The Next Chapter. . .

As wonderful as it was to have my husband enter the Church (after thinking it would never happen), I found myself wondering, "What next?" I realized that most of the writing came out of the disequilibrium that ensues when only one converts. Until his conversion, I had transferred that frustration into writing about the Faith and explaining how I went from "there" to "here." Now that my husband was Catholic, I didn't have anything to write. There was a kind of "done-ness" that followed his conversion. The peace and unity in the home sort of eradicated the energy that had generated so many articles.

I decided to spend some time reading what the writing-saints had to say about the writing life. I’ve discovered an interesting thing about them. For the most part, saints like St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Liseux didn’t really want to write. Their superiors told them to do it, and so they did it. For them, writing was never about putting themselves in print. It was only about obedience and fidelity to what God wanted them to do.

So I asked myself, what am I supposed to be doing as an act of obedience and fidelity to God?

I’m realizing there is a definite advantage to the team approach now that my husband is also Catholic. Together, we have come to the humbling conclusion that we have much to learn from the faithful Catholics we know and the sermons Our Lord preached. Most Catholics do not sit at the computer and write articles. They are out there. Feeding the poor. Speaking for the voiceless. Clothing the needy. They are about the business of spreading the Gospel message by what they do, not by what they write. Their lives are the Gospel message.

Through Catholic Charities. St. Vincent de Paul Centers. Catholic Relief Services. Quilting circles. Priests for Life. Centers for young mothers, for the homeless, and for the under-served in our communities. The have-gots sharing with the have-nots. The Catholic faithful ministering to those labeled by society as a fetus or an illegal alien or a welfare case. All those places where religion is made real by action. Where contemplation is rooted in charity and charitable work is the fruit. What comes next? I'm still not sure, but I think it may be saying yes to whatever comes - and whatever remains.

The Next Chapter. . .