theROCK

From 0 to Canonization

Our primary call is to be saints. How does that make you feel?

Are you pulled to make your kids (or grandkids) your primary vocation? Our love for them is so incredibly strong. I have to check myself daily. They are such amazing creatures, of course we want to make them our everything!

But you know what I have realized in fighting that battle? I am a significantly better mother, better spouse, when I am close to Jesus. I spent the first years of my kids’ lives pouring through parenting books trying to be the best parent in the world and it wasn’t until I gave up that battle and just focused on being close to Jesus that I finally actually achieved my goal – well not perfection, but I think I’m doing okay.

If we were made for unity with Jesus (which is what being a saint is), doesn’t it just make sense that we would be better in all areas of our life the closer we are to Him? Better parents, but also better spouses and better at our jobs, better friends. Jesus is the standard for life. So the closer we are to Him, the more we look like Him, the better we are able to show up for others and ourselves in our own life.

And I’ve got good news for you. No one is expecting you to go from 0 to canonization overnight. Holiness is a journey. Discipleship (the path to holiness) is a journey. And every single journey begins with one single step. So what is it? What is your one step to start with? What is one way you can prioritize your relationship with God over everything else in your life (yes, even your family)? What is one concrete way you can rearrange your life goals to be about holiness aspirations instead of career aspirations?

God is never outdone in generosity. Meaning, no matter how much we give Him, He will always give us infinitely more in return. So rest assured, any sacrifice you make will be returned one hundredfold. Just remember, we were made for union with God. He doesn’t want you near to Him for His sake, but for yours. He is the answer to everything you desire in life. Go to Him and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37: 4)

Take a Step Toward Sainthood

Sometimes when I hear stories of the Saints, especially those who have stories of heroic martyrdoms, I can feel discouraged, because I wonder how on earth I could ever live a life of that much virtue or a life of holiness that I could courageously die for my faith or suffer through chronic pain or emotional sufferings without complaining.  

Recently, a friend started to tell me the story of one of her favorite Saints, St. Cecilia, who was a second century martyr, and I was prepared to be overwhelmingly discouraged by her story. However, instead of telling the whole story, this friend shared with me one moment of the story that she had been meditating on. Because it was just one moment of the story, I found myself saying, “I can imitate that virtue in her! That one thing is not too hard for me today!” 

Sometimes prayer feels overwhelming too; there are so many hurting people in our lives, Scripture can be confusing, or maybe we don’t know where to start with the Lord.  

Today, the Lord’s invitation to Peter and Andrew is simple: “Come after me.” He doesn’t expect them to have it all figured out. He just invites them to take a step as they begin to follow him. St. Cecilia, when asked her name as she stood on trial for her faith, was able to respond: “my name is Cecilia, but my more beautiful name is that of Christian.” She probably did not have the courage to say those words on her first day of following the Lord, but little by little as she took one step at a time, she came to know the Lord and the great gift of her faith. Don’t be afraid to take one or two steps this week. The Lord is good and just wants to love you!  

Only All for Jesus

Every day, I begin my day in prayer. The routine is very simple but well-rehearsed. It is the same prayer I have had for the last nine years. As part of my routine, I pray that I be the vessel by which the Lord fulfills His work. It is a prayer of surrender. Surrendering is not new to me, I have lived my life in surrender to Jesus Christ since I was sixteen years old. When I get that "feeling" it usually falls in line with a moment of change, a moment of conversion at the climax of surrender. We are meant to go through multiple conversions throughout a lifetime as we grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus by surrendering to His will. I recently had one of those moments that moved me deeper into conversion resulting, once again, into surrendering. It is then that I started having that "feeling". I am now left waiting to see what the "feeling" is going to bring. Since my announcement to transition out of the principalship, many have asked what I am doing next. I truly do not have a “next”. I am open to the will of the Father. He will make my path clear but until then, I am here.

Many Saints write about conversion and surrender, as it is a pathway to holiness. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta would say, "We have to love until it hurts. It is not enough to say I love. We must put that love into a living action. And how do we do that? By giving until it hurts". This loving until it hurts is conversion. It is surrender because it is counter-cultural. St. Faustina brought us the depiction of surrender through the image of the Divine Mercy and the simple yet powerful prayer "Jesus, I trust in you!" Releasing oneself to the will of the Father is liberating yet terrifying.

It is not enough to say yes to God when he has called us for himself. It's very important to put that “yes” into a living action. And how do we put that into a living action? By our total surrender to Him. We understand that He has chosen us for Himself - all that follows is that we allow Him to use us without consulting us. We are human beings and we like to know exactly what He wants, how He wants, and so on. But if we really want to be only all for Jesus, it is important that we give Him a free hand to do with us what He wants, as He wants. Only then can we really say we are only all for Jesus. - Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Thirsting for God, 2000.