The Path Series | #1

356 Words / Read time: 2.5 Minutes

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Could I Become a Saint?

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After marrying my wife and raising children, I realized the tremendous responsibility incumbent upon me to protect their souls.
I sought divine guidance.

As I began to follow Jesus more intentionally, I discovered that He summoned His followers to be “all-in.”
Inspired to be His disciple, I sought examples of saints who were laymen, fathers, husbands—like me.

I realized that though the Church beatified men who were fathers, there existed very few men who were lauded precisely for how they embraced their fatherly vocation.
Consequently, I surrendered to the false notion that the saint’s path is reserved for priests and religious but not for the common father.

I began to believe that being a husband and father compromised any hope to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, His saint.

Gradually, I gravitated toward the world and its six promises:

1. Power (to control and use others for personal gain)
2. Prominence (popularity, fame)
3. Prestige (human honor)
4. Possessions (material possessions that gave status)
5. Pleasure (mind-numbing consolations)
6. Profit (wealth)

I surmised that by having these I would be happy.

As I strove to obtain these six promises, I encountered 3 obstacles:

1. God
2. My wife
3. My children

Appearing to be a faithful Catholic man, I pursued the world while neglecting to intentionally give my family pride of place.

I wagered that I could have the rewards of the world AND the reward of heaven.

I was wrong.

Tension between my fatherly calling and the pursuing of the world’s promises returned me to the ever-reoccurring question: can these two be integrated?
I realized that I had to choose one or the other, or suffer the pain of being mediocre, at best, at both.

What if I choose to be an all-in father, husband?
What if there is a path to sanctity for husbands and fathers that has been veiled, seldom proclaimed, and rarely tried?
What if my wife and children are not in the way but a way to The Way?
What if my vocation as a spiritual father is my path to being a saint?

Then the adventure of fatherhood began.