Many married couples whom I have come to know as friends have shared with me how a significant moment in their relationship arose, a decision point.
Amid the frenetic vagaries of work, child-rearing, soccer practice, running a household, paying the bills, and striving to practice their faith, they came to realize that their marriage was not what they wanted it to be nor what God desired for them.
In the endless duties and stresses of life, they had let their relationship go, or at least were taking it for granted.
In some palpable sense, the romantic fire had gone out, and they had become strangers to each other.
This realization led them to take action — to purposefully communicate heart-to-heart, to spend time together, to pray as a couple, to rekindle the romance.
Their marital dissatisfaction led them to do something to transform what had become a typical relationship into a holy one.
Would anyone today, whether they are a believer, an agnostic, or an atheist, say that the world is as it should be and that they are satisfied with how our society is going?
To take it further, would anyone say (perhaps with the exception of narcissists) that they themselves are exactly as they should be and are perfectly content with their character and life, with no need for improvement? I do not think so.
Something is wrong
We all know that there is something profoundly wrong with the world and our society, and that indeed there is something wrong with us as well.
The malevolent power of sin and death do extraordinary damage to all of us, inflicting suffering, confusion, violence, and evil on the human race since Genesis.
We are wounded, and perhaps we have never felt the influence of the Evil One more than we do right now.
The ongoing war in Ukraine; the terrible violence in the Holy Land; the civil wars in Africa, the injustice in Haiti; the confusion and opposition in our culture towards the sanctity of life, marriage, sexuality, and human dignity; the paralysis of our government; and the divisions in our Church leave all of us feeling disoriented at the rapidity of change, anxious for the future, and often depressed and powerless.
God wants to take His world back! He sent us Jesus to save us from sin, evil, darkness, and death!
Become a ‘radical transformer’
When we give our lives to Christ in an absolute and profound way, living the sacraments, enveloped in prayer, embracing virtue, and showing the Beatitudes in the world, we become radical transformers of the society around us!
Like my friends who realized they were not living the fullness of what God desired for them in their marriage and did something profound and permanent to change, we are at a significant decision point as a Church, a country, a world, and as disciples of the Lord.
The times we live in demand excellent and heroic Catholics, ordinary folks who have given their hearts to Christ and live for Him alone.
Our whole Go Make Disciples evangelizing initiative and our Into the Deep strategic plan are all about spiritual transformation.
No one tries out for a sports team wanting to be the worst player on the bench. No one starts learning a musical instrument in order to play it badly. Athletes and musicians practice constantly, sacrifice much, and work hard to achieve excellence in the one thing they are steadfastly pursuing.
That passionate pursuit of the one thing for us as Catholics is holiness!
The quota of mediocre Catholics is filled. We do not need more. The number of Catholics who have fallen away from the faith is legion. We do not need more.
We do need more committed disciples of Christ who are all in, ready to sacrifice, labor, practice, and love in pursuit of the One Thing — life on high in Christ Jesus.
This mission to preach the Gospel and make disciples is the desire of the Lord for us. Are you all in? Do you want to be an ever more excellent Catholic in pursuit of Jesus and all that He has to give? Mediocrity will not get us there.
The Lord wants to take Madison back, our diocese back, and our marriages, families, parishes, and workplaces back. He wants to reign in every human heart.
The Lord wants our government, our politics, our economy, and our culture to reflect true human dignity, to be vehicles for communal and individual growth and excellence, where every person can flourish in justice, mercy, love, and peace.
As we painfully know that our world, our society, our Church, and ourselves are broken, hurting, bleeding, and suffering, we also know that only Christ, in His saving power, merciful forgiveness, and Gospel truth can heal and fix us.
When we are all in with Him, He will powerfully use us to transform this old world into His new creation.
That vision is where we are going in this diocese. I am convinced the Lord is passionately urging each of us to strive for spiritual greatness, not as some kind of personal achievement, but rather, that we become fully alive and pliable in His hands for the salvation of the human race!