I came across this profound and moving text some time ago and had forgotten about it until today’s beautiful feast of the Immaculate Conception dawned. Enjoy and a blessed Advent to you all!

A few of my friends and family had shared on social media a TED talk by Angela Lee Duckworth, Ph.D on the #1 predictor of success, when all other factors had been considered. You can watch the video if you’d like, but to sum it up: it all comes down to resilience, or grit, as she calls it.  

When I was in high school, I always wished I was two years older. In my youth group, most of my friends were two years older than I was. I wanted so badly to be the same age as them: to get my license when they did, to stay out as late as they did, to graduate when they did. I could not wait for college.

It is my understanding that in popular Protestant thought, faith is good while religion is bad. There is currently a song on Christian radio that starts out with these words:

My 5-year old son was standing quietly watching me steam clean our floor one evening, which I just figured was amazing in itself since I do it so infrequently. But after a few minutes he said, “Hey mom, if you say a prayer and then steam comes out, then your prayer can rise to heaven on the steam.” I was floored (pun intended) that he would make such a connection between work and prayer. “Yes,” I replied,  “Steam cleaning the floor can become a prayer to God!”

One of the most surprising –and quite frankly, disturbing- things I have learned since being an online marriage prep instructor is how many Catholics don’t actually know what a Sacrament is. They have been raised Catholic and sadly for one reason or another, they have not grasped the beauty of what grace is all about.