THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO A HAPPY LIFE

DEDICATION TO PERSONAL AND VOCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

LOVING YOURSELF AND LOVING WHAT YOU DO

The first ingredient in really loving oneself is a passionate commitment to personal excellence – to loving who you really are - enough to care about becoming your best self. Really loving oneself does not mean papering oneself, but doing hard things for one’s own good. One of the most critical needs here is the need for a capacity for critical and constructive self-awareness. You must be able to know and understand what makes you tick. You must own your own personal history and heal it if necessary. In short, you must be dedicated to becoming your best as a quality human person first. Let me put that another way. (a) You cannot take a loser and ordain him and expect to have an effective priest! If he is not a quality human being to begin with, all you will end up with is a loser priest who can’t relate to people or inspire them to hunger for holiness. (b) You cannot take two losers and put them through a wedding and expect to end up with a happy marriage and effective parents! If they are not quality human beings to begin with, all you will end with is a miserable marriage and disastrous parents!

The second ingredient in really loving oneself is a passionate commitment to vocational excellence – to what you do. In other words, if you are a parent, commit yourself to being the very best parent you can be! If you are married, commit yourself to being the best husband or wife you can be! If you are a priest, commit yourself to be the best priest you can possibly be! Whatever you do, be good at it! If you strive to be the best at what you do, you will get better at it. If you choose the “good enough to get by” path, you will become known for your mediocrity. Without a passionate commitment to vocational excellence, you will no doubt end up being a half-assed priest, a half-assed marriage partner or half-assed parent! The world is already overcrowded with mediocrity – with “half-assedness” - people with no passion for personal or vocational excellence! My mother used to call them “people who merely go through the motions,” “people whose hearts are not in it.” God says to us in Revelations 3:15-16, “Would that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” May you be spared from half-assedness!”

May you be the very best version of yourself, a person passionately committed to your own personal and vocational excellence, a person committed to becoming your best self and committed to excellence at what you do!

"YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED TO MINISTRY! YES, YOU!"

 

I, the Lord, have called you. I have grasped you by the hand. I formed you and set you as a covenant for the nations to open their eyes, release them from confinement and bring them out of darkness.

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

  

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I am always reminded of the extraordinary circumstances of my own birth and baptism on April 28, 1944. 

I was delivered at home by my country midwife paternal grandmother "Lillie" as she was known. Both my mother and I almost died during the birthing process. My grandmother, with years of experience as a midwife, knew what to do. She baptized me right there is the bed in which I was born and had someone go get a doctor for my mother and me!  

She lived across the road from us so I was close to her as a child and spent a lot of time with her. I helped her grind sausage, churn butter and work with her in her vegetable garden. I can't remember her talking a lot. She was like the servant in the Isaiah reading who was not big on “making her voice heard.” She just invited me to do new things and then showed me how to do them without a whole lot of talking. She always wore her hair pulled-back and rolled-up in a bun on the back of her head. To me, it was a living symbol of her wise, practical and hard-working nature. 

I did not know that she had baptized me until I sent for a baptismal record before ordination. No one had bothered to tell me. She was able to attend my first Mass and follow me during my first year as a priest. 

It was this grandmother who "birthed" me into this world and this grandmother who "birthed" me into the family of God!  I still remember her every year on my birthday and every year on today's Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

Her birthday is tomorrow, January 12. She would have been 135 years old this year.  I will remember her tomorrow as well. I hope all of you can spend a little time today reflecting on your own baptisms which is more important that our ordinations, our marriages or our religious professions.  I remember our former Auxiliary Bishop, Charles Maloney, who Confirmed me in 1957. He always said that his Baptism was more important than his ordination as a priest or his consecration as a bishop!

Just a Jesus was baptized not for his own good, so have we! We are baptized for mission – for going out to take the good news to others! Even though each of us have a “vocation,” a “call,” the clarity of that call was not obvious to most of us right away. Some of us may have spent years “discerning” our call, with starts and stops, until it became clear enough to act– whether it was to marriage, the single life, religious profession or ordained ministry. Even though the lifestyle is very different among our various “vocations,” we are all called to “go out” and “take Christ’s message of unconditional love to the world” in some specific way! However, we don’t go out alone, we go out as a “tag team,” all doing something different, but all for the same purpose – to make Christ known and his lifestyle lived in some practical way!

It seems that I have been doing ministry in one way or another all my life. 82 years ago, this coming April 28, I was commissioned for lay ministry at my baptism by my paternal grandmother.  57 years ago, I was ordained to do the ministry of a Deacon by the Archbishop of Indianapolis.  A year later, 56 years ago this coming May 16, I was ordained for the ministry of a priest. After my retirement, I have continued my ministry as a priest, helping out here and there in this diocese, but I have added foreign mission ministry to my list, first in the Caribbean missions and now in the African missions of Kenya and Tanzania. I hope to continue doing ministry till the end, not simply because I am a priest, but more so because I am first of all a baptized Christian, commissioned to be an ambassador for Christ!

Some of us may think that our particular “call” at baptism is not flashy, news-worthy or even obvious to others.  Like the “chosen servant” mentioned in Isaiah today who went out “not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street” our “vocation” may be understated, low-keyed, muted and subdued, but effective none the less! Many people respond better and respond more enthusiastically to a quiet presence more than a loud in-your-faced presence. As St. Gregory Nazianzus once said about preaching, “One and the same exhortation does not fit all. According to the quality of the hearer ought the discourse of the teachers to be fashioned.” A simple quiet gesture of kindness can sometimes be more effective in leading people to Jesus than an eloquent homily! In a way, maybe my grandmother taught me more about the way of Jesus than all of the Bishop Sheen tapes I have listened to combined!

Here is a parting thought for you to consider! Find out what day you were baptized! As Bishop Maloney reminded people, “It is more important than your wedding anniversary or my ordination!” If you don’t know when you were baptized, contact the parish where it took place and ask for a copy of your Baptismal Record. Put that date on your calendar and find a way to celebrate it every year. It, too, is one of your birthdays! It is not a day for you to receive presents just because you were born, but a day to give service because you have been baptized! It was the day you were commissioned for ministry. Maybe you can celebrate your baptism every year by volunteering for some kind of service – either in your community, in your family, in your neighborhood or in your parish! Call your godparents if they are alive! Treat them to lunch if possible! Pull out your baptism pictures if you have them! Do something every year to help you remember that you have been commissioned for ministry! In the words of our second reading, “You have been sent to do good and heal those oppressed, for God is with you!”  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHURCH CHAT #10

 

 

IN THE NEW YEAR, CONSISTENCY OR CHANGE? WHY NOT BOTH?

Oscar Wilde

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

www.socratic-method.com 

In his famous quote, 'Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative,' Oscar Wilde presents a thought-provoking observation that challenges the conventional perception of consistency. 

At first glance, this quote may seem confrontational or dismissive of those who prioritize consistency. However, Wilde's words carry a deeper meaning that urges us to embrace the inherent complexities of life, fostering creativity and personal growth. 

When we look at this quote straightforwardly, we can interpret it as a reminder that sticking to the same patterns, ideas, or habits can hinder our ability to think outside the box. Consistency, in its simplest form, implies a rigidity and a lack of flexibility that can restrict our potential. If we view consistency solely as a means of conforming to societal norms or rigid expectations, we risk becoming stagnant and unremarkable in our thoughts and actions. 

However, to fully dive into the essence of this quote, let us explore an unexpected philosophical concept - the paradox of change. The paradox of change suggests that while consistency can stifle creativity and imagination, it is also a fundamental requirement for personal growth and development. When we embrace the idea of striking a balance between consistency and change, we can harness the power of both to enhance our lives. 

Consistency provides us with stability and a solid foundation upon which we can build and explore new ideas. It allows us to establish routines, learn from our experiences, and develop expertise in our chosen pursuits. Without consistency, progress would be challenging, and personal growth would be hindered. Furthermore, consistency grants us a sense of reliability and trustworthiness, making it an important element in our relationships and professional endeavors. 

On the other hand, excessive adherence to consistency without allowing room for exploration and adaptation can lead to stagnation and lack of innovation. When we become too comfortable with routine and familiarity, we may shy away from taking risks or embracing change. This restricts our ability to think creatively and limits our potential for personal and professional advancement. Thus, the key lies in striking a delicate balance between consistency and change. 

While consistent efforts help us excel in specific domains, it is crucial to recognize when it is time to step out of our comfort zones and explore new avenues. By embracing change, we invite curiosity, uncertainty, and a sense of adventure into our lives, opening up opportunities for personal growth and imagination. 

When we view consistency as a tool rather than an end in itself, we are better equipped to navigate the complexities of life. Consistency should be the compass that guides us as we venture into uncharted territories, allowing us to adapt and innovate along the way. It is through this dynamic approach that we can escape the confines of the unimaginative and tap into the vast realm of creativity. 

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde's quote, 'Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative,' encourages us to approach consistency with a critical eye and embrace the paradoxical nature of change. By finding a balance between consistency and change, we can harness the power of both and propel ourselves towards personal growth and innovation. Rather than using consistency as a shield against imagination, let us utilize it as a guiding force to explore new horizons and unleash our potential. Only then can we truly transcend the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary.

2025 WAS MY YEAR OF AT LEAST SIX MIRACLES

A NEW 500-SEAT SAINT VERONICA CHURCH IN KENYA

1. The year started out with a commitment to build a small church in Kenya at the suggestion of a local Little Sister of the Poor, Stephen Kitili herself from Kenya, here in Louisville where I have Mass every Monday and hear Confessions once a month. It was to honor her mother who was an illiterate catechist who taught hundreds of people about the Catholic Church. I reluctantly agreed to help and set what I thought was an ambitious goal of $20,000. It turned out to be 5 times bigger than I agreed to and 5 times more expensive. I had no idea it was actually going to be that big until I saw the poured concrete foundations. By then it was too late! I spent many nights worrying about whether we could possibly finish it. With God's help, lots of prayer and much help from many generous friends, they dedicated the new St. Veronica Church on August 10, 2025.  The people call it a "miracle." 

SAINT VERONICA CHURCH – BEFORE AND AFTER

 

MY BROTHER MARK'S DRAMATIC ESCAPE FROM POSSIBLE PANCREATIC CANCER

(2) My youngest brother, Mark, experienced a major health crisis last April. I think he had anesthesia at least three times as they checked his pancreas trying to find out what was going on. I anointed him and people everywhere were praying for him. The last time he was going into surgery, the surgeon asked about the closest "cancer clinic" to where he lived. It was like he was preparing us for some very bad news. When the surgeon came out of surgery, he announced that Mark was "cancer free" and they had removed the blockage between his liver and his pancreas! It was all done through his mouth and down his throat! It was like a miracle! 

A NEW HOUSE FOR A POOR SINGLE MOTHER OF TWO IN TANZANIA

(3) Through Father John Judie, I was introduced to the world of seminarians in Tanzania - some as young as 14 years old, the age I was in 1958 when I started at St. Thomas Seminary here in Louisville. Father John told me about a young 14 year old seminarian, Filbert Amos Kileo, who had been sent home because his single mother and sister at home could no afford to pay the $800.00 a year room, board and tuition costs. When his bishop, Filbert Mhasi, heard about the situation he was moved to do something about it since they both shared the names "Filbert." Bishop Mhasi told him, "Come back to the seminary and I will find the money somewhere!" When Bishop Mhasi and Father John came to see me and told me the story, I knew I had to support him with his room, board and tuition costs because I had depended on the Archdiocese of Louisville to support me through 12 years of seminary. For me, it was simply a matter of it being "pay back time." 

One part of the story really threw me into high gear. I was told that young Filbert would not be able to go home from the seminary because his mother and sister basically had to room for him in their window-less, one-room rented living situation. I asked Bishop Mhasi to visit the home and send pictures. When I saw the living situation, I asked Bishop Mhasi about how much a new house would cost. I was thinking simple and small. He sent me the architectural  drawings for a three-bedroom house with a living room, bathroom, kitchen, dining room and front and back porches. When I asked "how much" he said $13,000.00! I knew I needed to "take it on." I asked him to find out what the lot would cost so she could grow some vegetables. I knew she had very little furnishing so I asked about that too! I wanted to make sure she owned the house and the lot and it would be her security for years to come. The total cost was about $21,000.00.  Construction started on September 1, 2025. Their pastor blessed their new home and they moved in on November 15, 2025. The family feels that it is a "miracle." 

PAYING OFF THE SCHOOL DEBTS OF SEVEN POOR SEMINARIANS IN TANZANIA

(4) Besides my funding the room, board and tuition of young Filbert Amos Kileo, myself and another generous woman friend paid off the room, board and tuition debts of 6 more young seminarians who could not continue their seminary training because their poor parents did what they could, but could not afford to finish paying the expenses. For most of them, it was a miracle to get that load off their backs! 

CHRISTMAS CANDY FOR 98 RURAL CHILDREN (CATHOLIC AND NON-CATHOLIC)

(5) When I saw this picture of some of the kids in one of the "outstation churches" (mission churches) Bishop Mhasi serves, I was struck by the sad looking children. My mind went back to my country days growing up. I could see myself and my year-younger brother in front of the Bishop. I could see my sisters on the right in their home-made dresses like the ones my mother sewed for them! I asked Bishop Mhasi to find out their names and how many kids lived in that village. He wrote back and gave me their names and told me that there were 98 Catholic and non-Catholic kids. Remembering that we got candy basically only at Christmas and Easter in the 1940s and 1950s, I sent enough money to Bishop Mhasi to buy a small bag of candy for all 98 children.  I also asked that the 5 children in the photo above be the ones to hand out the bags of candy so that they could "feel important" maybe for the first time in their lives! Even that little gift is a kind of "miracle" for children in a tiny African village!  

FINISHING A HALF-DONE DESPERATELY NEEDED SCHOOL IN TANZANIA  

(6) Don't ask me how I got talked into additionally raising $82,000.00 to help finish a Catholic Grade School in Tanzania. I can't even remember when and how it happened! All I do know is that, looking back, it has been the last of six "miracles" in 2025! What made it seem "impossible" was the fact that I had promised a couple of my most generous donors that I would not ask them for more money after my big project of the St. Theresa Family Life Center a couple of years ago. I knew I needed some new donors. When I decided to "go for it," I did not believe I could do it until maybe Easter time, but I did something that I read about Pope Francis doing when he had a problem facing him. I turned to some divine help! The idea came to me in a dream.

Because of that dream, I decided to try a devotion that Pope Francis practiced. Pope Francis said that when he faced a problem, he would write it down on a piece of paper, put it under his statue of the Sleeping Saint Joseph, turn the worry over to Saint Joseph and go to bed. It reminded me that I, too, had a stature of the Sleeping St. Joseph.

Saint Joseph had four dreams in the Gospel of Matthew where an angel told him what to do next in a quandary. I put the story of the Tanzanian school in a folder and laid my own little statue of the Sleeping Saint Joseph on top of it and turned this problem over to Saint Joseph while I waited for his solution.

I never really asked people for money. I just told them what I was trying to do on my blogposts and invited them to call me if they wanted to help. Little by little, the money started coming in! Doubt and belief battled it out all through December. Right up to the last week before Christmas, I did not know whether it was going to happen or not! I told Bishop Mhasi that I would call him on Christmas Day to tell him how close we came to reaching the goal, thinking we could be $960.00 short. Before I knew it, I finally miraculously reached our total goal of $82,000.00 when the mail came on Christmas Eve!!!!! I called Bishop Mhasi on Christmas Day to deliver my "good news of great joy!" A few more gifts after Christmas brought the total up to $86,225.00! The Bishop plans to re-start the building "right away" in the beginning of January. It certainly feels like a "miracle" to me! 

To:Ronald Knott
Thu, Dec 25 at 11:48 AM
Rev. Ron,

Thanks so much for the surprise! I couldn't believe! Such a short time has
reached that amount! St. Joseph! St. Joseph!! It's really a miracle.
Please convey my sincere gratitude to all who contributed for this school project.
Let them be assured of my prayers for their health and happiness.
I will be updating you on the progress, and of course, sending you pictures.
Merry Christmas!

+ Bishop Mhasi

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOING ON A SERIOUS SPIRITUAL SEARCH?

Behold, magi from the east arrived!

Matthew 2

Just when you thought Christmas was over, we are today presented with these strange out-of-town stragglers called "magi!" Just as the party is about over, this mysterious band of foreign visitors show up asking for a peak at the new baby, completing Matthew’s picture of Jesus’ birth in which the poor and the rich, the simple and the smart, the Jew and the Gentile are all part of welcoming the savior of the world.

I never seem to focus on the gifts they brought, but on the ones who brought them! I really admire these guys, these driven spiritual seekers from the east, these men on a mission! On top of it all, they were from present-day Iraq of all places! They were part of a tribe of priest-teachers to the ancient kings of Persia. They were men with an eye out for God. Their job was to watch the heavens for any unusual activity. Unusual activity among the stars was a sign to them that God was up to something. An unusually bright star, combined with a feverish search for God, meant they had to check it out. The star they followed even had a name. It was called “the birth of a prince.” Astronomers today believe there actually was a dramatic star-event about this time in history.  These guys left everything that was comfortable and familiar to them and set out for new lands, for new insights and for new understanding. Their search led them to Jesus.

These brave souls stand in contrast to that woman in eastern Kentucky that I saw interviewed on KET a few years back. She had never been more than two miles from the mountain cabin she was born in! When asked why, she answered the reporter, “I just don’t believe in goin’ places!” These brave souls, these strange magi, did believe in going places, in having new insights, in expanding their understanding. They are my kind of people.

My friends, these Magi, these ancient spiritual seekers have a lot to teach us about the spiritual life.  In a world of people obsessed with working on their outsides, these men teach us about passionately working on our insides: pursuing the truth, stretching ourselves and our potential, being people in charge of their own passions, hungering and thirsting for holiness. They also teach us that spiritual growth is always a risk, always dangerous, always requiring great personal courage, but always worth it. As one of my favorite writers puts it, "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." 

As I have written about so many times before - maybe too many times - my life as a Magi started on a fire escape at St. Meinrad in the Spring of 1966 when I was in college. I was extremely bashful.  I avoided meeting new people or getting myself into unfamiliar situations.  My favorite word was "no!" I was scared of life.  I was what George Bernard Shaw called “a feverish little clod of grievances and ailments, complaining that the world would not dedicate itself to making me happy.” 

That day, I was standing on a fire escape outside my room at St. Meinrad Seminary with a fellow seminarian, Pat Murphy.  In what had to be one great moment of grace, an impulse gift from God, I suddenly blurted out, “Pat, I am so sick and tired of being bashful and scared of life that I’m going to do something about it even if it kills me!”

I was shocked by the words that came out of my own mouth! But from that moment on, I have been standing up to the coward in me.  I have been deliberately “slaying dragons” and “confronting demons,” in my head and on my path, ever since!  I decided that day not to indulge my resistance to personal and spiritual growth anymore. That day, on that fire escape, I made my first conscious decision to enter the world of intentional personal growth and deliberate living! I finally learned to say "yes!" How appropriate and symbolic that my decision was made on a “fire escape!” 

I basically decided that day to quit being a coward and become a "magi." I decided to put myself in new and challenging situations so I could grow as a person! I decided to quit being "safe" all the time and, as a result, quit being "stuck" all the time! As a result, I have moved from being too bashful to lector at Masses to preaching over 70 parish missions all over the United States. That experience pushed me to preach priest retreats in England, Ireland, Wales, from one side of Canada to the next, the Bahamas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and most of the states in the United States. 

I allowed myself to be open to being a home missionary, a pastor, a seminary staff person, a campus minister, a weekly columnist or The Record for 15 years, a foreign missionary and a nursing home chaplain. I have been given opportunities to preach and do ministry not only in the Catholic Church, but also in the United Church of Christ, the Lutheran Church, the Disciples of Christ Church, the Baptist Church  and the Presbyterian Church. It even drove me to get a Doctorate in Parish Revitalization from a Presbyterian Seminary in Chicago. It all happened because of that fire-escape decision I made back in 1966 as a college seminarian.

In my retirement, I made twelve trips to the Caribbean Missions and completed over a million dollars in projects until I had to stop because of a volcano explosion and COVID. After that, I finished a major renovation project in my home parish of St. Theresa down in Meade County. I led a project that turned my old closed grade school into an up-to-date Family Life Center and the old parish rectory into a Guest House. 

After that was finished and dedicated, I prepared myself for my next project by first of all standing up to the temptation to say "no," just because “people in their 80s don't do stuff like that!" which led me to get involved in the missions in Kenya and Tanzania. As Henry Ford put it, "Those who believe they can and those who believe they can't are both right!" Last year alone, I organized the building of a new 500 seat church in Kenya and the building of a new house for a single mother of two children on Tanzania. I raised the money to pay off the seminary debt of six seminarians in Tanzania so they could continue their studies. At noon on Christmas Eve last, I reached my ambitious goal of raising enough funds to help Bishop Mhasi re-start and finish his new half-finished grade school. I called him on Christmas Day to tell him the good news! He was shocked and ecstatic!  

Maybe this is your year, the year to begin that serious spiritual journey you have been thinking about, but putting off for years. Be brave! Take a risk! Get started! Reinvent yourself! Don't be a coward! Get out there! Be a magi! 

Without the purposeful determination of a magi, we are destined to live a life of distraction, flitting from one thing to the next, but never really committing. Lack of focus leads to a lack of commitment. Commitment, consecration if you will, changes all of that! It challenges us to name what matters most and to quit letting ourselves off the hook by telling ourselves we are "too old for that" or "this old dog can't learn new tricks!"  

As a favorite author, Anais Nin, put it,

 "It takes courage to push yourself to places you have never been before....to test your limits...to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to stay tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."