“We cannot stop at transmitting a doctrine, an observance, an ethic, but rather we are called to share what we live, with generosity, sincere love for souls, willingness to suffer for others, and unreserved dedication, like parents who sacrifice themselves for the good of their children.”
– Pope Leo XIV
Last week, I had the chance to be present as friends of mine received a well-deserved award for their dedication to the Church. Berni and Rob have been mentors of mine for more than 15 years. As the emcee perfectly described their partnership both in marriage and philanthropy, he talked about how, while each of them is a force of nature in their own right, together they are nearly unstoppable. Rather than giving a speech, this power couple was interviewed about their journey to each other, to the Lord, and what lies ahead.
True to form, there was much laughter and some touching tears. Berni described how when she met Rob, he wasn’t Catholic, and how on their very first date, she said that might be a dealbreaker. “Always closing the deal,” Rob continued the story, telling the audience that it was an easy barrier to remove, because at that point, faith didn’t mean much to him. What he said next struck me profoundly: “This thing (faith) that was merely a means to an end for me has become the most important thing in my life.” He went on to describe how Berni really was—and is—the means to the strong faith he now is blessed to have.
As I drove home from the event, I couldn’t help but give thanks again for witnesses in my life like Berni and Rob. I also kept thinking about how often in life, leadership, and especially faith, what appears to be “the means” to accomplish or experience something actually becomes the more profound or deeper gift in the end. How many times have the means to achieve my motives ended up profoundly changing my mission? As a cradle Catholic, how often do I take for granted faith as something I do for family, community, or even the ultimate end of heaven, without recognizing the gift it is to me in the here and now?
We may never be recognized on a stage like Berni and Rob for our virtue, but as we begin this new week, let’s seek to be someone else’s “means” to end up with our Lord.
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