The Uncertain Future

Inspiration for Catholic communicators

Dear friend,

After taking an Advent/Christmas break, this newsletter and podcast is returning to help inspire and strengthen you as a Catholic communicator…

I’ll be honest, though: Lately, some personal challenges have left me feeling like uninspired Angela.

As Catholic communicators, let’s be honest: Ours is not an easy path. Few of us have a safety net built into our lives. Most of us choose this calling despite the lack of material benefits. We have all looked into our uncertain futures with a variety of spectacles; sometimes seeing it with feelings of consolation and assurance, other times with uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty. The trials of our vocation can bruise us deeply and wear us out.

Once while speaking with a spiritual father of mine, I revealed that I was praying for the faith that I lack in God’s Providence. He looked at me with compassion, and acknowledged: It can be difficult to trust in God’s Providence if it means we might get stoned to death.

What is a Catholic communicator to do?

Alongside you, I plan to lean into the theme of this Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope.” It means that we haven’t arrived yet; we’re still journeying.

In his document announcing the Jubilee Year, Hope Does Not Disappoint, Pope Francis tells us:

Saint Paul is a realist. He knows that life has its joys and sorrows, that love is tested amid trials, and that hope can falter in the face of suffering. Even so, he can write: “We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4). For the Apostle, trials and tribulations mark the lives of those who preach the Gospel amid incomprehension and persecution (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:3-10).¹

As our tool for this spiritual combat against discouragement, the Holy Father directs us to exercise the virtue of patience. Ever a practical grandfather, he acknowledges the challenges we face during the Internet age, and then opens the window in the room to let the fresh air in.

Look to Creation, he says. Watch how the seasons slowly change, how seeds grow and sprout and blossom to fruit despite the harshness of the sun and wind and many threats. Watch how the caterpillar ‘dies’ to ‘resurrect’ a butterfly.

Two years ago, I wondered what in the world God was doing as he called me to become a certified Laudato Si’ Animator. It was truly an exercise in obedience. Slowly now, I’m starting to understand. The Creator was calling my eyes away from the screens, to Creation. She is the common textbook from which Jesus taught the people. Creation still teaches us today. We must look and listen — pondering all these things in our hearts like Mary.

So, would you join me in this journey of patience, observation, and striving? I’ll feel better knowing we walk together.

Peace be with you,
Angela

1. Spes non confundit, 4.