PART II:
The Paladin Vision
The Journey
More on the Journey
Every human heart is on a journey, whether we realize it or not. We were made for God, and until we rest in Him, we wander.
The deepest purpose of life isn’t success, comfort, or achievements but union with God. God has created us in His image and destined us for eternal life with Him. Our hearts are restless until they find rest in Him (St. Augustine). This journey begins with God’s initiative—He created us, redeemed us, and calls us to Himself. It progresses through our response of faith—our reaching out to God in trust and love. Each of us must recognize, embrace, and walk this path of transformation.
Every choice we make either moves us toward God or away from Him.
Our family, small church community, and parish support us on this journey. Faithfulness enables us to move forward. And the New Evangelization encourages us to help each other along the way.
Yes, you’re right; this book has already discussed the Journey to God. And, indeed, our focus on forming living, growing disciples is essentially about the Journey to God. However, emphasizing the Journey as a journey will shed additional light on how we follow Christ in this life and into the next.
Our Forgotten Journey
The biggest obstacle to progressing on the Journey to God is failing to perceive the path that stretches out before us. Many of us forget that we are even on the Journey! Too many stop at the trailhead, mistaking the start of the Journey for its end. We check boxes, attend Mass, but rush back into our noise-filled lives. This long journey of life leads to God, and significant progress involves climbing the Mountain of the Lord.
We are indeed children of God; however, every child is expected to mature. The children of God are certainly expected to grow up! Like any good parent, God accepts us as we are—but He loves us too much to leave us as we are. He desires a good life for us, both now and in eternity—like any good parent. And, if we know and trust Him, we will not see all of this as a burden, but as an opportunity for a more abundant life—like any good child.
This journey—forgotten, overlooked, or indefinitely postponed—must be brought to the forefront of our lives. We not only need to recognize the Journey, understand its importance, and prioritize it, but we must make it our top priority!
Progressing on the Journey
Once we’ve set our hearts to follow Christ intentionally, we begin the daily walk with Him. We follow Him on the Journey through this life and into the next.
This daily walk includes prayerful study of scripture, church documents, and other Catholic books. This study nourishes our prayer life, which truly is the heart of our spiritual life. We pray often and seek to commune with God at all times. We increasingly reach out to those around us with the love of Christ, especially family, friends, and fellow parishioners. We also join them in renewing our family covenant with God through the Mass; we are nourished for the Journey and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We take up our daily cross—willingly, joyfully. We offer up our trials and sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, especially those closest to us. We cheerfully deal with the sinfulness of others and offer it up as well, understanding this is a participation in the Passion of Christ.
We progress on our journey through trials and grace. Our suffering —our trials and sacrifices—purify us. These humble us, detach us, and redirect us. Through God’s mercy, we persevere in the work He is performing in us. We find joy in His nearness and in doing His will. We experience a glimpse of heaven in the peace, joy, and love that God slowly attunes our souls to.
We gradually recognize signs of transformation. The allure of sin diminishes as the attraction of prayer grows. We gradually develop virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, and humility. Our love for others grows along with our love for God. These are our assurances that we are making progress on the Journey. As we walk faithfully in these ways, God quietly transforms our hearts.
God’s Part
Yet no matter how much effort we make, our journey depends entirely on God’s grace. No amount of human effort alone can make us holy; only God’s grace can truly transform us. God will require significant work and sacrifice from us—we must give our hundred percent. Even then, any positive change is ultimately the result of God’s work. If we were to wildly exaggerate, we might claim even one percent of the credit—but even that would be too much. At best, we cooperate with His work; at best, we cease to be an obstacle to it. Ultimately, it is entirely His work. All glory and honor belong to Him.
Since it is His work, we sometimes need to wait on Him for the grace to grow. Sometimes, God withholds certain graces. St. Teresa of Avila, in a moment of frustration, told God that if He wanted her to be holier, He should have made her so. Her honest complaint revealed a truth we often forget: holiness is God’s gift, not our project. Often, we wait on God. And, usually, this waiting benefits us greatly. However, I am quite certain that far more often, God is waiting on us—waiting for us to open our hearts to the grace He is eager to lavish upon us.
Understanding the nature of God’s grace should humble us and help us relate to those who haven’t yet advanced as far as we have. They might be waiting on divine providence and grace. As the saying goes, there but for the grace of God go I.
All is gift; all is grace.
God infuses us with supernatural life—supernatural virtues—with faith, hope, and love.
Faith, Hope, & Love
Growing in the theological virtues truly means growing in love for God and others—it signifies progress on the Journey to God. However, faith is more than just recognizing the truth; hope is far more than simple optimism about reaching heaven; and love is far more than a pleasant feeling or attraction. These must become—by God’s grace—supernaturally infused virtues that propel us forward on our Journey to God.
Faith
Faith is belief in God and all He has revealed. We do not achieve this belief; rather, it is a gift from God. And, although it is a gift, it nonetheless requires an act of the intellect and the will from us. We need to agree to God’s revelation and freely dedicate our entire lives to Him. Such agreement and dedication require ever-growing trust in God; this deep trust is at the heart of faith. We must trust that His ways are best for us, that He only has our interests at heart. Authentic faith is demonstrated in our daily lives, reflecting our commitment to God’s will. Faith is nourished through prayer and other devotions. Faith is the foundation for hope and love, both of which are needed for the Journey.
May I grow in Faith, ever trusting more fully.
Hope
Hope is a desire for heavenly happiness. It is a supernatural longing and a virtue rooted in the will that reaches for what is naturally out of reach for fallen humanity. Primarily, it is a trust in God’s promises—that His grace, not our strength, will carry us forward—that through His grace we can become what He calls us to be. This hope in God helps us avoid despair, which falsely believes salvation is impossible, and presumption, which falsely believes salvation is guaranteed. It maintains a healthy and holy spiritual balance within us. This hope—this balance—gives us courage and perseverance; it guides us toward our goal and assures us we can indeed get there, by God’s grace.
May I grow in Hope, ever seeking and persevering.
Love
True love—theological love or agape—centers on loving God for His own sake and above everything else. We love God for who He is, rather than what He offers us. This love extends to all people, wanting what is best for them and desiring their fulfillment as children of God. This love chooses to act selflessly and generously, regardless of our feelings. This self-forgetting love gives without counting the cost. Such love is far beyond what humans can achieve on their own; it is a supernatural infusion from and of God. This generous love is unconditional, selfless, and sacrificial—an infusion of the very love of Christ.
May I grow in Love, ever giving more generously.
Faith opens our eyes and hearts; it enables us to choose good and trust in God—He works all things for our benefit. Hope assures us of God’s promises and supports us in persevering on the Journey—He will transform us into His children. And love unites us with God and others; His divine love makes all things possible and endures forever— He will empower us to give generously and sacrifice everything for love’s sake.
The Journey Mentality
The heart of the Journey is not perfection—it’s progress.
Many of us get hung up on the lives of the saints, thinking we could never do what they did! We might not even see anything appealing in their lives. Well, first of all, you’re right: you could never do what they did! However, God could do all those things through you! And just because you can’t do them now and aren’t drawn to them now, it doesn’t mean God won’t empower you to do them and draw you to them in the future. Additionally, no child of God is the same. Every saint had their own specific gifts and calling—the saints couldn’t even do all the same things as other saints! We’re not called to be Padre Pio or Mother Teresa—we’re called to become the saints God designed us to be. Period.
Understanding the nature of the Journey should comfort us. We don’t need to worry about accomplishing great things or making tremendous sacrifices. Instead, we should focus on the next step forward—making the small sacrifice God asks of us right now. As long as we stay on the Journey and keep making progress, God is pleased with us. All is well. Of course, at the same time, we cannot dawdle. Keep moving!
This journey mentality keeps hope firm. Even when we fail miserably, we can see overall progress throughout the year and trust that God is with us. And if we do regress, we understand our Father waits for us with rings and a fatted calf. If we are sincerely seeking Him, all is well. So keep walking. Keep trusting. God delights in your next step forward.
And, of course, understanding the nature of the Journey not only supports our relationship with God, but also nurtures our relationships with all His children. If we truly perceive the Journey, we will see that we are surely closer to the great sinners than to the great saints. This humbling reality is a blessed medicine! Not only does it humble us, but it also helps us sympathize with sinners farther from God than ourselves—even great sinners. And it reminds us that even that great sinner could potentially pass us on the Journey to God!
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And this concludes the Paladin vision for small church communities. Our vision not only emphasizes Catholic fellowship but also faithfulness, the New Evangelization, and the Journey to God. Of course, all these are interconnected and interdependent, and they are all part of being a living, growing disciple of Jesus Christ.
We are including a substantial portion of our foundational book, Together on the Journey to God: The Paladin Approach to Small Church Communities; however, I’m not including the entire book. However, I will include a little more…
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Questions to Contemplate
- Life is a Journey to God – What does it mean to you personally that “life is a Journey to God”? How does seeing life as a journey change your view of success or failure? In what ways can you become more aware of the direction your daily choices are leading you—toward or away from God?
- Our Forgotten Journey to God – Why do you think many people “forget” they’re on a spiritual journey? What are some signs that you’ve settled at the trailhead instead of climbing higher? What practical steps could help you make this journey your top priority again?
- Becoming Intentional Disciples – What does “being an intentional disciple” look like in your daily life? What are some common distractions that slow your progress toward God? What might your own “rule of life”—your spiritual plan to help you walk intentionally with Christ—look like?
- Progressing on the Journey through Grace and Perseverance – How do you see trials and suffering as part of your spiritual journey? Where have you seen signs of transformation in your own life—virtue replacing vice, or joy growing where there was once anxiety? How can your small church community help one another persevere and grow in grace?
- God’s Work and Our Cooperation – What does it mean to “cooperate with grace”? How is that different from trying to “earn” holiness? Which of the theological virtues—faith, hope, or love—do you feel God is calling you to grow in right now? How can a deeper trust in God’s timing and grace change the way you approach your spiritual journey?
- The Journey Mentality – How does seeing the Journey as “progress, not perfection” free you from discouragement? How can humility about your own progress make you more compassionate toward others? What is the “next small step” God is asking you to take right now?
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