December 27, 2023 “How Catholic is that?” I was chatting with a friend about a trend I’ve noticed in the last handful of months. I explained to my friend that I’m pretty accustomed to people approaching me as I’m at various events around the diocese, usually with a camera around my neck, and asking “are you Darcy?” The new trend, though, is for that to be followed by some version of “is your son with you?” “Jake loves this pseudo-celebrity status in Catholic land,” I explained to my friend. “And we both love that people we’ve never met wish him well and pray for him. He also saves every column in which he’s mentioned. “You know I have a love-hate relationship with writing columns. I still find it ridiculously hard, but I also still regularly see more and more graces and beauty in it.” That’s when it occurred to me, and I smirked as I said to my friend, “how Catholic is that?” Let’s be honest: Being Catholic is hard, ridiculously hard. But there are also many, many graces and so much beauty in the difficulties and challenges. While I love the sacrament, going to confession is hard, really hard. It also comes with so many graces and so much beauty. Going to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation – even when we don’t feel like it – is really hard. Still more graces and beauty. Following God’s call in our lives is hard, super duper hard sometimes. Yet again, though, grace and beauty. I could probably come up with examples all day. Some of the reasons I find it hard to be Catholic are related to the reason I find it hard to write this column: It’s hard to offer myself – my will, my sins, my words – to others and to God. It can be vulnerable. It can be sacrificial. It can be risky. But as I didn’t anticipate some of the graces and beauty God would give me through this column, I can’t anticipate the graces and beauty that will come from following the Lord and doing the hard things. From the staff, reporters, photographers and columnists of the North Country Catholic, we wish you a Happy New Year. We pray we all grow closer to the Lord and each other in the year to come. How Catholic is that? |
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