I have been thoroughly blessed by the witness of your faith and your hospitality this summer, and I wish to thank you! A special thanks to Father Allen for taking me under his wing, as well as the parish staff both at St. Bartholomew’s and Notre Dame.

Years ago, I was scrolling through YouTube when I stumbled upon old episodes of Bishop Sheen’s television series “Life is Worth Living.” Among many other figures, Sheen has inspired me to become a priest, and his writings have accompanied me on my journey. In his biography he wrote: “To be a priest is to be the happiest of men, and yet to be committed to wage the greatest of all wars, the war waged within.”

No doubt, the life of a priest, if embraced, is hard. He must bear the burdens of others, tend to the sick, anoint the dying, bury the dead, and turn around to officiate a wedding and baptize a baby—sometimes, all in one day—while being tasked with overseeing the operations that keep a parish running, and hopefully growing. He must, above all, be an intercessor, which can only be done if he is attending to his own spiritual life. “The war waged within” takes on many variations, but occasionally takes up this theme: “How can I do all of this?”

Yet, cannot the same be said for everyone? Life is difficult, especially a Christian’s life, because saying “yes” to Jesus means to embrace a life of the cross. Jesus tells us that we will encounter opposition for our faith, even from our own families!

What makes it all worth it? Look at the first part of Sheen’s quote above. Not only are priests called to be the happiest of men, all Christians are called to be the happiest people on earth. Why? Happiness is found in God alone! Nothing else with which we attempt to fill our hearts will ever make us happy, only God alone. This happiness is not just a passing feeling. It is a deep blessedness, a gift from God, that comes about when we choose to plant our feet in heaven while we are here on earth. When we love and serve God, we receive His strength to carry our cross, because by ourselves we are too poor.

“Persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Please pray for me and my seminarian confreres, please pray daily for more vocations to the priesthood, and know that I will be praying for you!