Two (More) Inspiring Interviews That Can Give Us Hope

“… I had an incredibly meaningful confession… I felt really challenged by the Holy Spirit to be more sincere in my service of the Church and more intentional about myself as a gift …”

— Sister Josephine Garrett, CSFN

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

When was the last time that you heard an inspiring “conversion story?” If it has “been a while,” or even if you have heard one recently, if you haven’t heard Sister Josephine Garrett’s story (raised Southern Baptist, became Catholic after college, and then was called to Religious Life), I strongly encourage you to hear her tell it on the most recent episode of the Revive podcast.

Three weeks ago, I encouraged readers to listen to two interviews, one with Bishop Andrew Cozzens (on the Revive podcast) and the other with Bishop Donald Hying on the Jesuitical podcast. When we receive good things and blessings from the Lord, it is natural to want to share that “good news” and those blessings with those whom we love and care about. For that reason, I would like to recommend two interviews that I heard during the past week. Listening to the interview with Sister Josephine and listening to Bishop Robert Barron’s interview with Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) provided some “uplifting moments” that helped me to be hopeful in the midst of some of the many challenges we face.

This past Wednesday, I was happy to have been invited to Christ the King parish in New Vernon to celebrate Mass as part of the parish’s “Lenten Series.” There was also a “bonus,” as the pastor, Father Brian Sullivan, had invited me to come early and meet with some of the students and their parents as part of the parish’s “Family-based Catechesis” program for some questions and answers and “Pizza with the Bishop” — the pizza was delicious, the questions and sharing were even better!

For those of you who were at Mass this past Wednes­day (of the Third Week of Lent), you may recall that the First Reading was from the Book of Deuteronomy (Dt 4:1, 5-9). In that Reading, Moses addresses the People of Israel:

“Moses spoke to the people and said: “Now, Israel, hear these statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live and enter in and take possession of the land” (Dt 4:1)

Moses then goes on to speak about what it means to be a “great nation,” using that phrase three times in the course of a few lines.

I could cite some lengthy quotes, but rather, I would encourage you to take the time to find and listen to the interview between Bishop Barron and Congressman Khanna. They discuss “America at her best” and the challenges that we face at the current moment, in which many feel that we, as a nation, may be “losing our way.”

I will share one quote from the interview that I shared at Mass on Wednesday (Rep. Khanna says):

… I’ll tell you the one thing that Ronald Reagan had when he gave the speech that, if you go to Japan as an immigrant, you can’t be Japanese, and if you go to France, you can’t be French… My parents came here as immigrants, I was born here in Philadelphia in 1976 … a Bicentennial Baby, born in Bucks County and at the age of 40, a grandson of someone who was a freedom fighter in Indian Colonialism, a son of Indian immigrants, is elected to represent the economically most powerful place in the world, in terms of wealth, that’s America – “that’s us at our best” … We need people, again, to believe in the aspirational story of America.”

It so happened that Mass on this past Wednesday came the day after the “Super Tuesday” primaries this year when we will have a Presidential Election. The “tone” of the conversation between Bishop Barron and Representative Khanna is, I believe, in stark contrast to most of what we hear from our elected leaders and candidates, from much of the media and political commentary, and, at times, what we hear from our fellow Catholics. Listening to the respectful, thoughtful, intelligent conversation between Bishop Barron and Representative Khanna, especially when they discussed topics or policies on which they do not agree, was and is a reminder to me that we can have civil and respectful political discourse.

I shared with the parishioners at Christ the King that, as an American, as a Catholic, and as a bishop, I am very concerned about where we are as a nation at the current moment. I also shared that I am very concerned when I think about how things will go for us as a nation in the coming months of this “election year.” The interview with Bishop Barron and Representative Khanna is one (small) reason to be optimistic and hopeful. It is also one of two things that I told the parishioners at Christ the King were reasons that I am hopeful for our country and for our Church.

The second example or “reason to be hopeful” is the three-year “Eucharistic Revival” that is currently taking place throughout our nation. A highlight of the Eucharistic Revival will be the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Eucharistic Congress that will be taking place in the coming months.

I have written and spoken a great deal about the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress and, by now, I trust that all readers know that you can get more information about and register to attend the Congress (there’s still time) by going to our diocesan website.

If you are able to listen to the interview with Sister Josephine, you will also hear many new insights into the preparation for the Congress and about the “call to attend” the Congress. Sister Josephine will be one of the keynote speakers at the Congress, speaking on the themes of hope and healing on the evening of Friday, July 19. Sister Josephine is a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. She is a licensed counselor and serves as the school counselor for the cathedral school in Tyler, Texas, and in private practice. She is the author of a book called Hope, an Invitation and host of the Hope Stories podcast.

I encourage you to listen to the full interview with Sister Josephine, but I will conclude by sharing with you, the final question (and answer) of the interview. The host asks Sister Josephine, “Where are you finding hope right now?” She answers:

“I am finding hope … the first thing that came to my mind: I find so much hope in working with parents. It’s hard being a parent. I never thought I would love so much serving parents as a counselor … There are lots of places where I am finding hope, but that’s one of the key places, working with parents and receiving their vulnerabilities and having the honor of walking with them in areas where they are vulnerable. It’s just so beautiful to see how parents hope for their kids and how much they want to do more and be better for their kids. I love it. I love being able to enter in close to families in that way.”

In the first reading for Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent, Isaiah presents a hopeful message by expressing God’s will to bring us newness of life. According to the prophet, God will not abandon his people, “For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people” (Isaiah 65:18–19). God’s people, Israel, had passed through difficult times, lost their way, but God never wearied of calling them back to their place as his chosen people. As Lent moves quickly toward a close, the Lord is calling us to newness of life. Each day, God reminds us of our opportunities to be faithful to our responsibilities as his holy people by living with integrity. Our purposeful sharing of God’s mercy, poured out for us on the cross of Jesus Christ and made our hope through the power of his resurrection, is the promise of Easter made new each year. Our understanding of our faith and its power finds new strength as we accompany one another and move toward Easter, recommitting ourselves to the joyful hope that never fails!