A Day in the Life: The Grace of Perseverance

Last weekend, I had the privilege of  teaming up with Mother Mary Christina and Sr. Patricia Jean to give a retreat for the RCIA and Confirmation candidates at my former home parish in Campbellsville, KY. The morning conferences went very well, and we wrapped up with an anonymous Q&A session in the afternoon. Yours truly was chiefly support staff, although I did chime in on a couple of the questions. In particular, one person asked about how someone can make a permanent commitment at such a young age. I'm guessing someone probably thought I was significantly younger than I am, at the ripe old age of almost-26.

The question made me think, though. One of the things that I shared, in answering the question, is the fact that I struggled some with reconsidering marriage when I started college shortly after making my first temporary vows. Suddenly, I found myself in social situations with "normal" people living in the world, talking to people my own age who were either married or in serious relationships. I began to question whether or not I had truly given it enough thought. Ultimately, after several months of struggling with this and praying about it, I concluded that I was, in fact, already on the right track.

In the midst of the doubt and temptation, I finally had a moment of clarity where I just realized, "You know what, I have to make this decision." God wasn't going to decide for me, the Sisters were not going to decide for me, my family was not going to decide for me. Only I could make the choice to follow the vocation that I was being called to live, or not. Obviously, I made the decision to stay.

Since then, I've learned that all vocations require you to continually renew your decision to be committed. It's not a one-and-done. Certainly, there are points in any vocation where you make an official permanent commitment: a man and a woman on their wedding day, a priest at his ordination, a Sister when she makes her final vows. It's after the official ceremony is over and the honeymoon ends that the true commitment begins, however. When you're home alone again because he's working late, or sitting through yet another parish meeting, or feeling the more human side of community life, that's when you have to pray for the grace to persevere. Commitment takes a moment; perseverance takes a lifetime of faith, grace, and trust in God's providence.