart of a martyr. These Apostles did not cling to safety; they risked everything for Christ. St. Josemaría urged ordinary Catholics to “sanctify the world from within,” stepping beyond comfort and weaving faith into daily life.

So, what does it mean to be a bold Catholic? It means stepping into the unknown. Perhaps for us, it’s welcoming that next child, trusting in God’s Providence over our fears. Pius XII placed us on the front lines; John Paul II called us into deep waters. The Church longs for souls who, like Peter and Paul, hear Christ and leap. The harvest awaits, immense and glorious, just beyond the edge of the boat—and there, as the matador delivers the final stroke in the supreme moment, it resounds. The divine call of Christ resonates: to be saints in the midst of the world for the greater glory of God.

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Spiritual Summer Camp

If you were a summer camp kid, you know the magic. Words fall short of describing the distillation of memory, timelessness, and unbridled fun that is summer camp. Everything is heightened. The sun is hotter against the skin and the lake is fresher when exploded open by a courageous canon ball. Even the cafeteria-style food tastes like a heavenly banquet after hours and hours of outdoor, unplugged freedom. There’s nothing like summer camp.

I imagine Peter, John, and James were experiencing a taste of that heightened state as they were invited by Jesus to climb Mount Tabor and spend some time in prayer together. I bet the air dove deeper into their lungs that day as our Lord led them to a moment in time that would be forever etched on their hearts as it is in the calendar of our Church.

Although Jesus’ was, without question, the most dramatic of transfigurations, there is little doubt an inner transfiguration occurred inside each of His three chosen disciples. A complete change in inner spiritual form. A confirmation by the voice of God himself that the person they were following was God’s chosen Son. The radiance that must have resulted from that revelation! The pleasing incarnation who was climbing mountains and praying with dirty knees in solidarity with all humankind was right there with them. It’s knowledge that can’t help but change a person. A knowledge that should make them glow from the inside out.

It’s hard to imagine that each of us, like the three disciples, are invited by Jesus to our own private session of prayer with Him. Yet, Lent is just that. It’s an invitation to consciously remove ourselves from the everyday expectation of what our day should look like and respond to Jesus’ invitation to pray with Him. I wonder how fruitful our Lent would be if we stopped considering it a Church-wide boot camp and started approaching it as a spiritual summer camp. What if, this Lent, we are being invited to pack lightly, gaze at the same stars as Abraham did, and sing campfire songs as we glow from the inside with the knowledge that the Lord is our light and our salvation? What if this Lent we refused to pitch a tent and swayed in soul-expanding freedom with our Lord, occupying our minds with the imagination of heavenly things and following Jesus wherever He may lead?

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Prudence, Mother of All Virtues

A couple of weeks ago, I started participating in a seminar on natural law, and I heard a phrase that caught my attention: “Without prudence, the other virtues could not exist.” This sparked my curiosity and my desire to learn more about it.

To begin with, prudence is the first of the cardinal virtues, followed by justice, fortitude, and temperance, and it governs all the others. In other words, every virtue must first and foremost be prudent. For example, courage without prudence turns into recklessness, and generosity without prudence becomes wastefulness. Sin, therefore, is the result of a lack of prudence. Prudence perfects our impulse to act.

To act prudently, one must first have an objective knowledge of things — that is, to know them for what they truly are. From this knowledge of reality, one determines what should or should not be done. Only those who understand how things are and how they unfold, are capable of acting rightly. Prudence, in short, means that what one desires and what one does are in accordance with the truth.

Christians, upon receiving baptism, receive an infused prudence that enables them to attain salvation. Yet there is an even more perfect prudence, one that provides a person not only with the tools to achieve their own salvation, but also to help others attain it.

Prudence must have three essential elements: memory, docility, and skill. Memory allows us to always, and in all circumstances, remember what is true and good; otherwise, we risk distorting the truth according to our desires or preferences. For example, I may know that bribery is wrong, but when the opportunity arises to do it for personal gain, I forget that it is immoral. Docility refers to the humility to accept advice and let go of the tendency to always want to be right. Skill is the ability to act rightly in the face of the unexpected, overcoming any temptation toward injustice, cowardice, or lack of temperance.

As we strive for more perfect prudence, we must also be aware that there are two types of false prudence: one by deficiency, which consists of failing to act out of fear or cowardice, waiting for absolute certainty where none exists; and one by excess, which is a cunning use of circumstances for personal gain.

A virtuous person must seek assurance in the experiences of a well-lived life, in the integrity of their intentions, and in God’s providence, waiting silently and humbly for the right moment to act.

Prudence, in summary, is the rudder that sets the course for our journey toward perfection.

 

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Blessings of the “In Between”

Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history.  (Definition of Ordinary Time from USCCB)

This blog post is a little different for me because it isn’t about a part of Scripture from the Mass for this weekend. Instead, since this is the last Sunday before we begin our Lenten journey, I felt called to reflect on Ordinary Time, or as I like to call it the “in between.”

So much of life, for my family at least, is spent looking forward to the next celebration, vacation, feast or family gathering. I have to admit the distractions of life can often make this more difficult.
There is a constant stream of things coming at us from every angle:  TV, movies, music, social media… not to mention the barrage of commercials telling us what next thing we need in order to be happy or enjoy life, like the newest iPhone, the fanciest car, or the biggest house.

Even within our faith life, we can get caught in the trap of going from Christmas to Easter without stopping to enjoy the “in between.”  Unfortunately, this isn’t the most healthy way of living and we can get spiritually and physically run down by trying to stay on the perpetual high of excitement and not taking time to just rest.

If we do take the time to stop and look at the life of Christ in scripture, the “in between” is mostly quiet and left peacefully – not intruded upon by being written about. We don’t hear about Jesus working in the shop with Joseph or Mary making dinner for Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath meal. We don’t even hear about the milestones of Jesus’ first words, steps, or childhood life. The New Testament goes from birth to ministry with only one story of Jesus getting lost for a few days. No other details are given.

I like to imagine that the lives of the Holy Family were not that different from our own with moments spent enjoying each other’s company, like maybe growing a garden together, telling stories around a fire, singing, laughing, and feeling blessed that God gave them the gift of each other with which to walk through life. I am sure there were moments when they even had to apologize to and forgive each other for falling short.

When I take the time to reflect on Christ’s “in between,” I am able to see the blessings in my own ordinary time more clearly. Instead of being stressed out by all the appointments blocked out on my calendar for swim team practice, orthodontist appointments, school, work, and other necessary obligations, I am able to look forward to our own little moments…. our own “in betweens.” Listening to my daughter singing in the car, stopping to enjoy watching a train pass by us on the road, laughing while seeing wild turkeys on someone’s lawn, and even watching snowflakes fall on the windshield while sitting at a red light, become moments to treasure and to praise God for, instead of annoyances that are keeping us from getting to our destination.

There is a sign my sister has hanging in her house that I feel speaks to this “in between” time. It says, It’s the Journey, not the Destination. I invite you these last few days before Lent to try to make a list of your blessings of the “in between” and I promise you that the more you take time to notice them, the more little blessings you will have. Then give thanks to God for them, because they are constant love letters from Him.

Loving merciful God, thank You for the blessings of Ordinary Time in our lives. Thank you for loving us so much that You surround us with beauty and little messages of Your love every day. Help us to see more clearly that these little moments are really the big moments in life. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Let Us Worship God

Jesus said to him: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

We are taught from childhood that God’s love is infinite, that His mercy and ability to forgive us are magnanimous, and that we simply need to, with a contrite heart, acknowledge our sins in order to receive God’s saving power. This act of reconciliation leads us to open our hearts so that God can do His life-giving work within us, filling us with His love.

We are taught to seek forgiveness from God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, receiving His help, but no one provides us with an instruction manual for how to correspond to God’s love with our own love. We forget that in every person who suffers, who is in need of our compassion, we may encounter Jesus Himself. 

Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”(Matthew 25:40)

We are also taught that God, being Love itself, does not need us to love Him, because His love for us is unconditional. Yet, what father does not feel immense satisfaction and joy when he hears, “I love you” from his children? Our human condition is both to receive and to give, to be loved and to love; and loving our neighbor is corresponding to God.

As Christian pilgrims, we go through life overcoming obstacles, enduring tests, resisting pain and suffering “in this valley of tears,” but also savoring with joy the fruit of God’s love in the landscapes, in the wonderful beauty of nature, in the birth of a child, in the eyes of a loved one looking at us with admiration and wonder. This is why no one wants to die. We know that the price of each human life is priceless. No one wants to miss out on the constant wonder of feeling alive, of breathing, of feeling a cool breeze or raindrops on our face, of tasting food, walking, running, singing, or dancing. That is why we fear death so much.

For deeply faithful Christians, however, this death is just one more step of transition in our pilgrimage; it is the moment when an incomplete and imperfect being becomes a holy, full, and eternal being. Death means that we will be closer to experiencing true life in abundance, returning to our true heavenly home, coming back like the prodigal son to his father. We have been promised a Heaven full of angels and holy people, who worship God in constant ecstasy, intoxicated by the life-giving light and power of God Himself, as absolutely complete and fulfilled beings.

…whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:14)

To adore involves intense admiration, a sense of reverence and awe before someone. Adoration is an elevated form of love. If we believe this, then why don’t we start worshiping God right now? Why not venture to taste that piece of Heaven God gifts us with through the coming of the Holy Spirit when we open the eyes of our soul? Is it enough to say to Jesus, “I love you”? Let us dare to aspire to the full, abundant life right now, constantly saying to God from the heart: “I adore You.”

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Self-Knowledge and Inner Peace

In the bustle of the world, where haste prevails and distractions seem endless, learning to remain calm is an art mastered only through connection with the essential. It is not about fleeing difficulties or suppressing emotions, but in facing them with the certainty that every experience is part of the path laid out for our growth.

The inner life is a sanctuary few truly enter with genuine dedication. Meditation and prayer have been my refuge in that sacred space where the superficial fades away and truth is revealed. In silence, the soul finds rest, the mind becomes ordered, and the heart is ready to listen. Each day is an opportunity to begin from a place of serenity, allowing divine light to permeate every thought, every action.

I have come to understand that the energy we harbor within is not static, but manifests in everything we do. We cannot hide what we carry inside, as it is reflected in our words, in our relationships, and in the way we face life. Those who cultivate peace within project harmony; those who surrender to chaos spread it around them. That is why protecting one’s essence is not an act of isolation, but a spiritual responsibility.

In this process of inner safeguarding, solitude ceased to be an absence and became an encounter. I learned that emptiness does not exist when God’s presence fills every space. Solitude is not a shadow, but the clarity of a presence not perceived with the senses but illuminating from within. It is the threshold where the soul meets its Creator, where the noise of the world is silenced, and truth becomes audible.

Living from spirituality means recognizing that fulfillment does not depend on external things. Nothing is lacking for those who have found themselves and discovered that their strength comes from the Creator. Those who learn to dwell within their own being with love and acceptance, no longer fear solitude but find in it the key to a fuller existence.

The world may be in constant motion, but the soul that has learned to rest in God remains steadfast. True wisdom is not found in seeking external answers, but in listening to the voice that whispers in silence. Each day is an opportunity to reaffirm that connection, to walk with purpose, and to turn one’s life into a reflection of the light that dwells in the depths of the soul.

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Real Men Pray

A lot has been written about the crisis facing men and boys in 21st century America. In the last several decades women have benefited financially because of increased educational and professional opportunities, making it possible for them to either partner with their spouses or single-handedly provide for the economic needs of their children and family. At the same time, automation and the exporting of industrial work to cheaper labor markets have limited vocational opportunities for many men. For many generations men could have accurately described their role as “providers” for their families.  This description may not seem accurate today, especially as women increasingly become primary breadwinners. Any thought that the best Catholic response is to suggest women don’t enter the workforce or achieve professional success lacks both economic and ecclesiological wisdom. Since the traditional role of “male provider” has changed, we need to ask ourselves as a community of faith: how can we encourage and empower men? I believe we need to be reminded of the importance of prayer and men in families courageously embracing the vulnerability required to lead us in our faith.

A lot of dads like to get involved in their children’s activities. On the flip side, unwillingness to attend our children’s games, recitals or plays is viewed critically. Few seem to care, however, if dads don’t get involved in their children’s spiritual development. Many of the readers of this blog have prayed with their children. Sharing the stories of our faith and praying openly and honestly is a life-changing witness for children. Prayer conveys a vulnerability that has nothing to do with the strong, silent-type male we see lauded in movies and the media., whose strength is often exhibited in violence and destruction. Prayer and praise are invitations to a different kind of strength. Our connection with God gives us the power to impact others. We can invoke divine protection for those we love and also anyone who needs help. This is powerful.

Obviously both moms and dads can teach their children that we are beloved sons and daughters of God. Having worked in faith formation for several decades, I’m aware that these days, the majority of the support comes from moms. I sincerely believe that if men understood their importance as guardians of the faith for their family and their community, this crisis of identity would be resolved. The “Real Men Cry” bumper sticker could easily be replaced by: “Real Men Pray.” Jesus is the obvious example of someone who centered on prayer throughout His life. Prayer unites us with the divine will. The crisis for men isn’t caused by the economic empowerment of women; it is a spiritual crisis and prayer is the answer.

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God Speaks to Our Hearts

As we begin a new year, we fill ourselves with hope and create lists of all the things we want to do. We plan for things we didn’t do before and set out to meet our personal goals. The reality is that not everything turns out as we expected, because God always has the final say in our lives. How mistaken are we to believe that our plans are better than the ones He has for us?! His are perfect, while ours fall short and collapse at the first stumble. That’s why, now that this year begins, it is a good time to listen to Him more, to trust that He will guide our steps, and to abandon ourselves completely to Him.

As 2025 was approaching, I asked God to speak to me. I felt the need to organize my life, but this time, guided by Him and not by my own plans. I needed to hear from Him, to feel His support. In prayer, I listened to Him.

God spoke to me in a clear, transparent, and very loving way. He spoke to me about sacrifice, reminding me that as I let go of the things of this world that keep me trapped, I can move forward toward the perfect plan He has for me. It felt like preparation for the small crosses I will carry. He assured me that I will lack nothing because He is always with me, guiding me by the hand along with the Virgin, showing me that with their love and support, I can move forward without fear and without looking back.

Even though He didn’t leave me with a detailed, day-by-day plan like I would have wanted, His response filled me with motivation and gave me peace and a profound sense of security.

My days this year are passing one at a time—without rushing and without much planning. I’m simply seeking silence to be able to hear Him. Holding on to the Virgin Mary and asking for much discernment from the Holy Spirit. I don’t know what tomorrow or next week will bring, but I go forward calmly, letting myself be led.

I hope these words encourage you to release the plans or attachments that leave you feeling empty, to lay down your fears, and to place your full trust in God’s plan for your life. May you let go of control and embrace a deeper joy in your heart.

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Year of  Hope

So often, this time of year – especially these days in New England! – makes us want to ‘hunker down’ and practically ‘hibernate’ due to the many cold dreary days and only ‘slightly’ longer days of sunlight. Yet, this should not be so with the Christian, and this certainly would not be the year … for several reasons! … to simply ‘curl up’ and wait for a new ‘springtime’ when it might be more ‘comfortable’ to go out to ‘all the world’ and tell the Good News! But what do I mean?

Well, recently, Pope Francis called the Catholic Church into a Jubilee Year of Hope, a year – essentially – of mercy, forgiveness, dynamic flourishing and ‘new beginnings.’ I know these little phrases may not be the first ones that come to mind when we read about the Pope’s desire to join the Church for a year of ‘pilgrimage,’ but as we continue along in this Third Millennium of Christendom, we realize all the more that true Hope is so needed by many – if not all! – in the world, especially our young people. Yet, this pathway of ‘new beginnings’ has already been ‘paved’ for us by young Saints!          

First, we can see in this Jubilee Year of Hope, a year of ‘mercy’ in which we first ‘receive’ from GOD His Divine ‘pardon.’ This gift of mercy is first and foremost seen in His ‘descending’ into our world – the ‘Creator become creature’– by virtue of the Incarnation, which we just celebrated in His birth in Bethlehem. This, if you will, is God ‘taking’ our lowliness into His Sacred Heart, as if to ‘take upon Himself’ our suffering and making it ‘as His own.’ For sure, no other GOD so loving ‘becomes like us’ – in all things except sin – in order to ‘redeem’ us. Yet, He did, for love of us!         

Second, this great Love is revealed through His forgiving us, ultimately by way of His Passion and Death, and ‘claiming’us once more as His own. Yes, we can truly say that we have become His ‘sons and daughters’ because He has made us His own children perfectly through our Baptisms. For this, we, too can proclaim with our Most Blessed Mother, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the LORD!” for our Hope is now free of constraint!         

Third, if we have been ‘redeemed’ and ‘claimed’ once more, then we are free to begin again in ‘human flourishing’ when our Hope begins to ‘soar’ and to lift us up and assure us we are never again alone. In fact, this Mercy of God is His infinite love for us manifested not ‘from on high,’ but rather ‘from below,’ so that everything we now do is taken up into His Sacred Heart, into His Divine Heart.

Thus, by His mercy and forgiveness we are set free to flourish, given new Hope in our lives and in our humanity. Though never perfect, we must strive to bring this Jubilee of Hope to all the world, warming ‘frozen’ hearts made so by fear and healing the ‘broken’ hearted from the wounds of loneliness. So ‘great’ is this work of bringing about a ‘new springtime,’ that we ourselves must ‘return’ to the font of its source: Jesus Christ! But how?

Well, might I offer two great examples of role models, really, who forever ‘hold’ today as their ‘feast’ day: St. Timothy and Little Christina Dangond! United in Spirit though separated by some 2,000 years – the ‘breadth’ of Christendom itself! – these two ever-young saints offer us new hope today.

St. Timothy was the young companion of St. Paul, instructed by and eager to take up the ‘mantle’ of his elder.  His name itself means: ‘honoring GOD’ or ‘honored by GOD.’ He is considered an ‘apostle’ (though not one of the Twelve) and an early Evangelist (though not one of the Four), as well as the first Bishop of Ephesus.

Little Christina, whose very name means ‘follower of Christ,’ is an apostle (meaning ‘one who is sent’) and an evangelist (meaning ‘one who proclaims the Good News’) through her ‘going out to the whole world’ via her great many Facebook videos proclaiming the Mercy of GOD with her, “JESUS, I Trust in YOU!” This ever relevant and needed message is a proclamation of hope for all people; for no one is outside of Christ’s Mercy!

Maybe in this Jubilee Year of Hope, we might ‘take up’ the mantle of Little Christina and proclaim more and louder this Good News so needed in our Church and in the world today: “ JESUS, I Trust in YOU!” St. Timothy, pray for us! Little Christina, pray for us!

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Freedom in Forgiveness

God desires us to live in freedom. Because he has so much love for humanity, he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die for us all. Even though this has transpired, some of us still have heavy chains that we carry around due to our inability to forgive others and ourselves. This gets in the way of us living in freedom. It imprisons our souls and impedes the tranquility and peace that unites us in grace with God.

When we bestow mercy on those who have hurt us, we mirror God’s love! The process of forgiving involves humility, pain and, at times, many tears. Yet, only when we forgive can we be truly free! As Mother Teresa tells us: “If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.” Forgiveness heals, strengthens and sanctifies us.

God’s word is full of references on how important forgiveness should be to all of his followers. Reading these scriptures mends our hearts and shows us the way! For example, Leviticus 19:18 says, “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as much as yourself.” Holding grudges and choosing not to forgive, closes our hearts, making it impossible to love our neighbor. Some of us also hold grudges against ourselves. We condemn ourselves because of our sins. This is not what God wants for us! He does not want us to live in the darkness of sin! Jesus himself says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

There was a time in my life when I myself walked in darkness.   I was indulged in sin and fell into a deep depression because I could not forgive myself for what I had done. I was caught in the devil’s trap. He was telling me I did not deserve forgiveness and making me feel unworthy of God’s love. I needed God’s grace to free me from my guilt and shame. After being Christian for so long, I felt like I should have been better at repentance. I felt I could not go to God again until I “fixed” that part of me.  Thankfully, God spoke to my heart. He told me it was in moments of doubt and shame that I needed to come to him the most. Even though I felt like a failure for not upholding his promises, I needed his help to work on the part of me that was broken.

It only stands to reason that if we are forgiven over and over again by God, we must offer the same kindness and mercy to those who have hurt us. Saint Teresa of Ávila had this to say:  

I cannot believe that a soul which has arrived so near to Mercy itself, where she knows what she is, and how many sins God has forgiven her, should not instantly and willingly forgive others, and be pacified and wish well to everyone who has injured her, because she remembers the kindness and favors our Lord has shown her, whereby she has seen proofs of exceeding great love, and she is glad to have an opportunity offered to show some gratitude to her Lord. (Way of Perfection, Ch. 36)

Despite receiving God’s mercy, we struggle to reciprocate it. Forgiving is not just deciding to not hold something against someone, it is an act of dying to self. There is tremendous wisdom in letting go!

Fortunately, God loves us exactly where we are in our faith journey.  God’s grace will meet us when we fail. As Christians, we are in a constant conversion – the closer we grow in intimacy with God, the more we realize our vulnerability and weakness.  Whether we forgive others or forgive ourselves, we let loose those chains and stop living in the shadows.  God is calling us toward forgiveness! We do not have to carry this burden any longer! Instead, may we find peace by acknowledging Jesus Christ’s love and inviting him into our hearts!  

May we increase our devotion to Jesus Christ in everything we do, both in our efforts and in our failures. May we always recognize that Jesus Christ forgives us even in our unforgiveness and continues to love us more than we deserve!

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