Editor's Note Staying focused on the destination By Darcy L. Fargo

September 16, 2020

While I’d like to think I’m a quick learner, that definitely wasn’t the case when it was time for me to learn to drive. Part of my issue was that my father – my usual driving instructor – and I constantly butted heads (I’m being charitable to both of us with that phrasing) during practice sessions, so I’d avoid driving to escape conflict. Then, I skipped a grade of high school and left home to attend college at age 17, further limiting my opportunities to gain experience on the road.

I remember once telling an older friend and mentor that one of my biggest struggles with driving was that I felt like I was constantly making too many small adjustments as I attempted to keep a vehicle centered in my lane of travel. I distinctly remember this friend telling me, “don’t stay focused on where your car is right now. Look forward. Look toward the horizon. Look to where you want to go. That’ll help you stay centered and on course.”
Not only did my friend’s advice help me with my struggles to stay centered in my lane of travel when driving, I think about his advice frequently as I try to grow in holiness.

There are a lot of distractions in our paths, and it’s easy to get bogged down in moments as we move through our days and our lives. It’s easy to find ourselves veering slightly off the paths to which God has called us, focusing instead on what we have deemed as our own priorities and goals.

It’s important to stay focused on where we want to go. To grow our relationships with the Lord and have eternal life with Him, we need to try to set aside those distractions. It’s much easier if we have people in our lives who help us do just that.

As we celebrate Catechetical Sunday, I’m reminded of the many people in my life – priests, deacons, religious, catechists, lay ministers, friends and family members – who help me keep my eyes on where I need to grow and where I want to go. I could tell countless stories of how others have shared their relationships with and knowledge of our Lord and his Church with me, and how they’ve helped me be a better Christian and a better, holier person.

While our faith leaders – including those catechists, priests, religious, deacons and lay ministers – have special roles in helping guide others on their paths to holiness, we’re all called to share our love of the Lord with others. We’re all called to help others keep their eyes on where they want to go.

This week of Catechetical Sunday, the NCC would like to say “thank you” to all who hear and respond to that call.