Bishop Donald J. Kettler Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Sioux Falls
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Each and every day, God offers us personal invitations to walk the unique path he has prepared for us, because spiritually speaking, we all have a place of importance in God’s plan. From the lay person to the pope, we each play a vital and important role in the world.
Yet, too often, we find ourselves falling into the trap of spiritual comparison. I’ll never be as holy as that person. I’ll never be able to pray as often as she does. This way of thinking can lead to defensiveness, despair and even resentment.
Peace contrasts this sharply, and it is often peace that is the first sign you are walking the path God has for you. In my own spiritual journey, I discovered that trying to do things exactly the way others were doing them didn’t always work for me. It led to frustration rather than peace. But when I stopped meddling and approached God as I was, the spiritual life became less about quantity and more about quality. It became less about obsessing over, “How can I do what he or she is doing?” and more about finding where God wanted me at that moment.
Pope Francis famously said in a weekly audience in January 2021, “We are the tabernacles where the words of God want to be welcomed and preserved, so that they may visit the world.”
Today, the world is in dire need for us to be tabernacles of his love, truth and mercy. We carry God’s presence into a world that is filled with people desperately needing hope. Often, when we hear a statement like this, we think of places and people far away who we may never see. But the truth is, everyone you encounter in your day, from the store clerk to the fellow Catholic who sits next to you at Mass, is in need of an authentic encounter with God’s love.
Authenticity is the key here. When someone encounters me, how can they have an authentic experience of God’s love if I’m trying to be something or somebody other than who God wants me to be?
Brothers and sisters, comparing and obsessing over what others are doing and where they are in the spiritual life causes the world to miss out on you, a unique person made for a unique path and plan, intended to be a unique tabernacle of God’s love for the world. When you feel anxiety or fear that you’re not as good or holy as others, remember the words of St. John Henry Newman:
“God knows me and calls me by my name. God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.” (“Meditations and Devotions”)
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Donald J. Kettler
Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of St. Cloud
Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Sioux Falls
