July 30, 2025 I feel like I don’t belong there. I recently joined a gym. Because I wanted to participate in a particular program, I joined a gym I otherwise might not have joined. “It’s almost always me and a bunch of gym bros,” I said to a friend, describing the facility. “These are men bench pressing twice what I weigh, while I’m in my corner lifting next to nothing. I don’t speak the gym language – I have no clue what half the equipment or exercises are called. I only sort of know what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m completely out of my element.” As I talked with one of the “gym bros” after a recent workout, he asked if I enjoyed the social aspect of working out in a gym. “It might be different for a woman,” I said. “No one talks to me. My guess is that the guys don’t want to come across the wrong way, but it’s kind of weird.” Thinking about that conversation on my way home, it occurred to me: While the “gym bros” aren’t going out of their way to talk to me, I’m also not talking to them. I don’t even make eye contact half the time. I sometimes do that in my faith life, too. I’ll sit and passively wait around for Jesus to reveal Himself to me and to help me feel connected to Him and His Church, and I then I’m sad or disappointed when I feel like I’m disconnected. While Jesus will sometimes meet me in those passive moments, I’ve found He often wants me to pursue relationships with Him and His people. He wants me to seek Him in adult formation, in service, in liturgy, in the sacraments, in the people He puts in my path and in an active and vibrant prayer life. He wants me – and all of us – to have an active life in His Church. It’s where we all belong. |
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